Showstopper!: The Breakneck Race to Create Windows NT and the Next Generation at Microsoft by G. Pascal Zachary

Showstopper! The Breakneck Race to Create Windows NT and the Next Generation at Microsoft by G. Pascal Zachary is a fascinating and captivating look at the inner workings of the software giant Microsoft in their race to create their next-generation operating system called Windows NT. This book chronicles the journey of Microsoft as it made its way through research and development, corporate politics, internal competition, and controversy.

The first chapter of Zachary's book starts off by introducing readers to Microsoft in the mid-1990s, fresh off their success with the DOS and Windows 3.1 operating systems. With a strong foothold in the personal computer market, Microsoft was now looking for a way to expand into the business sector. It was here where Windows NT came into the picture, a next-generation operating system that promised to bring a more efficient, stable, and secure environment for running business applications.

From this point onward, the book takes readers on an in-depth look at the development and evolution of Windows NT. In the early days of Microsoft, company executives led by Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer had ambitious plans for the future of the company. To succeed, they believed, Microsoft needed to develop a complete system of products that could meet the needs of both the home and business user. And to do this, they entrusted the project of Windows NT to the company's top engineers.

The engineers on the project, led by David Cutler and Mark Lucovsky, faced a number of challenges. Windows NT had to be a 32-bit operating system that could handle a wide variety of business applications, support multitasking and multiple users, and provide good network support. Cutler and his team also had to work within the framework imposed by the company's executives, often having to make drastic compromises and changes in order to meet the desired goals. Through much trial and error, the team was eventually able to design a cutting-edge operating system that worked well with the company's array of products.

As Windows NT was developed, the book chronicles the internal struggles and boardroom dramas that arose within Microsoft. In some cases, the creative differences between engineers and executives threatened to derail the project altogether. And yet, despite such struggles, the engineers persevered and eventually completed the operating system, leading to its eventual release in 1993.

Showstopper! paints a vivid picture of the inner workings at Microsoft as it raced to create the next generation of its operating system. Zachary takes readers through the highs and lows of the project, from the early stages of research and development, through to the internal battles and political machinations, and culminating in the eventual success of Windows NT. As the author states in the book's introduction, Showstopper! provides "a glimpse of the complex personal and technical struggles at work in the creation of a skyscraping ambition". By chronicling the development and subsequent release of Windows NT, the book showcases the innovative and often risky decisions taken by Microsoft that ultimately made it the global tech giant it is today.