1
In memory of the man who put red and green squiggles under words
Starting in Word and expanding to nearly every other word processor, and even things that aren't word processors.
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2
The original source code of Microsoft GW-BASIC from 1983
We are excited to announce the open-sourcing of Microsoft's GW-BASIC on GitHub!
3
The cats sitting on a fence in early builds of Windows 8
Something to look at when all is lost.
4
Why did Windows 7 log on slower for months if you had a solid color background?
It's waiting for Godot and eventually gives up.
5
The time the x86 emulator team found code so bad they fixed it during emulation
Offensive content in the eyes of a software engineer.
6
Subroutine calls in the ancient world, before computers had stacks or heaps
A lot of computing got done even before we had stacks and heaps.
7
A prank cursor resulted in an employee being fired before they started (2020)
Don't try this at home.
8
When you opened a screen shot of a video in Paint, the video was playing in it
You copied the green screen.
9
We called it RAID because it kills bugs dead
The history of defect tracking databases in Windows.
10
IBM didn't want Microsoft to use the Tab key to move between dialog fields
I want to speak to your manager.
11
A note on the USB-to-PS/2 mouse adapter that came with Microsoft mouse devices
It's a purely mechanical adapter that relies on smarts in the mouse itself.
12
What algorithm did Windows XP use to choose your initial user picture?
It's random, really.
13
Windows brings out the Rorschach test in everyone (2003)
It seems that no matter what you do, somebody will get offended. Every Windows 95 box has an anti-piracy hologram on the side. The photographer chose his
14
Why does the New menu even exist for creating new empty files?
You have to open the file anyway to make it useful, so why not just open the program directly?
15
Janet Jackson had the power to crash laptop computers (2022)
Not an artistic judgement. Just a technical one.
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Why did Windows 95 setup use three operating systems?
Simplifying the problem to an earlier problem.
18
DOS/4GW made Windows 95 game compatibility easier, but with higher stakes
A popular path to protected mode.
19
Yes, the 8086 wanted to be mechanically translatable from the 8080, but
So many addressing modes, so little space.
20
Filling in some gaps in the story of Space Cadet Pinball on 64-bit Windows
The story as I experienced it.
21
How did Windows 95 get permission to put Weezer video 'Buddy Holly' on the CD?
Asking nicely, and asking a lot of people.
22
A brief history of Windows scroll bar shortcuts
Right-clicking and shift-clicking.
23
Tax consequences of WIN95 team members keeping a piece of software for testing
It basically falls under the de minimis rule.
24
The x86 architecture is the weirdo, part 2
It does everything differently, because of course it does.
25
Windows 95 defenses against installers that overwrite a file with an older one
A very primitive version of recovery.
26
The back cover of C++: The Language raises questions not answered by front cover
Not doing the reading.
27
Sneaking into the auditorium for the Windows 2000 launch rehearsal
Wait, that's not him.
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The Applesoft Compiler (TASC): We have the source code, in a sense
The desperation of programming under tight memory constraints.
30
The little-known winstart.bat batch file
It had been there long before Windows 95, but nobody remembered.