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By Victoria Ho ZDNet Asia
Posted on ZDNet News: Oct 21, 2009 4:57:04 AM

Windows 95 marked the last time Microsoft faced any "serious competition" in the PC operating system market, an analysts recalls, as the software vendor gets ready to launch its much-anticipated Windows 7 tomorrow.

Martin Gilliland, vice president of go to market strategies at Frost & Sullivan, said Windows 3.0's focus on offering a user-friendly interface brought Microsoft founder Bill Gates' vision of a "PC on every desk" closer to reality. But, mass adoption was seen only from Windows 95, which ended up winning the PC OS battle against IBM's OS2, Gilliland said in an e-mail interview with ZDNet Asia.

See also: Gallery: Windows splash screens from 1.01 to Vista

"Windows 95 was the real boon for Microsoft. With it, we saw mass adoption of PCs in businesses and started to see more and more [of the platform] in the home," said the analyst. He noted, however, that its triumph over OS2 was mostly due to Microsoft's marketing and sales clout.

"The one big difference between Microsoft and Apple is that Microsoft allows Windows to be installed on any device with a license, [while] Mac OS can only be loaded and run on an Apple device," he said.

Read more of "Windows 95 wiped out last PC competition" from ZDNet Asia.

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  • Most Recent of 74 Talkback(s)
Eh, sort of...
"The fact is that people are so invested in Windows due to MS monopolistic practices that they'll buy it."

First off, people aren't so invested that they can't break free. Most people don't re... (Read the rest)
Posted by: Larsix Posted on: 10/26/09 You are currently: a Guest | | Terms of Use
Installed only on IBM  nucrash | 10/21/09
actually no  nothingness | 10/21/09
I ran os/2 ver. 2.2 for a short time  eggmanbubbagee@... | 10/21/09
Yup  WarhavenSC | 10/21/09
OS/2 Warp  chromeronin | 10/22/09
Resonable summary  Fred Fredrickson | 10/21/09
Server?  Salonikios | 10/21/09
maybe ibm is pushing linux but not enough  Quebec-french | 10/21/09
Spit on 7?  NStalnecker | 10/21/09
Because he has no idea what he's writing about.  Sleeper Service | 10/21/09
well on that  Quebec-french | 10/21/09
Really?  Sleeper Service | 10/21/09
keep it to yourself  Quebec-french | 10/21/09
better bite me  Quebec-french | 10/21/09
No one cares, Quebec.  Sleeper Service | 10/22/09
That would be a  Erroneous | 10/21/09
No, it ran on clones also  IT_User | 10/21/09
XP is not a bus  AtlantaTerry | 10/23/09
Surfing Nuns  Bill4 | 10/21/09
Cost of Windows 7 too much  supergryan | 10/21/09
The perfect price  nick.holmes | 10/21/09
Then it's not the "Perfect Price"  jacarter3 | 10/21/09
Wrong word  rarsa | 10/22/09
Eh, sort of...  Larsix | 10/26/09
Monopoly  rdiekema@... | 10/21/09
There is not a monopoly  richardwest | 10/21/09
Spoken like a child...  Bruizer | 10/21/09
Spoken like a linux wannabe  CrashPad | 10/21/09
There was life before the GUI.  Bruizer | 10/21/09
The Osbourne  Erroneous | 10/21/09
Pre 1975?  richardwest | 10/21/09
Didn't say that.  Bruizer | 10/21/09
Well, people buy Windows not because it is better, but, because of lock-in.  DonnieBoy | 10/21/09
If an OS lacks support and software  mdemuth | 10/21/09
Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha...Another good laugh from DonnieBoy...  transposeIT | 10/22/09
Excuse you???  zach.winchester | 10/22/09
Survival of the Fittest. Riiiight....  alex20850 | 10/21/09
Yes, all very true. Microsoft would have been much better of to have just  DonnieBoy | 10/21/09
Not quite right  snberk341 | 10/21/09
Yes, I Do.  mikefarinha | 10/21/09
The other OS vendors have some VERY innovative products, but, the lock-in  DonnieBoy | 10/21/09
RE: Yes, I Do.  rdiekema@... | 10/21/09
Crap.  Sleeper Service | 10/21/09
Monopoly  Erroneous | 10/21/09
You're right  jacarter3 | 10/21/09
Just a piece of info on XP Pro pricing...  zach.winchester | 10/22/09
"When are other OS vendors going to start ..."  jacarter3 | 10/21/09
Re:  dvm | 10/21/09
My opinion of reviews  jacarter3 | 10/22/09
Just in case, you might want to see this  jacarter3 | 10/22/09
Probably never, for you  rahbm | 10/22/09
Yep, so true. But, Win95 was also the last major excitement that MS had.  DonnieBoy | 10/21/09
Donnieboy...  CrashPad | 10/21/09
We are discussing the history of computing, of which MS is a huge part,  DonnieBoy | 10/21/09
I Disagree  gnesterenko | 10/21/09
Win95, excitement, and Windows 7  William_Collins@... | 10/21/09
Re:  dvm | 10/21/09
RE: Windows 95 wiped out last PC competition  mike340t | 10/21/09
Very true, Microsoft's model of selling the OS to all comers WAS a great  DonnieBoy | 10/21/09
Win 95 and OS/2  MaVdb7 | 10/21/09
RE: Windows 95 wiped out last PC competition  bking5@... | 10/21/09
A good article about Microsoft's current predicament.  DonnieBoy | 10/21/09
ZDnet: quit hosing the links pasted into the talkbacks!!!  DonnieBoy | 10/21/09
Good point in that link  gnesterenko | 10/21/09
I was there  frgough | 10/21/09
Windows95 stole large portions of the Mac OS  johnpall@... | 10/21/09
Windows 95 hummm  The Management consultant | 10/21/09
No people buy in keeping up with their work and neighbors  Boot_Agnostic | 10/21/09
I was there (too)  dave_helmut | 10/21/09
it's not that the Mac OS "can't" be installed on non-Apple equipment, just  wessonjoe | 10/21/09
I was able to teach my wife & kids Windows 95  LarryPTL | 10/21/09
RE: Windows 95 wiped out last PC competition  William_Collins@... | 10/21/09
That's not the way I see it...  Larsix | 10/22/09
RE: Windows 95 wiped out last PC competition  scrupulous | 10/25/09

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