Steve Ballmer

That is a long-term bet that a team is going to work on concurrently while you're figuring out what to do after Windows 3.1. So in 1991, Bill Gates sums this up in a memo where he says, "...our strategy is Windows. One evolving architecture, a couple of implementations, and an immense number of great applications from Microsoft and others."

And every word in that sentence does a bunch of heavy lifting. So you got one architecture, okay? I think what that basically ends up meaning a few years later is one application programming interface, API, that developers can target so that when they want to write a Windows app, it works on both NT and whatever the evolution of 3.1 is.

And every word in that sentence does a bunch of heavy lifting. So you got one architecture, okay? I think what that basically ends up meaning a few years later is one application programming interface, API, that developers can target so that when they want to write a Windows app, it works on both NT and whatever the evolution of 3.1 is.

Okay, so that's one architecture, but it says one evolving architecture. So that buys Microsoft a little bit more fluidity in the one architecture that's being targeted. Then you hear a couple of implementations. So this basically says, even though developers are targeting what became the Win32 API with one way that we write applications, there's two different implementations.

Okay, so that's one architecture, but it says one evolving architecture. So that buys Microsoft a little bit more fluidity in the one architecture that's being targeted. Then you hear a couple of implementations. So this basically says, even though developers are targeting what became the Win32 API with one way that we write applications, there's two different implementations.

And so for many years, they would display very differently on NT systems versus, spoiler alert, Windows 95, the successor to Windows 3.1. Oh, yeah.

And so for many years, they would display very differently on NT systems versus, spoiler alert, Windows 95, the successor to Windows 3.1. Oh, yeah.

Yes, I do. But it's so much sexier to say Windows 95 and name it after the year that it actually ships versus... Yes. But yes, an immense number of great applications from Microsoft and others. That sort of sheds light on the DRG, the Developer Relations Group strategy of we got to go out, be massive evangelists,

Yes, I do. But it's so much sexier to say Windows 95 and name it after the year that it actually ships versus... Yes. But yes, an immense number of great applications from Microsoft and others. That sort of sheds light on the DRG, the Developer Relations Group strategy of we got to go out, be massive evangelists,

And everyone in the systems group is looking over at the apps group going, did you see that? Bill Gates just said our strategy is Windows. We're now the Windows company, and that includes great applications from Microsoft and others. And so what does that mean, applications group? Like, let's go first and best on Windows. Get to it.

And everyone in the systems group is looking over at the apps group going, did you see that? Bill Gates just said our strategy is Windows. We're now the Windows company, and that includes great applications from Microsoft and others. And so what does that mean, applications group? Like, let's go first and best on Windows. Get to it.

I just think that sentence kind of says it all for what we're looking at 1991 through call it 2000 or so.

I just think that sentence kind of says it all for what we're looking at 1991 through call it 2000 or so.

Totally. I mean, even before Windows 95 shipped, they had 75 million Windows users. This is even before you get plug and play or multimedia or networking. Like this is on Windows 3.1. Yeah. Crazy. Okay. So we've been leading up to it. We've been building hype Windows 95, or should I say Chicago? Yeah.

Totally. I mean, even before Windows 95 shipped, they had 75 million Windows users. This is even before you get plug and play or multimedia or networking. Like this is on Windows 3.1. Yeah. Crazy. Okay. So we've been leading up to it. We've been building hype Windows 95, or should I say Chicago? Yeah.

So the Chicago name, for those of you out there who were paying attention when this was under development and you were all excited about what Windows 95 would become, and it's probably 1% of our audience or something who knows the Chicago codename, they wanted to create an OS for the everyman, one that was easy to get to, a nice quality of life when you're there, it was affordable.

So the Chicago name, for those of you out there who were paying attention when this was under development and you were all excited about what Windows 95 would become, and it's probably 1% of our audience or something who knows the Chicago codename, they wanted to create an OS for the everyman, one that was easy to get to, a nice quality of life when you're there, it was affordable.

Chicago is the perfect name in every way. And it is also kind of a contrast to what was going on in a different part of Microsoft, where there was the codename of Cairo for a very ambitious next-generation operating system. Now, mind you, NT had already come out in 1993. So Cairo is sort of this general bucket of...

Chicago is the perfect name in every way. And it is also kind of a contrast to what was going on in a different part of Microsoft, where there was the codename of Cairo for a very ambitious next-generation operating system. Now, mind you, NT had already come out in 1993. So Cairo is sort of this general bucket of...

Maybe it's post-NT, maybe it's part of NT, but this is like a really sophisticated, crazy set of technologies that we're going to eventually bake into an operating system. It doesn't really have a release date. No one really believes in any of the release dates that are proposed.