Microsoft’s Largest Piece of Software program Weighed Extra Than 40 Kilos

Microsoft has shipped some huge items of software program over the previous 47 years, however there was one software program launch that weighed way more than all of the others.

In the present day most of us use software program on our PCs that does not weigh something as a result of we obtain it, however that wasn’t all the time the case. Software program used to ship in bodily type on floppy discs or CDs—full with printed documentation. A few of that documentation ran to hundreds of pages, which resulted in very heavy software program releases.

The official Home windows developer documentation staff at Microsoft determined to ask Microsoft Archivist Amy Stevenson “What was the biggest piece of software program we ever shipped?” The reply might shock you:

Tweet(Opens in a new window)

Because the video above reveals, the award goes to Microsoft C/C++ compiler with the Home windows SDK, which was launched in 1992 and weighed over 40 kilos. It included Microsoft C/C++ 7.0 in a field that was more than two feet long(Opens in a new window) and allowed a developer to supply MS-DOS, Home windows, and OS/2 functions. As Stevenson factors out, “we by no means did that once more,” and the subsequent product launched was Visible C++.

In the present day, Microsoft provides Visual Studio(Opens in a new window) in Neighborhood, Skilled, and Enterprise variations for contemporary software program growth throughout an entire host of various desktop and cell platforms. The documentation “weight” can solely actually be counted by way of power used to retailer and ship it to our screens because it’s all obtainable on-line. I am unable to think about how a lot paper it will require to print out.