{"id":10267,"date":"2016-09-08T15:00:22","date_gmt":"2016-09-08T19:00:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southjerseytechies.net\/blog\/?p=10267"},"modified":"2024-05-02T17:22:03","modified_gmt":"2024-05-02T21:22:03","slug":"the-16-most-pivotal-events-in-windows-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southjerseytechies.net\/blog\/the-16-most-pivotal-events-in-windows-history\/","title":{"rendered":"The 16 most pivotal events in Windows history"},"content":{"rendered":"

Thirty years of Windows is a lifetime.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"30yearsofwindows-1\"<\/p>\n

Thirty years of Windows<\/strong><\/div>\n
\n

For better or for worse, Windows has defined the modern era of personal computing. Microsoft\u2019s signature OS runs on the vast majority of PCs worldwide, and it has also worked its way into servers, tablets, phones, game consoles, ATMs, and more.<\/p>\n

Windows\u2019 30 years or so of existence has spanned generations of computing and entire lifetimes of companies and their products. Understandably, choosing the most noteworthy<\/em> moments of Windows\u2019 long life has been a challenging task, but we went for it. On the following slides we present our our list of the obvious, and not-so-obvious, milestones in Windows history.<\/p>\n

\"30yearsofwindows-2\"<\/p>\n

Windows 1.0<\/strong><\/div>\n
\n

On Nov. 20, 1985, Microsoft launched the first iteration of Windows, essentially a graphical shell that overlaid Microsoft\u2019s well-known MS-DOS. Requiring a couple of floppy drives, 192KB of RAM, and, most importantly, a mouse, Windows wasn\u2019t actually that well-received. But Bill Gates told InfoWorld\u00a0that \u201conly applications that run Windows will be competitive in the long run.\u201d He was right\u2014for a time.<\/p>\n

Featuring tiled windows that could be minimized or extended to cover the full screen, plus \u201capps\u201d like Calendar and Write, Windows was the precursor to what the majority of PC users run today. Oh, and it was sold by Microsoft\u2019s eventual CEO, Steve Ballmer, in perhaps the best computer commercial (Apple\u2019s \u201c1984\u201d ad notwithstanding) ever shown.<\/p>\n

\"30yearsofwindows-3\"<\/p>\n

Windows 3.x<\/strong><\/div>\n
\n

Windows puttered along until May 1990, when the first iconic Windows release, Windows 3.0, was released. It\u2019s difficult to decide whether Windows 3.0 or its immediate successor, Windows 3.1, was more important; Windows 3.0 introduced sound to the Windows platform, but Windows 3.1 added TrueType fonts.<\/p>\n

Yes, Windows 3.1 included File Manager (drag and drop!) and Program Manager, but the real innovations were more fun: support for MIDI sound and AVI files. \u00a0More importantly, Windows 3.x introduced screensavers (a staple of shovelware for years) and the ultimate timewasters: Solitaire<\/em> (Windows 3.0) and Minesweeper<\/em> (Windows 3.1). An entire generation learned how to place digital playing cards, one on top of the other, all for the glory of seeing all the cards bounce when a game was completed.<\/p>\n

\"30yearsofwindows-4\"<\/p>\n

Windows 95<\/strong><\/div>\n
\n

Early iterations of Microsoft\u2019s Windows operating system catered more toward the business user than anyone else. That changed on August 24, 1995 with the launch of Windows 95.<\/p>\n

It featured a few key technical upgrades: Windows 95 was Microsoft\u2019s first \u201cmass-market\u201d 32-bit OS. It was the also first to add the Start button that we use today. The first integrated web browser, Internet Explorer, just missed the launch and shipped later.<\/p>\n

With a promotional budget of hundreds of millions of dollars, much of what we remember about Windows 95, though, was tied up in the marketing: a midnight launch, an ad campaign built around the The Rolling Stones hit \u201cStart Me Up,\u201d a partnership with Brian Eno that produced the iconic boot melody.<\/p>\n

Oh, and Windows 95 also allowed users to pay $19.95 to try out a time-limited beta of the OS, which expired at the launch. Good times.<\/p>\n

