tech history

Long before plug and play became a buzzword touted in glitzy comdex demonstrations — and well before the infamous Windows 98 Blue Screen of Death incident forever etched itself in the annals of tech lore — Microsoft’s Windows 95 engineering team grappled with arcane hardware idiosyncrasies that...

In a landmark event for the tech industry, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and Linux creator Linus Torvalds met for the first time during a dinner hosted by Microsoft's Azure CTO, Mark Russinovich. This gathering, which also included software luminary David Cutler, was captured in a photograph...

In a moment few in the technology world ever expected to witness, the historic first meeting between Linus Torvalds and Bill Gates unfolded with the quiet camaraderie and unexpected warmth that only decades of shared impact can yield. For years, these two titans have been the flagbearers of...

In a remarkable convergence of technological titans, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and Linux creator Linus Torvalds recently met for the first time at a dinner hosted by Microsoft Azure CTO Mark Russinovich. This historic gathering also included David Cutler, a key figure in the development of...

In a remarkable convergence of technological titans, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and Linux creator Linus Torvalds recently met for the first time at a private dinner hosted by Microsoft Azure CTO Mark Russinovich. This gathering also included David Cutler, a key figure in the development of...

In a historic convergence of technological titans, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and Linux creator Linus Torvalds met for the first time at a private dinner hosted by Mark Russinovich, Microsoft's Azure CTO. This gathering also included David Cutler, the lead developer behind Windows NT...

In a landmark event for the technology industry, Bill Gates and Linus Torvalds, two of the most influential figures in computing, met for the first time at a dinner hosted by Microsoft's Mark Russinovich, with David Cutler also in attendance. This meeting is particularly significant given the...

In the mid-1990s, as Microsoft prepared to launch Windows 95, ensuring compatibility with existing software was paramount. This commitment led to an unconventional testing strategy that not only underscored the company's dedication but also resulted in an unexpected incident at a local software...

In a surprising twist that sent waves of nostalgia—and chuckles—through the tech community, some Windows 11 testers recently booted up their systems only to be greeted by a familiar chime from nearly two decades ago: the legendary Windows Vista startup sound. This accidental blast from the past...

If you found yourself suddenly transported back to the mid-2000s when powering up your modern Windows 11 PC, you're definitely not alone. An unexpected blast from the past recently hit testers when preview builds of Windows 11’s Dev Channel started chiming not with the serene, minimalistic notes...

In the mid-1990s, as Microsoft prepared to launch Windows 95, the company faced a significant challenge: ensuring the new operating system was compatible with the vast array of existing software. To address this, a Microsoft development manager took an unconventional approach. He drove to a...

Few moments can capture the cyclical nature of technology aesthetics as deftly as Microsoft’s tongue-in-cheek response to Apple’s unveiling of macOS 26 and its new Liquid Glass design. Nostalgia, rivalry, and design history have all collided in what has become an internet-wide debate: has Apple...

No matter what advances we make in operating systems, there is one moment that unites every user, from the casual browser to the hardcore sysadmin: the instant an unexpected, fatal error splashes across the screen, ending an otherwise productive computing session. These so-called “Screens of...

The journey of the Windows taskbar has always mirrored the evolution of personal computing, from minimalist beginnings in Windows 95 to today’s dynamic, customisable experience in Windows 11. But sometimes, the absence of a seemingly minor feature can provoke outsized curiosity—such as the...

In the annals of tech history, few executive moments have been as iconic—or as widely parodied—as Steve Ballmer’s thunderous onstage declaration: “Developers! Developers! Developers!” But the origins of Ballmer’s emphatic chant run deeper than mere showmanship. As Ballmer recently reflected in a...

Few companies have shaped the technology landscape as profoundly as Microsoft, whose products have become integral to how modern society communicates, works, and innovates. The journey from a modest software company to a global technology powerhouse is marked by a string of groundbreaking...

Bill Gates’ prescient remarks in May 2005, delivered to Germany’s Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, have become an iconic chapter in the dynamic rivalry between Apple and Microsoft—a rivalry that has defined decades of consumer technology innovation. Gates, at the time no longer the CEO of...

Few pieces of technology have left as profound a mark on digital communication as Skype, the pioneering VoIP platform that once redefined how we connect across continents. With Microsoft’s shifting priorities, Skype’s recent phase-out feels less like a dramatic finale and more like the closing...

Skype's journey from being the undisputed leader in video calling to its final sunset is both a story of rapid innovation and the relentless tide of competition in the tech space. Today marks the end of an era for millions, as Microsoft officially begins shutting down Skype, the service that...

After more than two decades of shaping the way people connect online, Skype, once the undisputed king of internet calling and messaging, has reached its official end. On May 5, 2024, Microsoft permanently retired the app, signaling a decisive close to one of digital communication’s most...