Semi-OT: Windows98 now truly obsolete thanks to Printers (helps encourage Linux)

[Leo Mauler]

--- On Sun, 7/27/08, Christofer C. Bell <christofer.c.bell at gmail.com> wrote:

> I think I have my Windows 95 gold CD around here 
> somewhere (the first retail version of Windows 95).
> Maybe I'll rip an ISO and boot it in Parallels and
> see what happens.  Call me nostalgic for stupid 
> things, but I really liked Windows 95.

At the time Windows95 came out, I was working for an ISP and Windows95 was like a gift from heaven.

Those of you who remember back to the days when the web (according to Scott Adams of "Dilbert" fame) was composed entirely of some text files and 12 pictures of dinosaurs, may also recall that Windows 3.1 did not come with TCP/IP (NetBeui Rulz!...not).  If we wanted to sell an Internet account with our ISP, we had to arrange for the customer to get a copy of "Trumpet Winsock" so they could get on the Internet, and it was hell to configure (especially over the phone).  Windows95 came with TCP/IP standard and it was a lot easier to configure, and easier to tell some computer illiterate customer over the phone how to configure it.

Ironically the problem with Windows 3.1 is sorta like the current problem I have with Ubuntu: while Ubuntu comes standard with TCP/IP, it does not have the option of configuring a modem during install, and in fact is a little harder to add a modem than configuring "Trumpet Winsock" ever was.  Ubuntu assumes that the end user has some form of broadband Ethernet-based Internet, somewhat strange as I was given to understand it was originally developed for Third World countries.