\"30yearsofwindows-5\"<\/p>\n

Microsoft Bob<\/strong><\/div>\n
\n

Windows 3.1, however, also gave us Microsoft Bob, a March 1995 release that remodeled Windows as a series of \u201crooms.\u201d Each was populated by virtual objects that\u00a0might<\/em> have a purpose\u2014but you wouldn\u2019t know until you clicked on them. Bob also featured a series of \u201cassistants\u201d that offered to help you perform all sorts of tasks, whether you wanted to or not.<\/p>\n

Bob bombed. But Microsoft never quite gave up on trying to humanize Windows, a noble if slightly pathetic effort that would later produce the unfortunately iconic Clippy assistant.<\/p>\n

\"30yearsofwindows-6\"<\/p>\n

Windows NT<\/strong><\/div>\n
\n

Though PCWorld tends to focus on the PC (natch), we\u2019d be remiss to neglect Windows NT, the precursor to Windows\u2019 expansion into the server and workstation space. Windows NT was Microsoft\u2019s first 32-bit OS designed (and priced) for both the server and workstation market, with specific versions optimized for the X86, DEC Alpha, and MIPS series of microprocessors. It eventually was combined with the standard Windows architecture to form Windows XP.<\/p>\n

Today, Microsoft has built a sizeable portion of its business upon Windows Server, SQL Server, and Windows Center, among others, plus its investments in the Azure cloud. All of this originated with Microsoft\u2019s desire to take on UNIX in the server space.<\/p>\n

\"30yearsofwindows-7\"<\/p>\n

Windows XP<\/strong><\/div>\n
\n

Whether it\u2019s due to nostalgia, good design, or the famous\u00a0\u201cBliss\u201d backdrop\u00a0featuring an\u00a0emerald-green hillside in California\u2019s wine country, 2001\u2019s Windows XP remains one of the more beloved Windows operating systems. Shoot, it managed to erase the memory of Windows ME, one of Microsoft\u2019s biggest blunders.<\/p>\n

Windows XP shipped in two editions: one for professionals, the other for home users, with features stripped out of the \u201cpro\u201d version, such as domain join. But Windows XP also shipped with a Media Center edition that transformed a PC equipped with a TV tuner into a powerful DVR. (Media Center remains one of the more popular, and mourned, features of Windows today\u2014it\u2019s one reason users cite for refusing to upgrade to Windows 10.)<\/p>\n

\"30yearsofwindows-8\"<\/p>\n

Windows Genuine Advantage<\/strong><\/div>\n
\n

Maybe you thought every pivotal Windows moment was a product release. Not so. As good as it was, Windows XP also unleashed Windows Genuine Advantage\u2014or what we now refer to as \u201cactivation\u201d\u2014upon an unsuspecting world. It was the first step in evolving Windows from a \u201chobby\u201d to what some would refer to as \u201cMicro$oft.\u201d<\/p>\n

This attitude was nothing new. In 1976, Bill Gates penned \u201cAn Open Letter to Hobbyists,\u201d where he complained that the amount of royalties paid by customers using its BASIC software amounted to about $2 per hour. \u201cMost directly, the thing you do is theft,\u201d Gates wrote, essentially equating sharing code with outright stealing.<\/p>\n

Microsoft sought to curtail this activity with the release of Windows Genuine Advantage, which stealthily installed itself onto millions of PCs by way of a high-priority \u201cupdate.\u201d (Sound familiar?) Windows Genuine Advantage\u00a0consisted of two parts, one to actually validate the OS and another to inform users whether they had an illegal installation: In 2006, Microsoft said it had found about 60 million illegal installations that failed validation.<\/p>\n

Now? Virtually every standalone product Microsoft sells comes with its own software protections and licenses. If you want a \u201chobby\u201d OS, you run Linux\u2014which Microsoftalso<\/em>\u00a0spent millions trying to discredit, to no avail.<\/p>\n

