Windows 10 was released by Microsoft in 2015 as the successor to Windows 8, and its clean system sounds quickly became familiar to millions of desktop users around the world. Short clips from the operating system later spread on soundboards and in meme edits, where a single familiar tone could signal a computer, an office or a tech joke without any dialogue. Like a simple error sound or a short ding sound effect, this background tone is still used because it is instantly recognisable, even to people who no longer use the system every day.