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One-on-One: Win95 and NT |
Despite the hype surrounding Windows 95 and NT 4.0, Microsoft will ship more than 20 million copies of Windows 3.11 this year. Yes, MS-DOS and its shell enhancement are still with us.
And for good reason. Win3.x typically runs better than Win95 on the millions of low-end 386DX/4MB of RAM systems still in use around the world. In fact, Microsoft now recommends 8MB to 16MB of RAM for Win95, after insisting during Win95's development that 4MB would suffice.
Also, Win95 can't quite match Win3.x's 16-bit applications support, although it does come close. Microsoft says Win95 runs 95 percent of the 3,500 legacy applications, games and utilities that it has tested for the system. But that leaves 175 Win16 and DOS applications that don't work under Win95. To find out if your applications work under Windows 95, check http://www.microsoft.com/KB/Peropsys/Win95/Q136660.htm. Finally, be aware that custom applications programmed in straight C code and written directly to Windows 3.x's programming interfaces may not work with Windows 95.
Independent software developers continue to write 16-bit applications to meet the needs of the estimated 100 million Win3.x users who haven't jumped to Win95. In 1996's first quarter, revenue for Win16 applications in North America was more than $1.4 billion, or four times more than Win32 software revenue, according to the Software Publishers Association, a Washington, D.C.-based industry group. Microsoft is trying to change that by making Win95 and NT its primary development platforms for its major applications and games, including Microsoft Office. But analysts don't expect Win32 software to outsell Win16 software until late next year.
When you're ready to take the Win32 plunge, don't forget that Win95 does a pretty good Windows 3.x imitation. The old Program Manager is still there, and so is File Manager. Put one or the other, or both, on the Desktop and continue doing business in the old style. (Run Progman or Winfile, respectively, to call up these familiar faces.) When you eventually need to do something that Windows 3.x can't handle, just toggle into Windows 95 mode.
In the meantime, if you're sticking with Win3.x, you're clearly not alone.
| Which Windows? | Don't Close Your Old Windows | NT's Portable Power | NT Storms the Server | Mixing It Up: Win95 Features In NT Workstation |
One-on-One: Win95 and NT |