By human standards, 25 years is practically nothing, but from the perspective of computer software, a quarter of a century is a huge period, during which the vast majority of solutions manage to become outdated and change several versions. The operating system (OS) for personal computers is no exception, but Windows 95 is a special case.

The premiere of the new Microsoft operating system took place on August 24, 1995 and this year Windows 95 turns 25 years old. Since then, a dozen systems from the American developer have been released, but Windows 95 has become one of the most iconic operating systems. The thing is that this operating system was the first to introduce a number of solutions that later became standard.

The familiar computer desktop, on which we store application shortcuts and some files, first appeared on Windows 95. Before this operating system, there was no such solution in Windows (and competitors on the market were not particularly successful), since the family of operating systems Windows 3.x was actually an add-on to MS-DOS, so there was no talk of a desktop in the usual and understandable sense for us.

The solution with the Start button located in the lower left corner of the desktop also debuted on Windows 95. This is the starting point for accessing programs installed on the computer, system settings and documents. With each successive generation of Microsoft operating systems, the configuration and design of the Start menu changed, but this element remained conceptually unchanged. In Windows 8, the Start menu was replaced with the Start screen, but in Windows 10 it was returned to its usual form.

Along with the desktop and Start menu, Windows 95 introduced something that many people don’t even think about. We’re talking about the taskbar, which is located along the bottom border of the screen and includes the notorious button with a multi-colored flag on it, a quick launch bar, application icons, and a notification area. This set has changed in different versions of operating systems, but the taskbar first appeared 25 years ago.

Something that many people don’t even think about also became one of the breakthroughs of Windows 95. Before that, the limit on the length of file names was described as 8.3 (8 characters for the file name itself and 3 characters for the extension), and with the release of the new operating system this limit was removed, which significantly increased the convenience of working with documents on a computer.

Before Windows 95, connecting each new device to a computer was accompanied by a number of mandatory manipulations – you had to manually install drivers and carry out all the necessary actions for the system to see the device and be able to interact with it. With the new operating system, all this component, which was quite complex for the average user, became history. Despite the fact that in Windows 95 the Plug and Play function did not always work correctly, in subsequent OS releases from Microsoft this problem was almost completely eliminated.

Before Windows 95, the computer was, roughly speaking, a shared device, but with the release of the new operating system, several users were able to create their own profile on one device. This allowed each family member or employee to have “their own” computer with the applications, files and links they needed. This has now become the standard.

The familiar interface for connecting devices, which by 2020 had grown to several options, received support on personal computers in 1996. The ability to connect via USB was implemented in a patch to Windows 95 OEM Service Release 2, and now this connector and its versions have become an integral part of our lives.

The File Explorer file manager made it possible to abandon separate applications for interacting with files and applications, which greatly simplified the life of users. The new Explorer has become a more convenient alternative to the previously existing program managers and file managers of Windows 3.x.

Nowadays, there are many Internet browsers and everyone is free to choose which one to use, but 25 years ago, Internet Explorer was synonymous with the word “browser”. The solution that lasted until Windows 10, giving way to Microsoft Edge, first appeared in the Microsoft Plus package! for Windows 95.

An interface element for deleting and temporarily storing deleted files in Microsoft operating systems made its debut precisely on Windows 95. Despite the fact that Apple was the first to use the Recycle Bin in its Mac OS and its predecessor operating systems, for most users the Recycle Bin is associated specifically with Windows .

The legacy of that operating system is not limited to the listed 10 functions and capabilities that first appeared on Windows 95 and remain in use to this day. Despite the fact that on December 31, 2001, Microsoft officially stopped supporting Windows 95, its business in one form or another lives on 25 years after its premiere.