\"30yearsofwindows-9\"<\/p>\n

United States v. Microsoft<\/strong><\/div>\n
\n

In May of 1998, following government concerns that bundling Internet Explorer within its operating system gave Microsoft an unfair advantage, the Department of Justice and several states filed a landmark antitrust suit against the company.<\/p>\n

The trial lasted 76 days. Cofounder and chief executive Bill Gates appeared on videotape, seemingly dismissing questions put to him by government lawyers. Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson ultimately ruled that Microsoft had acted as a monopoly and should be broken up into two companies, though that ruling was later overturned by an appeals court.<\/p>\n

Years later, an integrated browser is generally viewed as part and parcel of an OS, though consumers are free to select any browser they choose. Today, Microsoft and IE still power most older PCs, but consumers selecting new browsers are turning to Chrome.<\/p>\n

Judge Penfield argued that consumers would have benefitted from a breakup of Microsoft. But we’ve\u00a0argued before\u00a0that Microsoft would have, too.<\/p>\n

\"30yearsofwindows-10\"<\/p>\n

Browser-choice screen<\/strong><\/div>\n
\n

In 2009, Microsoft struck a deal with the European Commission, ending the EU\u2019s own antitrust investigation. That agreement created what became known as the \u201cbrowser-choice screen,\u201d encouraging European consumers to pick a browser besides Internet Explorer.<\/p>\n

The browser-choice screen didn\u2019t kill Internet Explorer; in fact, IE remained the most popular downloaded browser until March 2016, when Windows 10 helped push it out of the top spot. But the browser-choice screen certainly reminded consumers that other browsers existed, and that they could pick and choose whichever they preferred, rather than accepting what Microsoft provided to them.<\/p>\n

\"30yearsofwindows-11\"<\/p>\n

Windows 7<\/strong><\/div>\n
\n

For many, Windows reached its apex with Windows 7, which continues to be the dominant OS in Windows\u2019 history: It reached a high of almost 61 percent market share in June 2015, and still commands about\u00a047 percent of the market\u00a0today.<\/p>\n

Why? Any number of reasons, not the least of which is familiarity: Windows\u2019 UI remained relatively static for almost 11 years, from the 2001 launch of Windows XP on up to the dramatic tiled revamp of 2012\u2019s Windows 8. Windows 7 also\u00a0added several elements that we take for granted in Windows today: the taskbar, a more evolved Snap function, and support for multiple graphics cards. It\u2019s also important to note that Windows 7 supports DirectX 11.1, which is arguably still the dominant graphics API today. Until DirectX12 supersedes it, gamers won\u2019t have a reason to leave.<\/p>\n

Windows 7 also eliminated many of the annoying UAC popups that its predecessor, Windows Vista, had put in place. And (as our commenters have repeatedly pointed out) it lacks the frustratingly frequent updates of the current Windows 10, allowing users to essentially \u201cset it and forget it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"30yearsofwindows-12\"<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
Laptop Hunters ads<\/strong><\/div>\n
\n

Microsoft ran a series of \u201cLaptop Hunters\u201d ads during 2009, featuring real people buying real laptops from real stores\u2014and consistently picking Windows PCs over the more expensive Apple options. For about three years, Microsoft had been stung by the barrage of \u201cI\u2019m a Mac\/I\u2019m a PC\u201d ads portraying PCs as clunky and out of touch, and \u201cLaptop Hunters\u201d effectively skewered that message as pretentious and expensive.<\/p>\n

The campaign followed a $300 million \u201cI\u2019m a PC\u201d\u00a0push a year earlier, which lacked the real-world punch of Lauren and other real-world customers. Both campaigns illustrated Microsoft’s pivot to being the face of the PC. The \u201cDude, you\u2019re getting a Dell!\u201d days are long gone.<\/p>\n

\"30yearsofwindows-13\"<\/p>\n

Windows 8.1<\/strong><\/div>\n
\n

I vividly remember the first time I saw a Windows 7 user try out Windows 8: He stabbed at tile after tile, unable to figure out what to do with Microsoft\u2019s new OS. Most of the public did the same. Today, we barely even talk about Windows 8.<\/p>\n

