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The Windows 95 UI was innovative and trulky groundbreaking. People like to say it was a rip-off of one thing or another, but it really wasn't. Imitation being

The Windows 95 UI was innovative and trulky groundbreaking. People like to say it was a rip-off of one thing or another, but it really wasn't. Imitation being the sincerest flattery, my present Arch/Xfce desktop is basically a somewhat enhanced version of that very classic interface.

eadmund 9y ago
> The Windows 95 UI was innovative and trulky groundbreaking. People like to say it was a rip-off of one thing or another, but it really wasn't. Say what‽ I like this ad from Apple[0]: Introducing Windows 95 It lets you use more than eight characters to name your files. It has a trash can you can open and take things out of again. It lets you drop files anywhere you want on the desktop. Imagine that. The funny thing is that it's now 23 years later, and Windows is still not as usable as a circa-1995 Mac. It's a bit crazy! [0] https://www.cultofmac.com/386189/how-apple-responded-to-the-release-of-windows-95-twenty-years-ago-today/ https://www.cultofmac.com/386189/how-apple-responded-to-the-...
- balnaphone 9y ago
  To be fair, it's now 23 years later, and macOS is still not as usable as a circa-1995 Mac. It's a bit crazy!
- bdcravens 9y ago
  I would say the Start menu and File Explorer were the biggest innovations. I don't know that Finder of the day was as useful, and in many ways, I think Finder in 10.12.x still falls short.
  - dfox 9y ago
    In default configuration Windows 95's and NT 4's File Explorer works in essentially same way as classic Finder (ie. what is called "spatial file manager" today). I think that popularity of various orthodox file manager is at least partially caused by how unusable that was in Windows with small displays of the day.
  - freehunter 9y ago
    My wife switched to a Mac not that long ago, and her biggest complaint by far is that there's no start menu. There's no single source to visually scan through all programs and options and settings and menus available to her like there is on Windows. She's actually scared of using her computer sometimes in case she closes a window and doesn't know how to get it back. It doesn't bother me as much since even on Windows I was used to hitting Win and typing my program name, but not everyone works that way.
    - snuxoll 9y ago
      Launchpad? I hate it and it’s the first thing I pull off the dock, but that’s the reason it’s there.
      - bdcravens 9y ago
        Paired with Spotlight/Alfred that's pretty much everything. That said, Launchpad kind of looks like just another app, as opposed to the centralized launcher that the Start button is
        timrichard 9y ago
        Luckily, “there’s a button for that...” as someone might have said. F4, or fn F4 if the system control buttons/function keys have been flipped.
      - freehunter 9y ago
        Holy shit I've been using a Mac for how many years and never knew this feature existed. Thank you, friend.
        snuxoll 9y ago
        Most users on HN probably ignore the existence of it as well as power-users in general who are more likely to use spotlight or Alfred (or just opening up /Applications for that matter), so I can’t say I’m surprised. It was added in what I consider the dark days of OS X Lion when they were pushing iOS-ification pretty hard, hence the similarity to Springboard on iOS. Still, useful for making less experienced users a little more comfortable - so I’m glad the option is there.
  - askvictor 9y ago
    Though, in order to shut down the computer, you first had to click start. Not a real problem, or notice by most people, but when you sit down and think about it...
    - oblio 9y ago
      If you want to shut down, you have to start somewhere :)
    - bdcravens 9y ago
      Isn't the same true of every OS? That you have multiple clicks to get to shutdown? (other than hardware power button)
      - therein 9y ago
        He was talking about the issue with the naming. "Start".
pavlov 9y ago
I agree. The Windows 95 UI (which also shipped in Windows NT 4) was an example of Microsoft at the top of their game in creating mainstream, affordable products with well-researched usability.
IncRnd 9y ago
Except that the Windows 95 UI was a rip-off of system 7, which was a rip-off from Xerox Parc.
ptx 9y ago
The UI is a watered-down version of OS/2 (see screenshots[1]), which Microsoft was working on earlier in collaboration with IBM. And most of the "classic interface" we know today (in Windows, GTK+, Qt, etc.) was specified much earlier by IBM in their Common User Access[2] standard. They did come up with the start menu and taskbar, though, I think. Which was then copied by OS/2, GNOME, KDE, Xfce and others. And ruined in subsequent Windows versions. [1] https://guidebookgallery.org/screenshots/os221 https://guidebookgallery.org/screenshots/os221 [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_Common_User_Access https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_Common_User_Access
- Izkata 9y ago
  > https://guidebookgallery.org/screenshots/os221 https://guidebookgallery.org/screenshots/os221 Is... Is that a version of Notepad with _tabs_?

