As for protected mode Windows being hacked together in 3 weeks, I very much doubt it.

You can doubt it, but that's what they did.

It worked well enough for Bill to play with it and decide to go ahead full bore with the implementation.

In fact, the guy who did it was up late coding furiously, slept through the meeting, and when he went in found Gates had crashed it playing with it.

But the damage was done.

In case you doubt it go read "Barbiarians Led By Bill Gates" - where someone who was THERE says that's exactly what happened.

Addison