An ultra-rare piece of Microsoft history could be hiding on your shelf
- ID
- 17041
- Status
- summarized
- Published
- 23 Aug 2026, 8:32 PM
- Fetched
- 23 Aug 2026, 9:16 PM
- Provider
- The Register
- Category
- technology
- Original URL
- https://www.theregister.com/offbeat/2026/08/23/an-ultra-rare-piece-of-microsoft-history-could-be-hiding-on-your-shelf/5291118
- Source URL
- https://www.theregister.com/headlines.atom
Summary
- Score
- 1.0
- Created
- 23 Aug 2026, 9:17 PM
- Tags
- Audience
- developers
What happened
Microsoft engineer Raymond Chen recounted how the original 1990 Microsoft Entertainment Pack for Windows boxes were printed before Tetris licensing was finalized, so a sticker was added once the deal closed, making the stickered versions rare collectibles. He also noted that early Windows 95 anti-piracy holograms featured a shirtless child, later replaced with a clothed version, making the original a collector's item.
Why it matters
No practical takeaway for builders, developers, or founders; this is retro computing trivia with no actionable impact on current tooling, infrastructure, or business decisions.
Discussion angle
Skip this in the weekly segment unless filling a fun icebreaker; it has no technical or strategic relevance to the audience.