4 ms·

> The web was born and grew up on Windows I think CERN engineers while working on web and www protocol were using unix as windows was not even there yet. http

by NmAmDa 5y ago

> The web was born and grew up on Windows I think CERN engineers while working on web and www protocol were using unix as windows was not even there yet. https://home.cern/science/computing/birth-web https://home.cern/science/computing/birth-web

izacus 5y ago
I'm sure they're refering to the undying love every single web developer had for Internet Explorer.
- xattt 5y ago
  That's completely the way I remember it!
- edoceo 5y ago
  IE4 maybe, it was downhill after that.
  - konart 5y ago
    I'm pretty sure this was a sarcastic comment
- okamiueru 5y ago
  I'm of the opinion that it doesn't matter what they are referring to. What they are clearly suggesting is false, and they should know better. > The web was born and grew up on Windows The first part is just a lie, the second part is open for interpretation, but certainly not the formative years.
- efsavage 5y ago
  In the late 90s, IE4 and then IE5 was the gold standard. We were all ecstatic when we didn't have to support Netscape 4 anymore. It wasn't until Firefox (more specifically Firebug) was mature that IE lost the crown.
  - hulitu 5y ago
    Maybe for you. For us the best usage of IE was to download Netscape Navigator .
BitwiseFool 5y ago
I'm like 99% sure the first www server was on an NeXT machine.
- SkyMarshal 5y ago
  And subsequently Sun machines. "The Network Is the Computer".
cryptoz 5y ago
Yeah that line, along with others, is almost offensive. Microsoft tried really hard to stop the open web during the time they were building early Windows. They're trying to take credit for something that popular that they tried really hard to stop.
- wwweston 5y ago
  "We tried to adopt, extend and extinguish this golden child in our possessive embrace, hobble it to us as was our custom, but it grew up all the stronger for fighting us, and shouldn't we all be grateful for that?"
- dvfjsdhgfv 5y ago
  Not almost, it is simply a blatant lie. Now, how should I trust Microsoft if they can't avoid a lie (that is totally unnecessary btw) in their press release that was probably carefully crafted and approved by several levels of managers? It's like saying "we can do whatever we want, no matter if it's good or wrong, as long as in line with our interests." Shame.
tyingq 5y ago
Yeah, that's an odd statement. Windows 3 didn't exist in 1989, and nobody really used Windows 2. The web wasn't "born" there for sure.
souldeux 5y ago
More accurately: the web survived Windows
- Koshkin 5y ago
  too early to tell
s_dev 5y ago
Thats not even mentioning the complete dominance of Linux in the server space for decades.
- Koshkin 5y ago
  > decades I'd like to think that, but I am not sure if that's actually true.
  - tyingq 5y ago
    >I'd like to think that, but I am not sure if that's actually true. It's hard to get real numbers, for sure. There's counts based on what the server shipped with, when those used to be bundled, which favors Windows. And there's counts of active servers on the internet, which favors Unix-like. Both counts are fundamentally flawed for various reasons. I did, though, get a chuckle out of Microsoft's slide that showed more Linux instances than Windows ones on Azure: https://build5nines.com/linux-is-most-used-os-in-microsoft-azure-over-50-percent-fo-vm-cores/ https://build5nines.com/linux-is-most-used-os-in-microsoft-a...
Koshkin 5y ago
Well, they did try to merge the web browser with the desktop (and, I as far as I remember, got sued for that).
cestith 5y ago
NeXTSTEP specifically, for the browser and the server.
smhenderson 5y ago
Came here to say pretty much this; add to that Bill Gates' "the internet is just a passing fad" attitude at the time, this comes across as a complete whitewash of history. I know it's just a PR fluff piece so it's not like I'm going to write any angry letters, but I had to shake my head a bit at that.
ElViajero 5y ago
> The web was born and grew up on Windows For many home users that is a reality, even if it is not historically accurate. And, more importantly, I think that highlights the current position of Windows. In the 90s and 2000s, Windows was synonymous with computing, the office and the Internet. Nowadays, Android and iPhone are the point of contact with the world for most people. Windows has lost that position. What I read is "The web was born and grew up on Windows" ... and we want Windows to be its future. That is what, I think, it follows from that statement and the goal of Windows 11.
keithalewis 5y ago
Let's not forget https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackbird_(online_platform) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackbird_(online_platform). Bill Gates was actively trying to kill the internet in 1995.
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]

by NmAmDa 5y ago

izacus 5y ago

I'm sure they're refering to the undying love every single web developer had for Internet Explorer.

