Mark Tyson is a news editor at Tom's Hardware. He enjoys covering the full breadth of PC tech; from business and semiconductor design to products approaching the edge of reason. ","collapsible":{"enabled":true,"maxHeight":250,"readMoreText":"Read more","readLessText":"Read less"}}), "https://slice.vanilla.futurecdn.net/13-4-23/js/authorBio.js"); } else { console.error('%c FTE ','background: #9306F9; color: #ffffff','no lazy slice hydration function available'); } Mark Tyson Social Links Navigation News Editor Mark Tyson is a news editor at Tom's Hardware. He enjoys covering the full breadth of PC tech; from business and semiconductor design to products approaching the edge of reason.
ezst036 This is a double edged sword. There's so many different and correct ways to look at this that its essentially like 5 or more separate comments in 1. That the code is several decades ago speaks to its reliability. That the code is so old speaks to the misconception of you using the "new and shiny" latest and greatest that was "recently released". That the code is so old speaks to why Linux is eating their lunch performance wise. That the code is so old speaks to the mountain of a problem Microsoft is going to have in actually achieving a modernization. And lets not forget, MacOS also relies on code probably as equally as old since the current MacOS is basically just a re-skinned NeXT. That's all that Steve Jobs did. He had the devs put new makeup on NeXTSTEP. And Linux is surely the same. Torvalds created the kernel decades ago and the FSF's GCC isn't exactly a spring chicken. There isn't anything wrong at all with old code if it remains the "newest and greatest". It is still the best because the best has in fact been achieved. I'll tell you what though. Microsoft's built in adware functions are not 30 years old. That is much, much newer. So goes their priorities right? Don't update their old code but hey you know what we can and will spy on you! Reply
Eximo If they could just unbundle sound volume from WiFi/Bluetooth/Power that would solve my biggest pet peeve with Windows. If you haven't touched it in a while (which is always) it takes a stupidly long time to open. Reply
TechieTwo It was crap in the 90's and it's even worse crap today. :astonished: Reply
JamesJones44 I say this as a Windows hater… It's not uncommon for OS core components to be "ancient". Large parts of the Linux, BSD, etc. kernels had not change much relative to other OS components over large periods of time. That trend has started to change in recent years, largely due to desires of "memory safe" language operation, but being from the 90s doesn't automatically make it "bad" (though the Windows "backbone" is bad IMO). Reply
nrdwka lookings to many modern parts of windows, they better to keep old stuff … Reply
Shiznizzle Microsoft cant win. The second support is dropped for parallel printers or things of that nature, the public go nuts. It was not so long ago that i saw the windows XP interface at my NHS doctor here in the UK Reply
TechGuy_93 Eximo said: If they could just unbundle sound volume from WiFi/Bluetooth/Power that would solve my biggest pet peeve with Windows. If you haven't touched it in a while (which is always) it takes a stupidly long time to open. Just mouse over the volume icon and scroll Reply
TechGuy_93 There's a reason it's all still there. All the new UI garbage they slap on is just a "fancy" way to control the same things… Except that like all things, they strip out essential controls from the new UI and you have to use the legacy ones to actually get stuff done. Same goes for their approach in m365 admin. You need to use PowerShell to do several things now that you used to be able to with a single click. because the UI options have been stripped away to "make it cleaner" or "streamlined" or some BS. They took something good like they always do and pile on garbage until it barely works and has lost all its core functionality Reply
QuarterSwede JamesJones44 said: I say this as a Windows hater… It's not uncommon for OS core components to be "ancient". Large parts of the Linux, BSD, etc. kernels had not change much relative to other OS components over large periods of time. That trend has started to change in recent years, largely due to desires of "memory safe" language operation, but being from the 90s doesn't automatically make it "bad" (though the Windows "backbone" is bad IMO). As I understand it, the main difference is that *nix was built to be modular so even the kernel can be updated without really screwing up higher level functions. Windows wasn’t built with the same mentality. Windows’ ancient backend will be its undoing. Not sure why they couldn’t add an emulation layer, like Apple has done twice now, to make the transition easier. Reply
Key considerations
- Investor positioning can change fast
- Volatility remains possible near catalysts
- Macro rates and liquidity can dominate flows
Reference reading
- https://www.tomshardware.com/software/windows/SPONSORED_LINK_URL
- https://www.tomshardware.com/software/windows/microsoft-cto-confesses-that-30-year-old-code-from-the-mid-90s-still-forms-the-bedrock-of-windows-11-ancient-win32-api-still-the-backbone-but-cto-says-its-more-relevant-than-ever-in-2026#main
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