IE7 aka Nostalgic Instability Update (31st January 2008)

If you’ve used Windows for a decade or more, like me, you’ll probably remember when any application could crash at any moment.

You have performed an illegal operation in the early days of Windows 95. Frequent BSODs in the early days of Windows XP. Instability was so common it became part of popular culture. Mainstream stand-up comedians like Jack Dee used Windows’s instability in their sets.

But after a few years, Windows 95 and Windows XP became stable. Some users of Windows have never seen a BSOD.

Well, all that changed with IE7. My parents use IE7. It has taken us back down memory lane. Back to a time when normal people become frustrated and helpless on a daily basis. Once more they must seek out technically adept friends, family members and colleagues.

This is all very nostalgic. It is also a completely unnecessary pain in the arse.