I have heard about how Bill did this, and also watched the film.

But History is history as they say.

Your post is detailed and pretty amazing, but there are obviously a lot more things we know about Microsoft, it is after all History now.

I was amused to find out for example, that Rank Xerox had the mouse, which they had develpod for their engineers to help service photocopiers.

They gave it to both Microsoft and Apple.

Apple then developed the first system, which was the hold and release type system we all know. Microsoft seems to have had Apples help and cooperation via access to their system, they were meant to improve it, so worked in Apples offices. They obviouly had a problem, that they needed to make their “windows” different. So when they reversed engineered it they changed the way the mouse worked with their version. So they come up with the click and click method.

Their problem in not infringing copyright meant that when they re-wrote the code they introdcued problems, in order for the code to be unique it needed to be significantly different.

This is what caused all the problems I think, as they had to do a hack and rewrite of code that basically worked.

The rest is history.

One interesting point, is that although on these old computers it took 50-60 seconds to load, by playing about (in a controlled way ) with config.sys and autoexec.bat, it was easily possible to make doe complete loading in 2-3 seconds.

I used to make a good living repgramming peoples computers, and then building a .BAT file to enable a screen menu system, just clicking a function key took you to your program, or a sub .BAT menu.

All great fun of course.

A friend of mines father in the UK (A David Aldrich, now deceased) worked with Clive Sinclair building one of the world’s first hand held games, and at one time had 600 workers building them.

The UK has always been a great place for programmers and inventors.

On another note, I was interested about 15 years ago to see version 12 of DirectX, when the rest of the UK was using version 5 or 6.

I was also most dissappointed to see Microsoft destroy Lotus 1,2,3 as it could be voice controlled years ago.

So great programs were basically re-sold.

It is a little like PACE of the UK’s LOW TECH satelite boxes, which used common components to make an inferior box, which everyone still uses.

High Definition TV is only now coming to the UK, shocking as that must sound.

We had to endure all the “Normal” digital TV’ first.

Although this technology has all been in the US commonplace for years.

It is the same Movies, Cars, etc.

The UK has trully become a 2nd world “USER”, and one of the last places where new technology is released.

I guess the Windows version AFTER XP is already out in the US.

They are talking about it’s “Development” in the UK.

So much for freedom of the press !

I leave you on that note.

Steve.

Webmasters & Owner Clicksmatrix.com
The Best Traffic Exchange On The Planet !
(But who knows hey !