Instead, we talk about\u00a0Windows 8.1: the \u201cservice pack\u201d update that undid at least some of the flaws that plagued Windows 8. In my opinion, the most notable thing about Windows 8.1 was that it showed\u00a0Microsoft was listening to its customers again, even adding a hidden \u201cboot to desktop\u201d command to remedy one of its users\u2019 biggest complaints. (It also was the last time SkyDrive, later renamed OneDrive, actually acted like the cloud backup we wanted.)<\/p>\n

By itself, Windows 8.1 is a relatively minor release. But it stands as an important admission of guilt, and an apology, for the sins of its predecessor.<\/p>\n

\"30yearsofwindows-14\"<\/p>\n

The rise of Android, the fall of Windows Mobile<\/strong><\/div>\n
\n

In February 2007, Microsoft debuted Windows Mobile 6, its first mobile operating system for true smartphones and arguably one of the company\u2019s most successful. In November 2007, however, the free Android OS debuted. A year later, HTC launched the first Android smartphone: the HTC Dream, seen here. It was all downhill from there for Microsoft.<\/p>\n

Yes, you could make a strong argument that Microsoft\u2019s massive $7.8 billion acquisition of Nokia\u2019s devices business\u00a0in 2013\u2014which, by now, has been almost completely written off\u2014was actually the last gasp of Microsoft\u2019s mobile vision. But the launch of the Dream, and the hundreds of millions of Android phones that followed it, lured away third-party developers Microsoft needed for its mobile aspirations to thrive.<\/p>\n

\"30yearsofwindows-15\"<\/p>\n

Windows 10: The ‘last Windows’<\/strong><\/div>\n
\n

With Windows 10, Microsoft made the gutsy call to bring beta testers in as partners rather than as guinea pigs. The Windows Insider program lets users try out and evaluate builds almost as quickly as Microsoft can churn them out, fostering an air of camaraderie between users and Microsoft.<\/p>\n

Windows 10 also introduced a number of features: a revamped Start menu, better notifications, virtual desktops, and more. It launched Cortana, a digital assistant that Microsoft hoped would eliminate the grunt work of setting reminders and sending quick texts and email.<\/p>\n

But Cortana\u2019s privacy-intruding nature and Microsoft\u2019s aggressive upgrade practiceswashed away some of the goodwill Windows 10 originally engendered. Today, Windows 10 is one of the more polarizing operating systems in recent memory, with many Windows 7 fans loudly criticizing it, and others supporting the direction Microsoft has taken.<\/p>\n

\"30yearsofwindows-16\"<\/p>\n

The evolution of the digital assistant<\/strong><\/div>\n
\n

\u00a0Of course, Microsoft has a long, controversial history with digital assistants, beginning way back in 1995 with the debut of Microsoft Bob. That program was meant to help familiarize Windows users with various applications by anticipating the users’ needs. While universally derided, Bob introduced the concept of ostensibly helpful characters, from a superhero dog to a clone of Albert Einstein to the infamous Office assistant \u00a0“Clippit,” aka “Clippy.”<\/p>\n

You can make the case that Clippy and its ilk evolved, over time and behind the scenes, into the far more sophisticated digital assistant that’s built into Windows 10: Cortana. The difference, of course, is that Cortana is part of a larger trend, joined by Google Now and Siri, digital assistants in their own rights for the Android and iOS platforms, respectively. Indeed, Microsoft is pushing its Bot Framework, which enables the creation of intelligent digital helpers, into all sorts of new applications beyond the OS, such as Skype and Bing.<\/p>\n

\"30yearsofwindows-17\"<\/p>\n

Patches, good and bad<\/strong><\/div>\n
\n

Windows has bugs. Windows requires patches. And while there have been many, many updates over the years to fix bugs, slowdowns, and other incompatibilities, there have also been many, many screwups, too. InfoWorld has an entire list of them.<\/p>\n

My favorite? A patch that put a\u00a0mysterious black bar on one side of Internet Explorer\u2014and if you clicked it\u2014CRASH!\u2014down came your machine with a BSOD. For a time, Microsoft allowed you to refuse Windows patches. Windows 10, unfortunately, did away with all that.<\/p>\n

