Digital Home Thoughts: A Brief History of Software

"Last month, we took you on a tour of computing's most venerated classic PCs. In our classic PC hardware retrospective, we highlighted the computers that deployed the innovations we take for granted today. But just as a car without gas is just roadblock, computer hardware without software is essentially paperweight. And while it’s true that the hardware is the visually sexier component of a system, the software is equally important and often more challenging to create. Today, we take a look at the history of early computer software, from the first character-based interfaces to the last pre-32-bit OSes (yes, Mac OS included). We also spotlight the notable programs that ran on these various platforms, including the first productivity and design applications. And because we're avid gamers, we couldn't neglect video gaming's contribution to the software world -- we included the firsts of each gaming genre."

From OS's to applications and games, this article will be educational for our younger readers and a walk down memory lane for the not so young readers. Some of my fond memories of older software from each category include PFS Write, OS2, The Wrath of Nickedemous, and Microsoft Flight Simulator (pictured above). What were some of your favorite pieces of older software.