97: Microsoft Office

As the years went by, Microsoft Office 97 became an essential tool for professionals like Emma. It transformed the way people worked, making it easier to create, edit, and share documents. The software suite also played a significant role in popularizing the use of computers in the workplace.

Office 97 was the suite that worked for the average user. It established a feature plateau so stable that businesses refused to upgrade for nearly a decade. It wasn't uncommon to walk into a small law firm in 2005 and find Office 97 humming on a Windows 2000 machine—because why fix what wasn't broken? microsoft office 97