This image was created by /u/kuebic@discuss.tchncs.de for this comment here: https://discuss.tchncs.de/comment/21735989. I had encouraged them to post it somewhere, but as far as I can tell, they never did.
Panel 1: “Installing Windows 20 years ago” screenshot of install wizard with just a couple buttons
Panel 2: “Installing Linux 20 years ago” screenshot of a busy command line
Panel 3: “Installing Windows today” screenshot of a busy command line
Panel 4: “Installing Linux today” screenshot of install wizard with just a couple buttons
SUsE Linux had a nice GUI installer in 2005.
Caldera had a GUI installer in 1998…
IIRC, Caldera also had a Tetris clone in the installer, so you could play while it installed itself.
I never used Caldera, but holy hell the font and design of this installer brings back so many memories.
And at least a couple years before that too, when I started with it as a windows refugee.