xattt 5y ago
That's completely the way I remember it!
edoceo 5y ago
IE4 maybe, it was downhill after that.
- konart 5y ago
  I'm pretty sure this was a sarcastic comment
okamiueru 5y ago
I'm of the opinion that it doesn't matter what they are referring to. What they are clearly suggesting is false, and they should know better. > The web was born and grew up on Windows The first part is just a lie, the second part is open for interpretation, but certainly not the formative years.
efsavage 5y ago
In the late 90s, IE4 and then IE5 was the gold standard. We were all ecstatic when we didn't have to support Netscape 4 anymore. It wasn't until Firefox (more specifically Firebug) was mature that IE lost the crown.
- hulitu 5y ago
  Maybe for you. For us the best usage of IE was to download Netscape Navigator .

BitwiseFool 5y ago

I'm like 99% sure the first www server was on an NeXT machine.

SkyMarshal 5y ago
And subsequently Sun machines. "The Network Is the Computer".

cryptoz 5y ago

Yeah that line, along with others, is almost offensive. Microsoft tried really hard to stop the open web during the time they were building early Windows. They're trying to take credit for something that popular that they tried really hard to stop.

wwweston 5y ago
"We tried to adopt, extend and extinguish this golden child in our possessive embrace, hobble it to us as was our custom, but it grew up all the stronger for fighting us, and shouldn't we all be grateful for that?"
dvfjsdhgfv 5y ago
Not almost, it is simply a blatant lie. Now, how should I trust Microsoft if they can't avoid a lie (that is totally unnecessary btw) in their press release that was probably carefully crafted and approved by several levels of managers? It's like saying "we can do whatever we want, no matter if it's good or wrong, as long as in line with our interests." Shame.

tyingq 5y ago

Yeah, that's an odd statement. Windows 3 didn't exist in 1989, and nobody really used Windows 2. The web wasn't "born" there for sure.

souldeux 5y ago

More accurately: the web survived Windows

Koshkin 5y ago
too early to tell

s_dev 5y ago

Thats not even mentioning the complete dominance of Linux in the server space for decades.

Koshkin 5y ago
> decades I'd like to think that, but I am not sure if that's actually true.
- tyingq 5y ago
  >I'd like to think that, but I am not sure if that's actually true. It's hard to get real numbers, for sure. There's counts based on what the server shipped with, when those used to be bundled, which favors Windows. And there's counts of active servers on the internet, which favors Unix-like. Both counts are fundamentally flawed for various reasons. I did, though, get a chuckle out of Microsoft's slide that showed more Linux instances than Windows ones on Azure: https://build5nines.com/linux-is-most-used-os-in-microsoft-azure-over-50-percent-fo-vm-cores/ https://build5nines.com/linux-is-most-used-os-in-microsoft-a...

Koshkin 5y ago

Well, they did try to merge the web browser with the desktop (and, I as far as I remember, got sued for that).

cestith 5y ago

NeXTSTEP specifically, for the browser and the server.

smhenderson 5y ago

Came here to say pretty much this; add to that Bill Gates' "the internet is just a passing fad" attitude at the time, this comes across as a complete whitewash of history. I know it's just a PR fluff piece so it's not like I'm going to write any angry letters, but I had to shake my head a bit at that.

ElViajero 5y ago

> The web was born and grew up on Windows For many home users that is a reality, even if it is not historically accurate. And, more importantly, I think that highlights the current position of Windows. In the 90s and 2000s, Windows was synonymous with computing, the office and the Internet. Nowadays, Android and iPhone are the point of contact with the world for most people. Windows has lost that position. What I read is "The web was born and grew up on Windows" ... and we want Windows to be its future. That is what, I think, it follows from that statement and the goal of Windows 11.

keithalewis 5y ago

Let's not forget https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackbird_(online_platform) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackbird_(online_platform). Bill Gates was actively trying to kill the internet in 1995.

deleted 5y ago

[deleted]