Windows Messaging 4.0 hit the scene in 1996 as part of Windows 95’s OEM Service Release 2, and it was basically Microsoft’s attempt to keep email simple before Outlook took over. It was the evolution of Microsoft Exchange Client and gave you a no-frills way to send and receive email over MAPI, dial-up, or LAN—perfect for the pre-broadband era. No flashy UI, no bloat, just the basics: inbox, outbox, and a pretty slow sync if you were on a 28.8 modem. It didn’t last long—by ’97, Outlook Express started shipping with Internet Explorer 4, and that was the beginning of the end for Windows Messaging. If you remember this, you were probably living that AOL or CompuServe life.