In a surprising revelation, it has come to light that a dialog box created by a software developer at Microsoft 30 years ago is still being used in Windows 11 today. Dave Plummer, the developer behind this now iconic dialog box, shared the story on X over the weekend.
Originally created as a temporary solution for formatting drives in Windows NT, the dialog box was meant to be replaced with a more sophisticated user interface. However, plans for a redesign never materialized, leading to the continued use of Plummer’s basic dialog box in the latest version of Windows.
Plummer recalled having to make decisions about various formatting options, such as filesystem, label, cluster size, compression, and encryption. One notable decision he made nearly three decades ago was limiting the format size of a FAT volume in Windows to 32GB. This decision, while out of date compared to modern storage capabilities, continues to impact Windows users today. Despite FAT supporting volumes of up to 2TB, users must rely on third-party tools to create these larger volumes.
The persistence of Plummer’s dialog box serves as a reminder of the lasting impact of decisions made in the early days of software development. As technology continues to advance, it is important to consider the long-term implications of design choices to ensure a more seamless user experience.
“Travel aficionado. Incurable bacon specialist. Tv evangelist. Wannabe internet enthusiast. Typical creator.”