That concludes our list of Windows\u2019 most pivotal moments. We could have spent dozens upon dozens of slides diving deep into Windows\u2019 history, but we had to stop\u00a0somewhere<\/em>. Is there anything we missed? Tell us below.<\/p>\n

Have questions?<\/h4>\n

Get answers\u00a0from\u00a0Microsofts Cloud Solutions Partner!
\nCall us at:\u00a0856-745-9990 or visit:\u00a0https:\/\/southjerseytechies.net\/<\/a><\/p>\n

South Jersey Techies, LL C<\/a>\u00a0is a full\u00a0Managed Web and Technology Services Company<\/a>\u00a0providing\u00a0IT Services,\u00a0Website Design Services<\/a>,\u00a0Server Support<\/a>,\u00a0Network Consulting<\/a>,\u00a0Internet Phones<\/a>,\u00a0Cloud Solutions Provider<\/a>\u00a0and much more.\u00a0Contact for More<\/a>\u00a0Information.<\/p>\n

To read this article in its entirety\u00a0click here.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Thirty years of Windows is a lifetime. Thirty years of Windows For better or for worse, Windows has defined the modern era of personal computing. Microsoft\u2019s signature OS runs on the vast majority of PCs worldwide, and it has also …<\/p>\n

Continue Reading→<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":219,"featured_media":10287,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[211,1664,302,352,8,16,674],"tags":[1791,1565,1092,63,1787,1453,1788,991,1789,34,1484,1790,1793,1792,35],"class_list":["post-10267","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-laptops","category-microsoft","category-office-365","category-pcs","category-software","category-windows","category-windows-8-1","tag-microsoft-bob","tag-microsoft-network-partner","tag-microsoft-os","tag-south-jersey-techies","tag-thirty-years-of-windows","tag-windows","tag-windows-1-0","tag-windows-10","tag-windows-3-x","tag-windows-7","tag-windows-8-1","tag-windows-95","tag-windows-flashback","tag-windows-nt","tag-windows-xp"],"yoast_head":"\nSouth Jersey Techies - The 16 most pivotal events in Windows history<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/southjerseytechies.net\/blog\/the-16-most-pivotal-events-in-windows-history\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"South Jersey Techies - The 16 most pivotal events in Windows history\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Thirty years of Windows is a lifetime. Thirty years of Windows For better or for worse, Windows has defined the modern era of personal computing. Microsoft\u2019s signature OS runs on the vast majority of PCs worldwide, and it has also …Continue Reading→\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/southjerseytechies.net\/blog\/the-16-most-pivotal-events-in-windows-history\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"South Jersey Techies\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sjtechies\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-09-08T19:00:22+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-05-02T21:22:03+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/southjerseytechies.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/30yearsofwindows.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"400\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"225\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Website Admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@sjtechies\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@sjtechies\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Website Admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"12 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":[\"Article\",\"BlogPosting\"],\"@id\":\"https:\/\/southjerseytechies.net\/blog\/the-16-most-pivotal-events-in-windows-history\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/southjerseytechies.net\/blog\/the-16-most-pivotal-events-in-windows-history\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Website Admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/southjerseytechies.net\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/9fa9f56dfc58eea68b5680f2183c253f\"},\"headline\":\"The 16 most pivotal events in Windows history\",\"datePublished\":\"2016-09-08T19:00:22+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-05-02T21:22:03+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/southjerseytechies.net\/blog\/the-16-most-pivotal-events-in-windows-history\/\"},\"wordCount\":2370,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/southjerseytechies.net\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/southjerseytechies.net\/blog\/the-16-most-pivotal-events-in-windows-history\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/southjerseytechies.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/30yearsofwindows.png\",\"keywords\":[\"Microsoft Bob\",\"Microsoft Network Partner\",\"Microsoft OS\",\"South Jersey Techies\",\"Thirty years of windows\",\"Windows\",\"Windows 1.0\",\"Windows 10\",\"Windows 3.x\",\"Windows 7\",\"Windows 8.1\",\"Windows 95\",\"Windows Flashback\",\"Windows NT\",\"Windows XP\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Laptops\",\"Microsoft\",\"Office 365\",\"PCs\",\"Software\",\"Windows\",\"Windows 8.1\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/southjerseytechies.net\/blog\/the-16-most-pivotal-events-in-windows-history\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/southjerseytechies.net\/blog\/the-16-most-pivotal-events-in-windows-history\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/southjerseytechies.net\/blog\/the-16-most-pivotal-events-in-windows-history\/\",\"name\":\"South Jersey Techies - The 16 most pivotal events in Windows history\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/southjerseytechies.net\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/southjerseytechies.net\/blog\/the-16-most-pivotal-events-in-windows-history\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/southjerseytechies.net\/blog\/the-16-most-pivotal-events-in-windows-history\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/southjerseytechies.