Video: 20 Years Later, An Ode To Rachel and Chandler's Windows 95 Ad

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGYcNcFhctc

Could it be any more genius?

It's difficult to fathom that Windows 95 turned 20 just yesterday, particularly for someone whose home computer ran on it until about 2007.

Even more difficult to believe is that Microsoft managed to persuade Jennifer Aniston and Matthew Perry to star in an hystericallt naff, *hour-long* tutorial video for the new release.

In this unbearable, self-declared "cyber sitcom," the duo - a year into their then new-found Friends fame - arrive in Bill Gates' office where they get their first hands-on with the company's much-heralded new operating system. They try their hand with various game-changing features and even have a few banters with a conveyor belt of freakish characters, such as 'Joystick Johnny.'

Good God in Heaven.

For those like myself not quite old enough to remember the bordering on rabid anticipation for Microsoft's newest operating system, it's worth noting that the marketing campaign behind Windows 95 cost an estimated $300m.

A sizeable portion of this was presumably paid to The Rolling Stones' record label Virgin Records, to gain the rights to the Stones' mega-hit Start Me Up, used to subtly announce the introduction of the now-iconic 'Start' button. Beautiful.

In addition to the Start button, Windows 95 introduced the task bar and 'Plug and Play' support for installing new hardware.

However, it was the dreadful and yet somehow hilarious Friends infomercial which stole the show, with particular acclaim thrown at Chandler's Christmas anecdote;