Why did Microsoft sell a crappy OS for over twenty years 3273

True, it took some time for the computing mbuttes (the vast public that purchased IBMs and IBM-compatible PCs) to move from a command-line interface and CUI (character user interface) to a GUI. Change can be gradual. I don't see what the big deal is.

Windows 95 implemented DOS compatibility because people didn't want to throw away all of their existing software. But technically there existed a 32-bit architecture for users who used plug-and-play devices with the proper drivers and 32-bit applications.

Windows XP, as I understand it, only emulates DOS, and is based on NT-2000 technology. On my machine, it has never crashed.

DOS was pretty darn stable and not a resource hog, and you were allowed to write any kind of software you wanted, whether it used a CLI, CUI, or GUI. You could launch into Windows 3.11 to do some (cooperative) mulbreastasking and office work, and then drop back down to DOS to play cool games like Doom, Need for Speed, and Duke Nukem. That's what I did in those days, and I was happy.