IT Home On April 21, it was reported that it is so convenient to decompress ZIP files in the Windows system today, but in the past it was a non-existent function. In order to enable users to open ZIP compressed documents, Microsoft engineer Dave Plummer created a kernel extension program called "VisualZIP" that year. However, due to some workplace disputes, this move to benefit hundreds of millions of users almost cost Plummer his job.
Recently, Plummer himself released an 8-minute video on Youtube, telling about the birth of VisualZIP and the trouble it almost brought to him. In the video, he not only introduced the development process of this program, but also mentioned that he created the task manager and other core components of Windows NT 4.0 during his internship with Microsoft, which may be one of the important reasons why he was safe at that time.
According to the video, Plummer's labor contract and oral agreement with Microsoft allow him to develop and sell personal software during his tenure. However, the appearance of VisualZIP caused two disturbances. The first one was an employee from different departments who reported Plummer out of jealousy. Fortunately, his superiors learned in time that he was the developer of important programs such as task manager, and the matter was settled.
However, VisualZIP still made Plummer sweat on another matter. At that time, a female employee of Microsoft in charge of the acquisition contacted Plummer and said that she intended to acquire VisualZIP. Plummer readily agreed to meet and asked about the office building of the other party, saying that he would be there soon. This shocked the lady because she didn't know that Plummer was actually a Microsoft employee.
Even so, Plummer finally spent a long and successful career at Microsoft and chose to retire with honor. IT Home noticed that he also set up a playlist named "Windows War Story" in his personal channel "Dave's Garage" to share more interesting anecdotes about the history of Windows development.
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