Microsoft is now the architect of a lot of shit. But the Windows Phone systems were surprisingly good, and a competitive alternative to iOS and Android. Even using Internet Explorer for its browser wasn’t so bad, since it was the late years of the browser when they understood standards compliance was critical, and followed them entirely.

Its moderate success in outer regions was delivered as an overpromise that lead to Windows 8 as a very “fullscreen touchscreen” OS, so it especially sucks that its follow-on legacy was so tarnished.