Windows 95 turns 25, but why was it so important? : Vertical Hold ep 293

We look back at 25 years of Windows since Windows 95 to evaluate the changes we’ve seen in the past quarter century with special guest ABC radio presenter Nic Healey!

Was it really a whole quarter century ago that the hype wave for Windows 95 hit?

Yes, it was, and this week we’re looking back at the impact of Windows 95 and why it was so especially important in the evolution of consumer-facing computing, taking the humble PC from the boardroom to the home, as people fell in love with the Start bar, while realising that some of Microsoft’s promises around factors like “Plug & Play” might not live up to the hype.

We’re joined this week by the ABC’s Nic Healey, but as you’ll discover in this week’s episode, Nic’s worn a lot of editorial hats — including several stints as editor of various Windows-centric publications, so he’s got long form in following the Windows market as it’s evolved over the last 25 years.

Windows 95 informed so very much of Microsoft’s approach for the next 25 years, so we’re also putting it into context around what came next for the company that used to sell software but now largely sells services!

Before it got there, however, it had to go through Windows ’95, and of course… the world’s first cyber sitcom. Which now resides on YouTube, so if the linking gods are being kind (and it doesn’t get pulled — I guess Microsoft still owns the copyright), you can watch it below.

You might want to slip on your hypercolor T-Shirt and pour yourself a stiff drink first, because this is so VERY 1990s, often in the worst possible way.

Vertical Hold: Behind The Tech News – podcast hosts Adam Turner and Alex Kidman speak to Australia’s leading technology journalists every Friday to get the stories behind the tech news of the week.