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Dennis E. Hamilton's avatar

I've been a little dismayed by some of the recent sections as the considerations were more rarefied than my limited and idiosyncratic experience. For starters, I liked Windows 8 and was gratified when (with 8..1?) I could start on my desktop. And I loved the Start Page. I still use it on Windows 10.

I also have three icons on my desktop. They are named Shutdown, Restart, and Logoff and have appropriate images. They fire up shutdown.exe with appropriate command-line options :).

Having an invite to the Microsoft Store as part of a workshop on the campus, my favorite T shirt is the one with "backward compatibility" in mirror image. OK, the OpenBSD wire-frame image of a puffer fish is also favored.

There is no doubt I am not in the essential demographic. Having keyboard, mouse, and a 30" monitor is demonstration enough. That I still want to provide tutorials on the use of CL.exe and Native Build Tools is further confirmation.

And for me, the death-knell is Windows 11 which cuts me off at the knees as a consumer.

I began with software in 1958, and I clearly remember the IBM umbrella (or confinement dome), the failed interruption from Burroughs, and other experiences. I watched Sperry Univac fail to understand that virtual memory was here to stay despite the failure of the 360/67 project and so were caught short when every 370 had it. Xerox failed at a time when their proprietary silicon was ill-equipped to contend with Intel and Motorola, although it is probably more relevant that the company business model and DNA were ill-suited to a commodity "office of the future." Desktop PCs disturbed the mainframe enterprise world in much the same way as the smartphone has broken the desktop tether.

I have had the pleasure of watching Raymond Chen knit and also have Grace Hopper know me by name. I am forever grateful to have met my contemporary, Donald Knuth, in 1962 when he had a contract to write a book on programming, and I learned how much art can be seen in watching him code. Knowing Peter Landin led to interests and insights that I continue to pursue.

At 83, I might outlive the PC. Either way, I too shall pass. In many ways, it has been a great time to be alive in the upbringing of the ubiquitous computer and many other technological advances. May human nature thrive despite the unintended consequences.

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Tim Shaw's avatar

I loved this series, especially the Windows 8 related content. Having worked at Microsoft from 2001 to 2013, it was interesting reading the “behind the scenes” stories of the various decisions and challenges. Thanks for the journey Steven!

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