Microsoft’s Memory Lane

For many years, Microsoft placed plaques in the sidewalk for nearly every piece of software it developed. Taken as a whole, the hundreds of markers tell the story of the company’s rise to the top of the software industry in the 1980s and 1990s. It features plaques not only for hits (MS-DOS, Windows 95) but also flops (Microsoft Bob).

Each plaque, engraved in classic Microsoft font, was originally placed in the ground in celebration of a product shipping. Windows, Office and other hit products are represented well. But the recent discontinuation of some of Microsoft’s best-known brands — combined with plaques for others that never amounted to much — make other sections feel like a memorial to fallen products.

This stop on the tour is for the old-school techies, the people who like to reminisce about the days of CD-ROMS and BASIC interpreters. (For a more modern experience, swing by the nearby Microsoft Visitor Center.) For more, see see this TechFlash photo gallery.

Details: The courtyard is between Buildings 16 and 17 on Microsoft’s Redmond campus, across from the Microsoft Conference Center and the company’s main headquarters building.

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