I'm sure they're refering to the undying love every single web developer had for Internet Explorer.

I'm of the opinion that it doesn't matter what they are referring to. What they are clearly suggesting is false, and they should know better.

> The web was born and grew up on Windows

The first part is just a lie, the second part is open for interpretation, but certainly not the formative years.

In the late 90s, IE4 and then IE5 was the gold standard. We were all ecstatic when we didn't have to support Netscape 4 anymore. It wasn't until Firefox (more specifically Firebug) was mature that IE lost the crown.

Maybe for you. For us the best usage of IE was to download Netscape Navigator .

That's completely the way I remember it!

IE4 maybe, it was downhill after that.

I'm pretty sure this was a sarcastic comment

Yeah, that's an odd statement. Windows 3 didn't exist in 1989, and nobody really used Windows 2. The web wasn't "born" there for sure.

Thats not even mentioning the complete dominance of Linux in the server space for decades.

> decades

I'd like to think that, but I am not sure if that's actually true.

>I'd like to think that, but I am not sure if that's actually true.

It's hard to get real numbers, for sure. There's counts based on what the server shipped with, when those used to be bundled, which favors Windows. And there's counts of active servers on the internet, which favors Unix-like. Both counts are fundamentally flawed for various reasons.

I did, though, get a chuckle out of Microsoft's slide that showed more Linux instances than Windows ones on Azure: https://build5nines.com/linux-is-most-used-os-in-microsoft-a...

I'm like 99% sure the first www server was on an NeXT machine.

And subsequently Sun machines. "The Network Is the Computer".

More accurately: the web survived Windows

too early to tell

Let's not forget https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackbird_(online_platform). Bill Gates was actively trying to kill the internet in 1995.

> The web was born and grew up on Windows

For many home users that is a reality, even if it is not historically accurate. And, more importantly, I think that highlights the current position of Windows.

In the 90s and 2000s, Windows was synonymous with computing, the office and the Internet. Nowadays, Android and iPhone are the point of contact with the world for most people. Windows has lost that position.

What I read is "The web was born and grew up on Windows" ... and we want Windows to be its future. That is what, I think, it follows from that statement and the goal of Windows 11.

NeXTSTEP specifically, for the browser and the server.

Came here to say pretty much this; add to that Bill Gates' "the internet is just a passing fad" attitude at the time, this comes across as a complete whitewash of history. I know it's just a PR fluff piece so it's not like I'm going to write any angry letters, but I had to shake my head a bit at that.

Yeah that line, along with others, is almost offensive. Microsoft tried really hard to stop the open web during the time they were building early Windows. They're trying to take credit for something that popular that they tried really hard to stop.

Not almost, it is simply a blatant lie. Now, how should I trust Microsoft if they can't avoid a lie (that is totally unnecessary btw) in their press release that was probably carefully crafted and approved by several levels of managers? It's like saying "we can do whatever we want, no matter if it's good or wrong, as long as in line with our interests." Shame.

"We tried to adopt, extend and extinguish this golden child in our possessive embrace, hobble it to us as was our custom, but it grew up all the stronger for fighting us, and shouldn't we all be grateful for that?"

Well, they did try to merge the web browser with the desktop (and, I as far as I remember, got sued for that).