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/30yearsofwindows.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2016-09-08T19:00:22+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-05-02T21:22:03+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/southjerseytechies.net\/blog\/the-16-most-pivotal-events-in-windows-history\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/southjerseytechies.net\/blog\/the-16-most-pivotal-events-in-windows-history\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/southjerseytechies.net\/blog\/the-16-most-pivotal-events-in-windows-history\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/southjerseytechies.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/30yearsofwindows.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/southjerseytechies.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/30yearsofwindows.png\",\"width\":400,\"height\":225},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/southjerseytechies.net\/blog\/the-16-most-pivotal-events-in-windows-history\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/southjerseytechies.net\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The 16 most pivotal events in Windows history\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/southjerseytechies.net\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/southjerseytechies.net\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"South Jersey Techies\",\"description\":\"Managed IT, Cloud Solutions, Web Services, Cabling, Voice over IP\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/southjerseytechies.net\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/southjerseytechies.net\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/southjerseytechies.net\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"South Jersey Techies, LLC\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/southjerseytechies.net\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/southjerseytechies.net\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/southjerseytechies.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/sjt-logo-2015-b.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/southjerseytechies.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/sjt-logo-2015-b.png\",\"width\":291,\"height\":201,\"caption\":\"South Jersey Techies, LLC\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/southjerseytechies.net\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sjtechies\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/sjtechies\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/southjerseytechies.net\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/9fa9f56dfc58eea68b5680f2183c253f\",\"name\":\"Website Admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6dd9824aaa045dbc19ff6a4e9677c621e2cfee681044039917acad70980d36db?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6dd9824aaa045dbc19ff6a4e9677c621e2cfee681044039917acad70980d36db?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6dd9824aaa045dbc19ff6a4e9677c621e2cfee681044039917acad70980d36db?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Website Admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/www.southjerseytechies.net\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/southjerseytechies.net\/blog\/author\/support\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"South Jersey Techies - The 16 most pivotal events in Windows history","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/southjerseytechies.net\/blog\/the-16-most-pivotal-events-in-windows-history\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"South Jersey Techies - The 16 most pivotal events in Windows history","og_description":"Thirty years of Windows is a lifetime. Thirty years of Windows For better or for worse, Windows has defined the modern era of personal computing. Microsoft\u2019s signature OS runs on the vast majority of PCs worldwide, and it has also …Continue Reading→","og_url":"https:\/\/southjerseytechies.net\/blog\/the-16-most-pivotal-events-in-windows-history\/","og_site_name":"South Jersey Techies","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sjtechies","article_published_time":"2016-09-08T19:00:22+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-05-02T21:22:03+00:00","og_image":[{"width":400,"height":225,"url":"https:\/\/southjerseytechies.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/30yearsofwindows.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Website Admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@sjtechies","twitter_site":"@sjtechies","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Website Admin","Est. reading time":"12 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":["Article","BlogPosting"],"@id":"https:\/\/southjerseytechies.net\/blog\/the-16-most-pivotal-events-in-windows-history\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/southjerseytechies.net\/blog\/the-16-most-pivotal-events-in-windows-history\/"},"author":{"name":"Website Admin","@id":"https:\/\/southjerseytechies.net\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/9fa9f56dfc58eea68b5680f2183c253f"},"headline":"The 16 most pivotal events in Windows history","datePublished":"2016-09-08T19:00:22+00:00","dateModified":"2024-05-02T21:22:03+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/southjerseytechies.net\/blog\/the-16-most-pivotal-events-in-windows-history\/"},"wordCount":2370,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/southjerseytechies.net\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/southjerseytechies.net\/blog\/the-16-most-pivotal-events-in-windows-history\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/southjerseytechies.