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The Fall of Windows: 98
As more homes got a residential Internet connection via ISPs Windows 95 needed to offer more utilities and pretend that the Web browser was in fact an integral part of the operating system (that was a lie; it was perpetrated due to the antitrust case).
Windows 98 was not particularly special in any way, but by 1998 there was not much competition left and GNU/Linux was only beginning to gain ground, not only in servers but also some PCs.
In years to come GNU/Linux would reach 'peak hype'. Maybe that's because people were tired of unstable, error-prone, and virus-ridden Windows. Maybe they actually wanted Software Freedom. █