'Every Microsoft engineer got a stopwatch,' says Windows veteran reminiscing about company's past focus on speed — asserts that 'everything' was timed to ensure acceptable performance in the 1980s

In reminiscing about Microsoft's past focus on speed in the 1980s, a Windows veteran revealed that every engineer had a stopwatch to time various tasks like scrolling, booting, and compiling. This emphasis on efficiency extended to managing resource usage until at least 2000. Despite efforts to prioritize raw performance, there were instances where perception influenced design choices, such as slowing down compile speed to improve user feedback. Microsoft's recent pledge to enhance performance and reliability in Windows services reflects a renewed focus on efficiency, sparking curiosity about potential improvements and whether stopwatches will make a comeback for developers.