3 ms·

Windows 2000 is from a time when software distribution was still mostly in the form of physical media, and everything having an internet-enabled updater was not

by cesarb 9y ago

Windows 2000 is from a time when software distribution was still mostly in the form of physical media, and everything having an internet-enabled updater was not as common. The IBM software in the comment was probably written for a previous version of Windows, and if a new version of Windows wasn't compatible with that IBM software (as found in the box the user bought), it would present an obstacle to upgrading to the newer version of Windows for users of that IBM software. Users wouldn't be expected to upgrade every boxed software they had bought just because they upgraded Windows.

mikeash 9y ago
There’s also a psychological element. When a user upgrades Windows and some software breaks, they immediately think “the new version of Windows sucks!” and tell all their friends. They neither know nor care that it’s actually a bug in the software that didn’t manifest before.