As a developer, one of the disadvantages of releasing such an incredible piece of software is that it can often be difficult to live up to those expectations again. End-users’ standards are now high, and if you want to continue to succeed, those expectations will increase going forward. You could very well say that this was a problem upon the launch of Windows 98. However, the OS received praise from the public. Not only did Windows 98 introduce features we still take for granted in Windows today, but it was built around facilitating the use of the Internet which was rapidly becoming popular. However, that’s not to say that things were perfect. Windows 98 faced many challenges during its development that would somewhat influence its public appearance up to its release. Some of these problems even persisted among users following its launch, and this all coincided with the growing legal troubles that Microsoft was facing at the time. Things were a bit turbulent, and that was indirectly reflected in the design of Windows 98.
This is not to say that Windows 98 was poorly made. But if you were an average end-user back then who had Windows 95 and was doing fine browsing the internet, you may not understand the purpose of upgrading. John Montgomery of Byte Magazine argued that Windows 98 “offered little, except support for some new hardware that isn’t making a big impact on corporations yet.” It is with this distinction that Windows 98 was seen, more or less, by the public as just a republishing of Windows 95. Additionally, the two operating systems’ user interfaces were identical. On the surface, things appeared more the same. I believe however that Windows 98 was much more than that. Despite its flaws and presumably uninteresting features, its development serves an integral role in Microsoft’s story. As well as demonstrating a lot of growth that occurred within the company, which cannot be ignored.
The Success of Windows 95.
As I’ve mentioned on occasions, Windows 95 practically defined the late ’90s. Microsoft was able to make a sophisticated operating system that was able to appeal to many end-users. This was done when Microsoft made a dynamic decision to redesign Windows 95. This was done by implementing a new Start Menu that would replace the outdated Program Manager commonly seen on previous versions of Windows. It was apparent that Windows 95 was here to stay. However, Microsoft was aware of their success. Since this new product was thriving, nothing at the time could be as sensational. Unless Microsoft was able to modernize Windows that would somehow be better. Should this happen, people were still getting used to their most recent upgrade. However, Microsoft was not intimidated by this challenge and embraced it.
Windows 98’s Marketing.
Windows 98 was marketed as an “upgrade” to Windows 95. Its marketing primarily focused on the objectives of fixing commonly known problems with Windows 95, building an operating system that is optimized and has a primary focus on access to the internet, and giving people a valid reason to upgrade again. Immediately following the launch of Windows 95, Microsoft got to work. At the time, Windows 98’s codename was “Memphis.” As you would expect with all betas of Windows, they were built off of its predecessors. Although Microsoft did not make this a secret in its marketing, Windows 98 is one of the more fascinating operating systems to see growth throughout its multiple beta versions. At around this time, another Microsoft program was building a reputation in the computer/tech industry.
Internet Explorer.
Internet Explorer was initially released as an add-on package for Windows 95 after purchasing its enhancement software, “Microsoft Plus!” for an additional $50. This was the same price as another, well-known browser at the time, Netscape Navigator. Recognized for its technological lead among the other browsers of its time, Netscape quickly became your average program that would meet your needs. Since it was already well-known by most people and had the most software support, it would understandably seem pointless to purchase an experimental browser for the same price. However, Microsoft did not have this mindset. Although Netscape had a firm grip on web browsing, they felt that there was potential with Internet Explorer. Microsoft had the objective of migrating people from Netscape to Internet Explorer. Whether that’d be subliminally, or by force.
Microsoft & The “Browser Wars.”
This would start a phenomenon known as the “Browser Wars,” and it would be the very beginning of Microsoft’s reputation with legal challenges. The objective for Microsoft to win the Browser Wars would arguably include Windows 98. It started to become clear in early Memphis beta releases that Microsoft wanted Internet Explorer to be seen, even to the extent of completely rebuilding the primitive Windows Explorer and deriving it directly from IE. This would be an improvement from Windows 95. While the Explorer was not difficult to use, it was easy to get lost. It was this aspect of Windows 95 that shared similarities with the Program Manager. However, this would become a new experience, taking the “Address” field from Internet Explorer and replacing it with a “Directory bar.” If you do not want to open several folders to navigate to a specific file, you could simply copy and paste your desired path. Much like the arrows you commonly see in browsers to change pages, these buttons on Internet Explorer would allow you to navigate back and forth within directories. Early beta versions would also display Internet Explorer’s icon in the corner. Creating an operating system centered around a program subconsciously exposes users to Internet Explorer. The more users are accustomed to this Windows Explorer interface, the more they will get used to Internet Explorer. By having these products be consistent in appearance, Microsoft is essentially creating a “Windows Ecosystem.” Allowing everything to have a unique, recognizable environment that can seemingly work together. As a more recent example, we have seen Apple do this with their products. Much like with them, it plants a seed of familiarity into the user’s head. When deciding between Netscape Navigator or Internet Explorer, they may very well pick Internet Explorer because it is more familiar. These betas provide an interesting example.
Windows 98’s Announcement.
After some time, the codename for Memphis was dropped, and Windows 98 would be announced publicly in the summer of 1997. However, emphasizing this release as a continuation of Windows 95 indirectly made the problems with Windows 98 more noticeable. The public would portray this new operating system as one that eliminates the problems that Windows 95 has. Such as “Plug and Play.” Plug and Play is self-explanatory. If you were to purchase new devices such as speakers or a printer, rather than having to make all the system adjustments yourself or manually install the necessary drivers, Plug and Play would automatically perform these tasks. In 1995, this was revolutionary. This was a highlighted feature that was advertised for Windows 95. However, Plug and Play was far from perfect. Even to the extent of being considered terrible. People would complain about Plug and Play which earned it the name, “Plug and Pray” due to it failing to properly function.
