Dave Plummer’s confession — that his Windows NT port of the beloved Space Cadet pinball ran “as fast as it could,” eventually spiking to “like, 5,000 frames per second” on modern hardware — is as entertaining as it is instructive, and it revisits a compact engineering lesson about timing...
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code architecture
cpu usage
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cross platform
cross platform port
dave plummer
fixed timestep
fps cap
frame rate
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game history
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performance
performance engineering
pinball game
porting
power management
pragmatic triage
raymond chen
software engineering
space cadet
space cadet pinball
timing assumptions
timing bug
v-sync
windows history
windows nt
Dave Plummer’s confession that the worst bug he ever shipped was tied to the beloved Windows pack‑in game Pinball is more than a nostalgic anecdote — it’s a compact lesson in resource management, legacy code risk, and the kind of tiny design decisions that can balloon into systemic problems as...
A short-lived blast from the past recently reverberated through the Windows community. Earlier this summer, a peculiar bug caused certain Windows 11 Insider builds to greet users not with the modern, subdued chime of Windows 11, but with the rich, unmistakable startup melody of Windows Vista—a...
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microsoft bugs
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os compatibility
os development
software glitches
sound branding
startup sound
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ui design
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windows 11
windows updates
windows vista
For Windows enthusiasts and tech historians alike, few things conjure as much nostalgia—or consternation—as the iconic sounds of previous Windows generations. So when reports started surfacing that Windows 11 Insider Preview testers were suddenly greeted by the infamous Windows Vista startup...
bug fixes
insider program
legacycodelegacy dependencies
microsoft updates
os development
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software anomalies
software bugs
software legacy
software qa
system stability
vista startup sound
windows 11
windows bugs
windows history
windows insider
windows testing
windows troubleshooting
windows vista
In an unexpected twist that grabbed the attention of Windows enthusiasts and nostalgia seekers alike, recent preview builds of Windows 11 in the Insider Program brought back a sound that many thought had faded into history—the iconic startup chime of Windows Vista. The accidental resurrection...
aero glass
automation hacking
digital branding
insider program
legacycodelegacy support
microsoft updates
operating system bugs
regression bugs
software customization
startup chimes
system resource files
system sounds
tech nostalgia
vista startup sound
windows 11
windows audio assets
windows community
windows history
windows nostalgia
It’s rare for the ghosts of past operating systems to sneak into the present in such a vivid way, yet Windows 11 users in the Canary channel have recently discovered an unmistakable blast from the past: the iconic Windows Vista startup sound. For most, the unexpected tune is pure nostalgia. For...
aero glass
build management
legacycode
microsoft windows
operating system
os development
software bugs
software compatibility
software legacy
software maintenance
system updates
tech community
tech history
tech nostalgia
ui design
user experience
windows 11
windows bugs
windows insider program
windows vista
There are few events in the world of technology that simultaneously evoke both nostalgia and technical scrutiny quite like the resurgence of an old operating system feature in a modern context. Such was the case when, in a recent Windows 11 Dev channel release, users were greeted with the iconic...
insider program
legacycode
microsoft
os features
personalization
software patches
sound customization
startup chime
system audio
system branding
system sounds
tech debates
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ui design
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vista startup sound
windows
windows 11
windows community
windows nostalgia
Memory-related vulnerabilities remain one of the most persistent and impactful threats facing not only enterprise and government IT landscapes but also ordinary users whose daily workflows quietly rely on the integrity of the software underneath. In a sweeping new move to address these endemic...
Windows 11 users enrolled in the Dev and Beta Insider channels woke up to a curious bit of nostalgia this week. Amid technical notes about kernel tweaks and UI refinements, a familiar tune echoed from test machines—the unmistakable startup sound from Windows Vista. It wasn’t a prank, nor was it...
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legacycode
microsoft
microsoft windows
nostalgia
operating system
os development
retro tech
software bug
sound design
startup sound
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tech humor
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ui design
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windows 11
windows insider
windows update
windows vista
Windows 7, released to widespread acclaim in 2009, is still often remembered as Microsoft’s redemption after the criticized tenure of Windows Vista. Lauded for its streamlined interface, performance improvements, and relative stability, Windows 7 quickly became the operating system of choice for...
boot delay
bug diagnosis
computer troubleshooting
desktop background
group policy
legacycode
microsoft
microsoft history
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operating system
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os development
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startup problems
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windows 7
windows bug fix
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windows startup delay
windows troubleshooting
windows update
windows updates
Windows 11’s pursuit of performance gains has always been a central talking point since its initial release, with Microsoft promising smoother operation, increased productivity, and a host of incremental refinements. Yet, as recent updates roll out, many users and power testers continue to voice...
Last October, amid the usual relentless hum of Windows updates and the low-key anxiety that comes with “will my device still work tomorrow?”, Microsoft dropped Windows 11 24H2 into the world. You know the drill: Copilot gets smarter, the file manager speaks fluent TAR and 7z, there’s a new...
bug fixes
c programming
community patches
compatibility issues
config files
digital archaeology
digital nostalgia
driver issues
error diagnosis
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virtual machines
windows 11
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windows updates
You’d think that after two decades, the digital skies of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas would hold no more surprises—but just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water (or, rather, to try taking off from it), a bug as old as some Gen Zers themselves emerges, causing fans to wonder: are...
backward compatibility
bethesda games
code bugs
community developers
community driven
compatibility issues
config file fix
cosmic glitches
debugging
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digital nostalgia
digital preservation
driver issues
floating plane bug
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undefined behavior
user-generated patches
vehicle bugs
vehicle glitches
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video game glitches
windows 11
windows 11 bugs
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windows updates
The Classic Outlook Conundrum: Navigating CPU Spikes and Workarounds
Microsoft Outlook, a cornerstone of productivity for millions, has lately been the epicenter of a vexing technical dilemma. Users of the classic Outlook version have experienced troubling CPU spikes—sometimes soaring by as much...
battery drain
classic outlook
cpu spikes
cpu usage
email client issues
email productivity
enterprise it
enterprise solutions
imes
it support
laptop overheating
legacycodelegacy software
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outlook versions
performance patches
performance troubleshooting
power consumption
software bugs
software glitches
software stability
system overheating
tech support
user community
workarounds
Ah, Internet Explorer. For those of us who remember its heyday, it's like running into an old friend from high school at a reunion—you’ve moved on, and so have they—or so you thought. Despite being officially retired in 2022 and completely removed from mainstream Windows operating systems in...
I feel like a fish out of water on this issue.
We are calling a legacy VBA function in Access 2010 to try to read filed information about files saved to our SharePoint site. When this code is run in Access 2010 running on Windows XP the function identifies the file and indicates that the file...
The ARM version of Windows 8 might have just become the most desired version of Windows in our hearts and minds. After us talking about legacy code and backwards compatibility in Windows for years now, an Intel senior vice president, Renee James, has just stated that Windows 8 on ARM will not...