←back to thread

Why did Windows 95 setup use three operating systems?

(devblogs.microsoft.com)
304 points mooreds | 1 comments | 17 Nov 24 19:54 UTC | HN request time: 0.216s | source
Show context
TimTheTinker ◴[18 Nov 24 00:35 UTC] No.42168638[source]▶
I always thought Windows (until 7) looked so lacking in polish around the edges compared to even the earliest versions of Macintosh system software -- especially during install, boot, crash, and shutdown. During boot, for example, even modern Windows boxes [correction: pre-EFI only] show a BIOS screen followed by a brief blinking cursor before the Windows graphics mode takes over. It was much worse in earlier versions.

The Macintosh screen never dropped you into a text-mode console, no matter what. Everything on the screen was graphics-mode, always -- and there weren't glaring design changes between system versions like in Windows (except at the Mac OS X introduction, which was entirely new).

Installing Macintosh system software onto a HDD was literally as easy as copying the System Folder. System installer programs did exist, but in principle all that was happening was optionally formatting the target drive and then copying System Folder contents. So simple. Of course there were problems and shortcomings, but the uncompromising design esthetic is noteworthy and admirable.

replies(5): >>42168694 #>>42168715 #>>42169456 #>>42171011 #>>42189597 #
1. int_19h ◴[20 Nov 24 00:29 UTC] No.42189597[source]▶
It's easy to do things like that when you control the hardware end-to-end. Text mode makes perfect sense for BIOS that has to deal with so many different kinds of hardware, especially when you remember just how varied a mess graphics hardware has been on PCs well into late 90s.

Windows itself would generally assume the lowest supported hardware, so e.g. for Win95 the boot screen used VGA graphics mode (since the minimum requirement for Win95 UI itself was the VGA 640x480 16-color mode). BIOS had to assume less since it might have to find itself dealing with something much more ancient.