Back in the Windows 3.1 and earlier, install the new hardware is a nightmare. Each expansion slot must be setup manually, so you have to learn complex technical issues about how the PC actually works. If there is a problem, then the card might not work or, worse, a few other items of hardware stops working, and you must re-configure it as well.
Fortunately, Microsoft realizes it is a situation that is unacceptable, especially if they want to sell PCs to regular home users, and Windows 95 is the first appearance of their solution: Plug and Play. Now the new hardware is detected and configured by the BIOS and Windows itself, with minimal (if any) input from the user.
That was the beginning of the plan. The first version was not too reliable, and quickly gained a new nickname "Plug and Pray", but the situation resolved immediately. Now you can pick any of add-on, put them into any system, and it will work the way you expect. Of course that's only part of the Plug and Play.
Fortunately, Microsoft realizes it is a situation that is unacceptable, especially if they want to sell PCs to regular home users, and Windows 95 is the first appearance of their solution: Plug and Play. Now the new hardware is detected and configured by the BIOS and Windows itself, with minimal (if any) input from the user.
That was the beginning of the plan. The first version was not too reliable, and quickly gained a new nickname "Plug and Pray", but the situation resolved immediately. Now you can pick any of add-on, put them into any system, and it will work the way you expect. Of course that's only part of the Plug and Play.
