Nov Dec *MAY* 20 1995 1996 *1998* *21 captures* 18 Dec 96 - 22 Mar 06 Close Help ------------------------------------------------------------------------ July 95 Features * 32-Bit Operating System Battle o Ready to Roll, Finally: Windows 95 o Warp Woos Workgroups o New NT Makes its Point o High Power--at a Price * Step-by-Step to a world-class web site o Web Spinners o Picture This o Your Web Address Book * Making MultiMedia Work * Pullout: How to Buy an Ethernet Card * Data In Data Out o Ten Common-Sense Cures for Data-Conversion Blues o Conversion Power Tools ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 32-Bit Operating System Battle *The 32-bit operating systems are lining up for a faceoff. What's in it for you? Our hands-on reviews reveal the high and low points of each.* Will 1995 be known as the year of 32-bit operating systems? Microsoft and IBM seem to think so. Microsoft's Windows 95 is due out next month and has been available in a preview version since mid-April. Not to be outdone, IBM is readying OS/2 Warp Connect, the first version of OS/2 with built-in networking features. And a significant update to Windows NT is on the way from Microsoft. Punched up with PowerPC support, NT also has many other new features. Of course, some people think that Windows 95 shouldn't be in this group. Their feeling is that it's not a "real" 32-bit operating system. To shed some light on that knotty problem, we talked with Microsoft's George Moore , Windows 95 program manager. He had some surprising insights on Windows 95, as well as on NT and OS/2. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ready to Roll, Finally: Windows 95 *There's more than meets the eye to the latest beta of Windows 95.* *By James E Powell, Northwest Bureau Editor* Click Here to see a 93KB bitmap image of artwork which goes with this article, entitled: * Explorer Replaces File Manager.* Click Here to see a 133KB bitmap image of artwork which goes with this article, entitled: * Wizards Everywhere.* Click Here to see a 75KB bitmap image of artwork which goes with this article, entitled: * Three-D Look.* Microsoft has been bustling with activity as it polishes Windows 95 for its much-anticipated August ship date. The current version--the widely available beta dubbed M8 (for Milestone 8)--doesn't look a lot different from M7, the last major beta release. But it's what you can't see that's important. The company has tweaked and tuned Windows 95's underlying technology in M8. With an installation and setup procedure that's far smoother this time around, the improvements are evident almost immediately. Windows 95's setup recognized many of the "clone" boards I've put in my 90MHz Micron Pentium, as well as big-name brands, like my Diamond Stealth video card. It set up drivers for my Sound Blaster-compatible card and properly detected the installed modem. The operating system is more stable, marking a vast improvement over M7 and the ensuing interim releases. I ran through a slew of programs, including the application components in software suites from Microsoft, Lotus and WordPerfect, the Novell Applications Group. They all ran without a hitch. Running on M7, some of these programs exhibited unusual behavior, from a hiccup or two to an obstinate refusal to run at all. Almost everything we reported on previously in WINDOWS Magazine remains, including a dramatically different interface that begins--and ends--with the Start button. The Recycle Bin temporarily holds files you aren't quite ready to delete. You can drag and drop just about everywhere. Windows 3.x's program groups are now folders (as are file directories, to make matters a bit confusing), and you can tuck folders within other folders. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ And There's More Microsoft's ubiquitous Wizards make it easier to update your system when, for example, you add a new printer or connect to a network. The Explorer organizes your hardware and software resources (printer, Control Panel and files), so you can find everything in a single, hierarchical list. A task bar at the bottom of the screen shows the applications that are running, and a click on one of the task bar icons quickly switches you to that program. Microsoft has removed WinPad, the personal digital assistant version of Windows, as it rethinks this part of the product. Windows 95 has its limitations. With Windows 3.x, when you load too many applications, the operating system runs out of resources and puts up a stop sign. Windows 95's tolerance is high enough that many users may never be aware of system resource limits. However, the resources are finite and can be exhausted. Microsoft is working on further extending system resource boundaries, but the company says the current constraint is a consequence of supporting legacy 16-bit applications. For now, it's a compromise we have to accept during the transition to all 32-bit applications. At that point the resource limitation can be more adequately addressed. You'll have to deal with other transition issues, too, especially if you use some of Windows 95's built-in utilities. For example, you can use Win95's Briefcase to copy a file to a diskette, work with it on another machine and then automatically copy it back to your Windows 95 desktop. That works fine if both machines are running Windows 95, but if the second PC is still on Windows 3.x, you'll have a problem. Because Windows 95 uses long filenames and Windows 3.x is wedded to the familiar 8.3 file naming convention, Briefcase won't be able to do the automatic update. And if you want to use Windows 95's LapLink-like PC-to-PC, you'll have to have Windows 95 running on both machines. Microsoft is still working on some Windows 95 features. A spokesperson says it is continuing to extend the operating system's support for the hundreds of hardware brands and models, including combinations of boards, CPUs, BIOS and so forth. Plug and Play is still under construction, so it's difficult to comment on its performance, although it certainly will be a Windows 95 highlight. NetWare installations still present problems. Network users' drives may get remapped, and the built-in 32-bit NetWare client still lacks support for NetWare Directory Services (NDS). Microsoft says NDS support will be available in a follow-up release. Microsoft Network (MSN) is still a newborn, so its content is too sparse to critique. MSN's client software is also somewhat behind the rest of the Windows 95 package in overall fit and finish. The Exchange e-mail client works well, but requires you to convert mail data files from MS-Mail 3.x format. The new format is not compatible with that used by existing versions of Microsoft Mail Remote. (As of this