Remembering the Windows 95 launch: A triumph of marketing

It’s a shame there was no social media when Microsoft launched Windows 95 on August 24, 1995. There were so many great Instagrams, Tweets and Snaps just waiting to be shared.

Of course, there was barely an Internet to speak of back then. We in the tech press were still explaining Information Superhighway to not only to the world, but to traditional tech companies, as well. (“Do you have an Internet strategy?” “Oh, yes, absolutely. Just not in this current release.”)

But, oh, what a sight it was. A picture-perfect day at Microsoft’s sprawling Redmond, Washington campus that still had a lot of open space and rolling hills of green grass. Under a blue sky filled with only a handful of puffy ultra-white clouds, it looked like the desktop we wouldn’t see until Windows XP. Read more...