What software do people remember from the Windows XP era? This video moves through browsers, media players, chat, forums, downloads and games. Its choices are personal memories, not a ranked list or buying advice.
The names in the conversation
| Category | Options discussed | | --- | --- | | Operating systems | Windows XP and Windows Vista, versions of the Windows computer operating system. | | Browsers | Internet Explorer and Netscape, programs used to browse the web. | | Media players | Winamp and RealPlayer, programs for playing audio and other media. | | Chat | MSN Messenger and ICQ, messaging and chat services. | | Social networks | hi5 and Myspace, social networks recalled in a question about the period before Facebook, another social network. | | Email | Hotmail and Yahoo, services mentioned when the speakers compare email accounts. | | Downloads | Internet Download Manager, or IDM, a download-management program; and µTorrent, a program for downloading files via torrents. | | Games | Age of Empires and Warcraft, strategy games; and Call of Duty and Counter-Strike, shooting games. |
The speakers also remember hunting for sound drivers and installing them from CDs. They disagree about their favorite programs and games. Forums come up too, although the transcript does not make every forum name clear enough to reproduce confidently.
Background
A device driver is software that lets an operating system work with a computer component, such as a sound card. That explains why finding the right sound driver stands out in the conversation.
What to do next
“If you’re from that generation, tell us what you used.” — Abdul Osama
The video ends by inviting viewers to name the browser, chat service or game they remember using—not to settle which one was best.