This seemed to be something Microsoft struggled with, and intended to make great improvements with the feature in Windows 98. However, during a public demonstration at COMDEX, the operating system crashed. It has been approximately 20 years since this famously occurred. While this might not be considered a huge deal, the optics for marketing the product were not ideal. Over the time of its development and the delays in Windows NT, Microsoft would slowly ditch the notion that Windows 98 would be an “interim” release of Windows 95, but would instead advertise Windows 98 as its own product, with Bill Gates saying that “Windows 98 will take over from Windows 95 very rapidly…” Highlighting some of its new features such as multi-monitor support, and more HTML technology inclusion, Gates would add that “…it is all about ease of use and allowing you to think of offline use of the computer and online use of the computer as the same thing…”
The Release of Windows 98.
On May 15th, 1998, Windows 98 would be released to manufacturers and then officially released to the public on June 25th. Windows 98 would be received quite well by the public. Its sales performance was around the same as Windows 95’s within their respective two weeks. Many were praising the OS for embracing several web-related features when the internet was becoming well known. As well as extending support for USB devices. Windows 98 was also the first Windows version to support DVDs and included a DVD Player. The OS did have its share of critics. Many people claimed that they had trouble upgrading their systems using the Windows 95 upgrade pack, claiming that their hardware was not being read properly. Particularly with Ethernet, and modem cards. To put it simply, those who purchased the “Internet OS” were not able to access the Internet. The majority of feedback for the product was positive.
One decision from Microsoft would be monumental. It was ultimately decided to ship Internet Explorer with Windows 98 for no additional charge. People now had the option to spend $50 on Netscape Navigator, or to get Internet Explorer for free. Granted, IE might not be the best. But it’s free. This would cause Internet Explorer’s popularity to increase, and leave Netscape Navigator to diminish and become outdated. This would however be a main component of Microsoft’s Antitrust Lawsuit, as these free versions of Internet Explorer would begin shipping with later versions of Windows 95. Upon Windows 98’s launch, however, this would accelerate giving Microsoft an unfair advantage in the market.
Windows 98’s Features.
While this is arguably the most controversial thing that Windows 98 did, there were also other notable features that we still use today. One of which is Multi-Monitor Support. While this may seem like a small feature if you are a casual PC user, it would become useful later on. Especially as computers became more powerful and could handle running separate programs simultaneously. This would make multitasking much easier. Another notable feature that eases the stress of storage is Disk Clean-Up. Disk Clean-Up would scan your computer for files that were no longer being used in the system and delete them. Most of these files consisted of Temp Files. Which were created with the purpose of convenience. Other items would consist of old compression files, old programs, cache files, and the Recycle Bin if it wasn’t empty. You could compare this feature to programs such as CCleaner, WinUtilities Pro, BleachBit, and Wise Disk Cleaner.
Arguably one of the most useful features that Windows 98 introduced is Windows Update. You could virtually download and install any Windows update remotely through the internet. There was no need to purchase a Floppy Disk or CD-ROM now that you can download it remotely. This feature allowed Microsoft to fix many problems that were overlooked for Y2K. This arguably prevented many Y2K-related vulnerabilities from occurring. These are just some of the many features Windows 98 introduced that were overlooked by standard end-users. The UI is arguably similar to Windows 95. If people cannot visually see the difference immediately, they are likely going to think it is different from what they have.
Windows 98’s Market Share.
Despite its great sales performance within its first couple weeks, there is some debate on what Windows 98’s market share was. Some sources claim that Windows 98’s market share peaked at 17.2%, while others state it escalated as high as 30% in 2001. Another source has claimed that it achieved a Plurality market share of 40% in 2002. I found this discrepancy quite interesting while conducting my research for this article. Due to the ambivalence throughout Windows 98’s development, either one of these scenarios makes sense. If market share only peaked at 17%, you could make the argument that this was likely due to the cost of Windows 98. At launch, Windows 98 was $109. In today’s economy, that would be approximately $205. In 1999, Windows 98’s market share was 57%, meaning it had majority support. While an upgrade might not have seemed worth it at the time if you were running Windows 95. As for other scenarios, you could argue that the release of Windows 98 SE a year later increases its presence. Windows 98 SE would add more features such as Internet Connection Sharing. Other computers would be able to access the internet by connecting to another computer that already has access to the internet. Rather than having multiple desktops connected to the internet, only one would be necessary. By 1999, the 9x version of Windows was starting to become outdated. When Windows XP was released shortly after, it sealed its fate. As it was built on a new kernel. It wouldn’t matter, as Windows XP would dominate the 2000s.
I believe Windows 98 was one of the most interesting versions of Windows to visit. Windows 98 was big, yet small. It was beloved, yet dismissed at the same time. It was clear that Windows 98 did not have a specific objective, and Microsoft wasn’t able to figure that out either, during a time of perfecting the Windows Experience, Browser Wars, Y2K, and legal troubles, it’s no surprise that Microsoft was distracted while building Windows 98. Despite being considered a small upgrade, what it accomplished and aimed to accomplish was essential in directing Microsoft where to go next, and paved the road for these future versions of Windows to succeed in the way that they certainly did.
