My experience with Windows 95 started last April. While I recognize that no
single person's comments will stop the progress of the Microsoft tide, I
don't feel compelled like King Canute to prove it so.
Some observations, though, that may be of interest:
1) Like many folks, I still have devices not recognized by Win95, in my case
a Hitachi CD-ROM player. Thus, I still go through the 16bit device drivers
and MSCDEX. All the 16bit device drivers become problem areas for
throughput and stability. An interesting example: if I powerup my PC with
the CorelDraw Version 3.0 cd loaded, the system hangs. Any other CD and it
boots fine. In operation, I can often experience a system hang, requiring
full reboot. This will occur about once a day, if I'm using the CD
continuously. No such problem with Win3.11
2) Like many other folks, I'm sure, my particular PC has only 8MB on it (it
is not a development PC). Now for Win3.11 this was fine. With Win95 I'm
seeing long delays. More importantly, I hear the disk drives chattering
madly as memory is swapped for virtual. The result is that a task, such as
opening Word for Windows 6 takes a markedly longer time (about 50% longer on
estimation) to load than when on 3.11.
3) Like many other folks, I'm sure, I use a network print server (Novell).
But unlike 3.11, I don't have a choice on using a local spooler or not.
Spooler32 starts up anytime I'm printing, which results in more disk
swapping as virtual segments are moved about. No choice in the matter. More
slowdowns.
4) The print driver for our 4M Plus with doesn't recognize the Duplexer - so
we need to use the Laserjet 4 Plus driver. Wierd. Okay its HP's driver,
but Microsoft distribute it on the CD.
5) I hate the little arrows on my desktop icons. The the color pallette for
arrows override that for the icon causing strange color changes. Poor Fred
Flinstone looks ashen, near death!
6) I sometimes connect to the Internet by modem using the Serial interface.
Locally, we use our local DNS (not connected to the Net), so for the modem
connection I must add another DNS server to my TCP connections. Not a
problem, except that after adding my service provider's DNS server Windows
wants to restart Windows. Fortunately I've discovered this is unnecessary -
the new DNS list takes effect immediately. When I'm finished surfing the
net, I must remember to reorder the server list, otherwise I'm faced with 5
to 10 second delays on any name search against the local server. Again,
reboot suggested but not necessary.
The point of this comment is that the networking, while adding something to
previous versions is not all that great. I would happily switch to WRQ RNS
networking except for the lack of 32bit mode (?), the fact that RNS comes
only with SLIP rather than PPP, and the lack of Win95 installation procedures.
7) A number of other programs fail regularly - especially if they are
direct competitors to Microsoft! Lotus 1-2-3 R 5 fails everytime on
start-up, Ami Pro sometimes when printing.
Overall, I find Win95 evolutionary, not revolutionary. It is knocking more
and more companys out of the market (software providers for networking,
desktops) and demanding more and more processing hardware upgrades.
$RHETORIC ON
The fact of the matter though is that Microsoft is so much the market leader
that few recognize any other. Whether their software is great or merely
good will matter little. Windows is to Microsoft what the Coloseum was to Rome.
/Quamdiu stabit Colyseus, stabit et Roma; quando cadet Colyseus, cadet Roma;
quando cadet Roma, cadet et mundus./
"As long as the Colosseum stands, Rome shall stand; when the Colosseum
falls, so shall Rome, and then the world."
This mighty industry of Computers could not endure without someone or some
company to generate much of the activity, and that the assembling and the
separate development of software products are not due to the workings of
chance; that while some new products appear almost by accident, and other
big sellers often quickly disappear, this swift revolution of the market,
being ruled by eternal law of consumer demand, goes on unhindered, producing
so many things on disk and tape, so many brilliant lights shining on our
monitors, this this regularity does not belong to software development at
random, and that whatever combinations result from mere chance do not adjust
themselves with that artistry.
That the hand guiding so much activity is Microsoft matters little to us, as
does the prosperity of its owner. For as such prosperity arrives, so it
will leave as it has to all before it. For us, it is that fact that it is
happening; that is is causing the world to stir; so this dividend from the
activity reflects upon us all is to all our benefit. Should this activity
bring prosperity to Microsoft, who could deny them this right? It has been
a long road they have travelled, and not without trouble or loss. That such
trouble should have come, and will continue to come should not cause us to
be troubled. Unimpaired properity cannot withstand but a single blow; but
he who has struggled constantly with his ills becomes hardened through
suffering, and yields to no misfortune; even if he falls, he still fights
upon his knees.
Microsoft will succeed.
I just hope I'll be able to afford the hardware. :)
$RHETORIC OFF
(Apologies to Seneca).
----
Jim "seMPEr" Wowchuk Internet: [log in to unmask]
Vanguard Computer Services Compu$erve: 100036,106
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