To answer the author's question: because the crayon picker rules! It's genuinely useful.

The article covers this but I think it's worth saying again: this was a different era in software development. In 1995 "shipping" meant literally "shipping": they had to produce real inventory, and then get it out into a bunch of different distribution channels. A problematic Easter egg caught too late could ultimately require an actual physical recall.

It's not surprising people freaked out over it.