While ZIP file support has long been a commonplace feature of Windows and other operating systems, this wasn't always the case. Once upon a time, a Microsoft engineer had to create a kernel extension called "VisualZIP" to enable standard ZIP features. This same kernel extension nearly got Microsoft engineer Dave Plummer fired due to workplace politics he was unaware of, but ultimately ended up being the basis for today's ZIP support in Windows.
While this factoid has been on the record for a while, Dave Plummer uploaded an 8-minute recounting of the life and death of VisualZIP to YouTube on April 17th, 2024, so we saw fit to take a look at both it and his prolific career in Microsoft today. The retrospective, including how it nearly got him fired— twice if one takes the worst interpretation of the latter half of the story
