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>>Can I not install 95 on a bleeding edge system today? I haven't tried lately.
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>>But a team to "rewrite Win95 many times over" for security, should not be a problem, with the money Microsoft has.
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>Or the federal government could do it. Or auto insurance companies. Or the oil companies. They have lots of money. They would benefit as much as Microsoft would from updating Win9X. Microsoft is not a charity, they are a business.

Right. But being a "business" doesn't give one license to ignore real issues when it involves directly their chief products.
Companies that produce tangible things have to keep parts supplies, manuals, etc available for several YEARS. Why... because customers who have already bought that discontinued product likely will need parts and service.
Microsoft took the low road in this regard, and in SPADES!
Yes, Microsoft offers "service" for its operating systems for a good while. But it offers no capability to obtain a proper 'replacement' should the need arise.
And keep in mind that for a very long time now many vendors have NOT included a CD or DVD with the OS on it, but rather comandeers a peice of the HD you just BOUGHT and places it there. An accommodation that is no doubt highly encouraged by Microsoft because it makes piracy almost impossible. It's not easy to take a 9-12 year old HD and put it into another system. And that's no real solution anyway, because you lose the benefit of your working system.

But I see your point - we can't expect an electric utility to maintain its power lines because it cuts into profit and we certainly can't expect Microsoft to do the right thing when it might shave a few bucks off their bottom line.