> Windows couldn't run for 2 hours without crashing every so often.
That sounds like a Windows 3.1, where applications could easily take down the operating system. Windows 9x wasn't quite as bad. If I recall correctly, properly written applications could not take down the operating system though drivers certainly could. That said, there were certainly ways for developers to break the rules since there was little (if any enforcement) so some applications did take down the operating system. With the Windows NT series, there was sufficient isolation and enforcement of that isolation, that it was very reliable. Drivers could be an issue, as with bugs in Microsoft's code, but that was nothing in comparison to contemporary versions of 3.1 and 9x.
On the whole, I don't think it is reasonable to blame Microsoft for the reliability of their operating system. There were certainly design issues that resulted in it being unreliable, especially when running third-party code. On the other hand, the operating system was basically an evolution of a product line that started on the 8088 with very limited memory (I'm speaking of PC-DOS here) and a great degree of compatibility had to be maintained. Keep in mind, the computer industry did not work at the same pace: features had to wait until processors incorporated them, processor adoption had to wait for manufacturers to build them into their systems, and then consumers buy those systems in sufficient numbers. For example: the 286 was introduced in early 1982, but the IBM PC AT did not come out for another 2.5 years. Microsoft was also limited by the hardware their customers owned, even when it supported particular features. Life is much harder when you cannot throw memory at the problem because people had 2 or 4 or 8 MB of RAM.
On the other hand, Windows NT was a completely different product. There was much less concern over compatibility. There was much more intent to throw away baggage to create a modern (for the time) operating system. It did not crash every two hours.
That sounds like a Windows 3.1, where applications could easily take down the operating system. Windows 9x wasn't quite as bad. If I recall correctly, properly written applications could not take down the operating system though drivers certainly could. That said, there were certainly ways for developers to break the rules since there was little (if any enforcement) so some applications did take down the operating system. With the Windows NT series, there was sufficient isolation and enforcement of that isolation, that it was very reliable. Drivers could be an issue, as with bugs in Microsoft's code, but that was nothing in comparison to contemporary versions of 3.1 and 9x.
On the whole, I don't think it is reasonable to blame Microsoft for the reliability of their operating system. There were certainly design issues that resulted in it being unreliable, especially when running third-party code. On the other hand, the operating system was basically an evolution of a product line that started on the 8088 with very limited memory (I'm speaking of PC-DOS here) and a great degree of compatibility had to be maintained. Keep in mind, the computer industry did not work at the same pace: features had to wait until processors incorporated them, processor adoption had to wait for manufacturers to build them into their systems, and then consumers buy those systems in sufficient numbers. For example: the 286 was introduced in early 1982, but the IBM PC AT did not come out for another 2.5 years. Microsoft was also limited by the hardware their customers owned, even when it supported particular features. Life is much harder when you cannot throw memory at the problem because people had 2 or 4 or 8 MB of RAM.
On the other hand, Windows NT was a completely different product. There was much less concern over compatibility. There was much more intent to throw away baggage to create a modern (for the time) operating system. It did not crash every two hours.