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The Weird History of the Microsoft Windows Start Button

Gamoid writes: Windows 3.1 was so complicated that even a Boeing propulsion scientist couldn't figure out how to open a word processor. A behavioral scientist, who once worked with BF Skinner at Harvard, was brought in to Microsoft to figure out what was going wrong — and he came up with the Start button, for which he holds the patent today. It's a weird and cool look at how simple ideas aren't obvious.

12 of 270 comments (clear)

  1. Re:The only intuitive interface is the nipple by MobileTatsu-NJG · · Score: 4, Funny

    The only intuitive interface is the nipple and it will be forever great.

    ... for those who don't scroll much.

    --

    "I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)

  2. Re:It's not weird at all. by fustakrakich · · Score: 5, Funny

    Somebody was facing a problem. He thought about the problem.

    He looked at System 7

    He proposed a solution. It worked.

    --
    “He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
  3. Win95 original "meme" by Cito · · Score: 4, Funny

    32 bit extensions and a graphical shell [on top of] a 16 bit patch to an 8 bit operating system originally coded for a 4 bit microprocessor, written by a 2 bit company, that can't stand 1 bit of competition.

  4. Re: Somewhat less intuitive by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    Well, in Windows 95/98/ME, the start button was misnamed, it should have been "Try" or "Attempt to" (but no guarantee, YMMV).

  5. Re:The only intuitive interface is the nipple by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 4, Funny

    You need to teach your baby to use the nipple, too.

    I wonder how many of these nipple-challanged babies grow up and go to work for Microsoft.

  6. Re:Major change? No. by khellendros1984 · · Score: 4, Funny

    You double clicked on a game icon and it launched within two seconds

    Well...either that, or you got a message saying that you needed to lower/raise the bit depth of your display, enable/disable some memory manager, or something similar. I kind of missed Windows 3.1 too, until I started playing with it in a VM and kept running into all the antiquated bits that I'd forgotten about...then it would make one of the classic "ding" sounds, and I'd forgive it in a wash of nostalgia.

    --
    It is pitch black. You are likely to be eaten by a grue.
  7. Re:Rocket Surgery by PPH · · Score: 4, Funny

    I used to work at Boeing. Some of those people are still looking for the 'Any' key.

    --
    Have gnu, will travel.
  8. Re:MenuChoice and HAM (1992) by dbIII · · Score: 5, Funny

    Later on I'm surprised the Win7 advertisements didn't go like this:
    "I'm a PC and looking like a Mac was my idea."

  9. Skinner Operant Conditioning by Forever+Wondering · · Score: 1, Funny

    In a Skinner box, the lab rat pushes a button and gets a food pellet ... Or, an electric shock... With WinX, pressing the start button has never caused the computer to dispense food, but often the user is shocked by the results ...

    --
    Like a good neighbor, fsck is there ...
  10. Re:Major change? No. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    Nostalgia? I've been trying to save my final thesis paper for years:

    Abort, Retry, Fail? R
    Abort, Retry, Fail? R
    Abort, Retry, Fail? R
    Abort, Retry, Fail? R
    Abort, Retry, Fail? R ....

    *cries*

  11. Re:The only intuitive interface is the nipple by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Nipples are like remote controlled cars.
    They're intended for kids, but it's always the dads who end up playing with them.

  12. Re: The only intuitive interface is the nipple by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    > They go for human ones like magnets

    Well, who doesn't? :)