eadmund 9y ago

> The Windows 95 UI was innovative and trulky groundbreaking. People like to say it was a rip-off of one thing or another, but it really wasn't. Say what‽ I like this ad from Apple[0]: Introducing Windows 95 It lets you use more than eight characters to name your files. It has a trash can you can open and take things out of again. It lets you drop files anywhere you want on the desktop. Imagine that. The funny thing is that it's now 23 years later, and Windows is still not as usable as a circa-1995 Mac. It's a bit crazy! [0] https://www.cultofmac.com/386189/how-apple-responded-to-the-release-of-windows-95-twenty-years-ago-today/ https://www.cultofmac.com/386189/how-apple-responded-to-the-...

balnaphone 9y ago
To be fair, it's now 23 years later, and macOS is still not as usable as a circa-1995 Mac. It's a bit crazy!
bdcravens 9y ago
I would say the Start menu and File Explorer were the biggest innovations. I don't know that Finder of the day was as useful, and in many ways, I think Finder in 10.12.x still falls short.
- dfox 9y ago
  In default configuration Windows 95's and NT 4's File Explorer works in essentially same way as classic Finder (ie. what is called "spatial file manager" today). I think that popularity of various orthodox file manager is at least partially caused by how unusable that was in Windows with small displays of the day.
- freehunter 9y ago
  My wife switched to a Mac not that long ago, and her biggest complaint by far is that there's no start menu. There's no single source to visually scan through all programs and options and settings and menus available to her like there is on Windows. She's actually scared of using her computer sometimes in case she closes a window and doesn't know how to get it back. It doesn't bother me as much since even on Windows I was used to hitting Win and typing my program name, but not everyone works that way.
  - snuxoll 9y ago
    Launchpad? I hate it and it’s the first thing I pull off the dock, but that’s the reason it’s there.
    - bdcravens 9y ago
      Paired with Spotlight/Alfred that's pretty much everything. That said, Launchpad kind of looks like just another app, as opposed to the centralized launcher that the Start button is
      - timrichard 9y ago
        Luckily, “there’s a button for that...” as someone might have said. F4, or fn F4 if the system control buttons/function keys have been flipped.
    - freehunter 9y ago
      Holy shit I've been using a Mac for how many years and never knew this feature existed. Thank you, friend.
      - snuxoll 9y ago
        Most users on HN probably ignore the existence of it as well as power-users in general who are more likely to use spotlight or Alfred (or just opening up /Applications for that matter), so I can’t say I’m surprised. It was added in what I consider the dark days of OS X Lion when they were pushing iOS-ification pretty hard, hence the similarity to Springboard on iOS. Still, useful for making less experienced users a little more comfortable - so I’m glad the option is there.
- askvictor 9y ago
  Though, in order to shut down the computer, you first had to click start. Not a real problem, or notice by most people, but when you sit down and think about it...
  - oblio 9y ago
    If you want to shut down, you have to start somewhere :)
  - bdcravens 9y ago
    Isn't the same true of every OS? That you have multiple clicks to get to shutdown? (other than hardware power button)
    - therein 9y ago
      He was talking about the issue with the naming. "Start".

pavlov 9y ago

I agree. The Windows 95 UI (which also shipped in Windows NT 4) was an example of Microsoft at the top of their game in creating mainstream, affordable products with well-researched usability.

IncRnd 9y ago

Except that the Windows 95 UI was a rip-off of system 7, which was a rip-off from Xerox Parc.

ptx 9y ago

The UI is a watered-down version of OS/2 (see screenshots[1]), which Microsoft was working on earlier in collaboration with IBM. And most of the "classic interface" we know today (in Windows, GTK+, Qt, etc.) was specified much earlier by IBM in their Common User Access[2] standard. They did come up with the start menu and taskbar, though, I think. Which was then copied by OS/2, GNOME, KDE, Xfce and others. And ruined in subsequent Windows versions. [1] https://guidebookgallery.org/screenshots/os221 https://guidebookgallery.org/screenshots/os221 [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_Common_User_Access https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_Common_User_Access

Izkata 9y ago
> https://guidebookgallery.org/screenshots/os221 https://guidebookgallery.org/screenshots/os221 Is... Is that a version of Notepad with _tabs_?