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/30yearsofwindows.png","keywords":["Microsoft Bob","Microsoft Network Partner","Microsoft OS","South Jersey Techies","Thirty years of windows","Windows","Windows 1.0","Windows 10","Windows 3.x","Windows 7","Windows 8.1","Windows 95","Windows Flashback","Windows NT","Windows XP"],"articleSection":["Laptops","Microsoft","Office 365","PCs","Software","Windows","Windows 8.1"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/southjerseytechies.net\/blog\/the-16-most-pivotal-events-in-windows-history\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/southjerseytechies.net\/blog\/the-16-most-pivotal-events-in-windows-history\/","url":"https:\/\/southjerseytechies.net\/blog\/the-16-most-pivotal-events-in-windows-history\/","name":"South Jersey Techies - The 16 most pivotal events in Windows history","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/southjerseytechies.net\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/southjerseytechies.net\/blog\/the-16-most-pivotal-events-in-windows-history\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/southjerseytechies.net\/blog\/the-16-most-pivotal-events-in-windows-history\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/southjerseytechies.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/30yearsofwindows.png","datePublished":"2016-09-08T19:00:22+00:00","dateModified":"2024-05-02T21:22:03+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/southjerseytechies.net\/blog\/the-16-most-pivotal-events-in-windows-history\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/southjerseytechies.net\/blog\/the-16-most-pivotal-events-in-windows-history\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/southjerseytechies.net\/blog\/the-16-most-pivotal-events-in-windows-history\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/southjerseytechies.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/30yearsofwindows.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/southjerseytechies.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/30yearsofwindows.png","width":400,"height":225},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/southjerseytechies.net\/blog\/the-16-most-pivotal-events-in-windows-history\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/southjerseytechies.net\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The 16 most pivotal events in Windows history"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/southjerseytechies.net\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/southjerseytechies.net\/blog\/","name":"South Jersey Techies","description":"Managed IT, Cloud Solutions, Web Services, Cabling, Voice over IP","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/southjerseytechies.net\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/southjerseytechies.net\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/southjerseytechies.net\/blog\/#organization","name":"South Jersey Techies, LLC","url":"https:\/\/southjerseytechies.net\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/southjerseytechies.net\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/southjerseytechies.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/sjt-logo-2015-b.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/southjerseytechies.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/sjt-logo-2015-b.png","width":291,"height":201,"caption":"South Jersey Techies, LLC"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/southjerseytechies.net\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sjtechies","https:\/\/x.com\/sjtechies"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/southjerseytechies.net\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/9fa9f56dfc58eea68b5680f2183c253f","name":"Website Admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6dd9824aaa045dbc19ff6a4e9677c621e2cfee681044039917acad70980d36db?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6dd9824aaa045dbc19ff6a4e9677c621e2cfee681044039917acad70980d36db?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6dd9824aaa045dbc19ff6a4e9677c621e2cfee681044039917acad70980d36db?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Website Admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/www.southjerseytechies.net"],"url":"https:\/\/southjerseytechies.net\/blog\/author\/support\/"}]}},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/southjerseytechies.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/30yearsofwindows.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8eT50-2FB","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/southjerseytechies.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10267","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/southjerseytechies.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/southjerseytechies.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southjerseytechies.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/219"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southjerseytechies.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10267"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/southjerseytechies.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10267\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14531,"href":"https:\/\/southjerseytechies.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10267\/revisions\/14531"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southjerseytechies.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10287"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/southjerseytechies.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10267"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southjerseytechies.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10267"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southjerseytechies.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10267"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}