“More or less turned Windows into a carnival”

Dec 17, 2025

Wes Fenlon at PC Gamer:

Every so often, a wonderful thing happens: someone young enough to have missed out on using computers in the early 1990s is introduced to the Windows 3.1 "Hot Dog Stand" color scheme.

I can’t figure out whether Gruber’s take (“That’s Microsoft.”) is also a subtle jab at Apple in the year of Liquid Glass.

Also, great first comment under the original post:

I assume "Plasma Power Saver" served an actual purpose - it was intended for users of "portable" machines having a gas plasma display. Early ones were monochrome (orange) and I guess the actual color hue didn't matter so much as the intensity.

Early plasma displays were genuinely fascinating.