Let’s begin by revisiting August of 1995.

When Windows 95 was introduced, Microsoft set the stage for multitasked computing as we know it. Sure, some will argue its design principles were not unique to Redmond, but Microsoft’s initiative helped to influence the standardization of the modern window manager. Together, with the help of the Windows NT codebase Microsoft would later adopt, the personal computing industry was pushed into making faster hardware capable of utilizing these new design conventions that emphasized multitasked computing so heavily. This would eventually pave the way for the standardization of multi-threaded CPUs, like the one you’re probably using to view this webpage. Continue reading →