Windows 95 is so good because Microsoft put significant effort into making it that way. The design process was backed by usability studies featuring users of al

Windows 95 is so good because Microsoft put significant effort into making it that way. The design process was backed by usability studies featuring users of all skill levels. It was designed to be approachable by new users (new not only to Windows, but to computers in general), without hindering more advanced users. https://dl.acm.org/doi/fullHtml/10.1145/238386.238611 https://dl.acm.org/doi/fullHtml/10.1145/238386.238611 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12330899 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12330899 I believe that the limitations of common consumer hardware of the time also helped. Designing around 640x480x4 basically forces designers to focus on function over form. Whereas today, one could get so lost in trying to make an interface beautiful, that they forget it's ultimately a tool.