Microsoft employees recall their early years

When I was at uni in NZ (mid 70s) me and my friends wrote a compiler for 6800s (an algol subset, it fit in 2k), we wrote it with copyrights for &quot;uSoft&quot; (that&#x27;s a greek mu), in retrospect it was an obvious name at the time.<p>Later we discovered some other guys using the same name in the US (also with a mu) they had a basic interpreter, how lame! (we had a compiler) however we really didn&#x27;t understand the advantages of being born in the right place .....<p>I really wish we&#x27;d incorporated, we could have sold the name for some silly amount of money

It&#x27;s also almost 50 years since &quot;An Open Letter to Hobbyists&quot;[1]. It&#x27;s amazing that in the last 30+ years, the &quot;hobbyists&quot; managed to turn the entire software industry by 180°, and that Microsoft themselves are reliant on that work.<p>Bill even specifically mentions musicians. By 1976, when blues was only ca 100 years old, most bands would play what we now call &quot;covers&quot;, credit each original writer on the back of the record, and there was no shame or stigma around it. Art builds on art, and &quot;stealing&quot; is probably the most important part of the process[2].<p>[1]: <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;An_Open_Letter_to_Hobbyists" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;An_Open_Letter_to_Hobbyists</a><p>[2]: <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.everythingisaremix.info&#x2F;watch-the-series&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.everythingisaremix.info&#x2F;watch-the-series&#x2F;</a>

While the majority of revenue of Microsoft is not Windows anymore, I think Windows defines the brand much like how iPhone and Mac define Apple even though that might be part of the revenue not all of it.<p>What I am curious about is what happens when the original product that makes the company popular starts to experience poor quality. Take Google for example, its search has been on a decline in the last decade or so and needless to say the company is experiencing problems as well in the last few years. While GCP and GSuite are significant, people have lost faith in Google which probably started with search.<p>Windows 11 and the iPhone seem to be heading towards same fate as Google search imo.

&quot;Remember when things were not insanely bloated and we all knew what we were collectively doing?&quot; they all said, a wistful tear developing in each of their eyes, nobody daring to release theirs first.<p>Nah, Happy Anniversary, Microsoft. As much as we do not get along, you did do _some_ good in the world.

[...] &quot;Microsoft killed my company, and I hold a personal grudge. They are a company with vicious, predatory, anti-competitive business practices, and always have been. They also happen to make terrible products, and always have. I do not use any Microsoft products, and neither should you.&quot; - Jamie Zawinski<p><a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.jwz.org&#x2F;xscreensaver&#x2F;xscreensaver-windows.html" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.jwz.org&#x2F;xscreensaver&#x2F;xscreensaver-windows.html</a>

What struck me most in this piece wasn&#x27;t just the milestones or big product moments, but how human the journey was. From someone getting hired off a newsletter in a Honda Civic to negotiating with the Rolling Stones, or building a global business with zero prior international experience. It&#x27;s a reminder that behind all the megacorp mythology, these were regular people taking huge risks.

I remember exactly that moment I first saw a Windows 95 bootup.<p>First the new _animated_ boot splash with the ms-logo, then the elegant start up piano sound, the amazing new start button with a menu with so perfectly organized applications, settings and a run input. It was like stepping into the future.<p>Windows 3.11 and dos 6.22 was normal yesterday, it worked, was cool and had all the stuff I loved to do - but after this day they felt dated and ancient.<p>Such moments are rare. Microsoft rocked so hard

I joined MSFT ~25 years ago and worked there for 10 years. It was a great place to work. Everybody (in Redmond) had their offices, great outdoor areas for walking and meeting people, great conference areas, decent and relatively affordable places to live nearby (some within walking distance), some of the best Engineers in the world etc. I don&#x27;t think there is a company life like MSFT used to have anywhere on Earth nowadays. :(

There are so few books on early Microsoft, and they&#x27;re all so fascinating. One I like is Microsoft: First Generation. One I think is humorous, but not that informative, is Barbarians Led by Bill Gates.

<a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;images.seattletimes.com&#x2F;wp-content&#x2F;uploads&#x2F;2025&#x2F;03&#x2F;03262025_1-windows-1_125900.jpg" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;images.seattletimes.com&#x2F;wp-content&#x2F;uploads&#x2F;2025&#x2F;03&#x2F;0...</a><p>This development environment looks interesting：why two shelves?<p>Also the place look like a cheap airline cabin. I thought all MSFT employees have their own offices back then. Maybe it&#x27;s because that&#x27;s the lab?

<a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;archive.ph&#x2F;WIAoq" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;archive.ph&#x2F;WIAoq</a>

I loved how the Windows 95 install CD had Weezer&#x27;s Buddy Holly video on it. I remember finding it and thinking it was so cool they did that.

Actual Code <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;images.gatesnotes.com&#x2F;12514eb8-7b51-008e-41a9-512542cf683b&#x2F;34d561c8-cf5c-4e69-af47-3782ea11482e&#x2F;Original-Microsoft-Source-Code.pdf" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;images.gatesnotes.com&#x2F;12514eb8-7b51-008e-41a9-512542...</a>

No Microsoft, no Half-Life.

What’s cool about MSFT and APPLE is that there will never be another company like those two. They are true trailblazers in so many ways.

It&#x27;s interesting that Microsoft was founded almost exactly a year before Apple (April 1st, 1976). I can&#x27;t imagine Apple will miss the opportunity to make a big deal out of it.

Crazy to think how Microsoft went from a small startup to one of the biggest companies in the world. Wonder what the next 50 years will look like.

Funny that they changed their name from &#x27;Micro-Soft&#x27; to Microsoft.

Windows Recall