Whether you’re a Windows fanboy or a head-shaking Gatesophobe, it’s time to put those differences aside and wish the Big M’s finest a happy 25th!

Today marks a mammoth quarter century for Microsoft’s graphical operating system, introduced on November 10 1983 by Bill Gates.

It was originally sold for $100 per copy, and Gates invited the press to its unveiling by sending out squeezes and chamois leathers to reporters, inviting them to join the company at the Plaza Hotel in New York City for a “clear view of what’s new in microcomputer software.”

Today, of course, Microsoft is busy updating Windows Vista and working on its successor, Windows 7.

There were rumours that today’s celebrations would be crashed by Apple, with speculation flying around the web that it would unveil a new Mac Mini and iMac today, however, the company has since squashed the rumours flat.

Windows has come a long way in the last 25 years, and there’s no denying the impact it’s had on the world. Were you there at the start? Do you remember Windows 1.0? Give us a shout in the comments section below.

Out now | £varies | Microsoft