writing, there were rumors that Microsoft might remove Network from Win95 and include it with Microsoft Plus. The company declined to comment.) Schedule Plus is not included in Win95. A special DOS mode allows you to run your games after exiting Windows 95. If you install Windows 95 into a separate directory (rather than installing it over your existing Windows 3.x directory), you can use the dual-boot feature to bring up the old Windows or run Windows 95. For those of us who are still attached to some features of "the old Windows," this is a great safety net. *--Info File--* *Windows 95* *Price: *Upgrade, under $100 *In Brief: *Windows 95 offers a radical change in look and feel, with 255-character filenames, Plug-and-Play capability and improved multitasking. *Microsoft Corp. *800-426-9400, 206-882-8080 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Inside Story: Windows 95 Internals * Warp Woos Workgroups * New NT Makes its Point * High Power--at a Price George Moore is a Microsoft program manager who's been involved with Windows 95--and its predecessor, the "Chicago" project--since its inception in 1992. John D. Ruley, *WINDOWS Magazine *editor-at-large, interviewed Moore. *WINDOWS Magazine:* Is Windows 95 a full 32-bit operating system, or more of a 16/32-bit hybrid? *Moore: *Hybrid is probably a good term. We took a hard look at what 16-bit subsystems we needed to keep for compatibility and where we needed to relieve bottlenecks. We wound up making some hard choices. There's been controversy over Windows 95's system resource limits We never promised there would be no resource limits. We said we would raise them substantially, and we have. What about memory protection? A recent article in MSJ ("Understanding Windows 95 Memory Management," April) suggests parts of Windows 95's system code--particularly the region from 4MB down--aren't protected. The MSJ article is essentially correct. Apps are protected from one another, but not from the system. System code is mapped read only. We don't allow an application to randomly change the system code. Data is mapped read/write for compatibility. Windows itself and several applications directly address system data. We are protected against the most common cause of crashes--stray memory pointers. By the way, a native OS/2 32-bit application can access system data just as easily as a Windows 95 application. OS/2's system data pages are marked read/write for exactly the same reason ours are. NT is totally different. It uses a client/server model, and it pays a price in both compatibility and performance. Some people believe it isn't accurate to call Windows 95 a fully protected operating system. Was there a concerted effort to mislead people? No. Was there, maybe, some overselling of the system? Possibly, yes. The memory protection and resource issues have been interpreted too positively by some people. *Does Windows 95 run on top of DOS?* We use real-mode DOS boot code, but if you're not using DOS drivers or TSRs, most of the DOS code is idle. After boot it's swapped out to disk [and] not even resident in memory. In a few cases we can even replace real-mode drivers. This happens automatically with DriveSpace and EMM386. The real-mode code is replaced with protect-mode code once Windows starts. *Will you be able to ship on schedule in August?* Yes! The August date is heavily padded. Our release-to-manufacturing date leaves plenty of room, if we need it. Click Here to read a longer version of this interview , which is also available in \FILES\07JUL95\GMOORE.TXT or \FILES\07JUL95\GMOORE.DOC ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Warp Woos Workgroups *If you're running a corporate network, OS/2 Warp Connect wants you.* *By: Serdar Yegulalp, Assistant Technical Editor* Click Here to see a 169KB bitmap image of artwork which goes with this article, entitled: * Windows and OS/2 Co-Exist. * OS/2 Warp has come in from the cold to cozy up to corporate networks. I tested a beta version of OS/2 Warp Connect, which allows connectivity to Novell networks (with NetBIOS support as well), IBM LAN Server, IBM Peer for OS/2, Windows NT and Windows for Workgroups shared resources, and Microsoft LAN Manager. It also includes a full TCP/IP stack that uses either dial-in or network access, and LAN Distance for dial-up access to IBM LANs. The copy of OS/2 Warp Connect I installed--called "version 3 beta"--came on two CD-ROMs and two floppies. The floppies were for booting the system and installing the software from the CDs. You can also generate diskette sets for the program from the CD-ROMs. Both CDs contain the same data, but one is used for installing individual network products instead of everything at once. IBM plans to include Lotus Notes Lite with the shipping version of the product, although the beta didn't include that application. There are two installation methods for both the operating system and the OS/2 Warp Connect package: Easy and Advanced. The Easy install path presents the same kinds of choices (network support vs. no network support, printers, additional programs and so on), but in plainer language and with fewer technical choices. The Advanced network install lets you select specific network hardware and protocols, while the Easy method installs only the basics. Although the Advanced installation assumes you have more technical expertise, moderately experienced users should be able to make sense of it. Advanced installation lets you configure options more precisely, and you can also elect to install the Connect features later, which is useful if you want to get up and running before trying anything tricky. When I installed Warp, it automatically detected the Intel EtherExpress 16tp adapter in my test machine on the first try. The rest of the configuration went equally smoothly, if a bit sluggishly--it took about 10 minutes to copy all the files and reboot the machine. Configuring the TCP/IP stack requires a fair amount of technical knowledge, especially since the configuration "notebook" or control panel for TCP/IP is loaded with several relatively esoteric options. It allows for significant configuration control, but less-experienced users are likely to be intimidated. You can configure as a host or a guest machine. The TCP/IP installation places a TCP/IP folder on the desktop, with everything you need to get going on the Internet: mail utilities, news reader, Web browser, ftp, ping, telnet, gopher and support for dial-up access. UNIX users will be glad to know most of their command-line functions also work. The Web browser and news reader are the folder's flashiest items. OS/2's TCP/IP package also loads a WinSock-compliant driver for use in full-screen or windowed Win-OS/2 or DOS sessions. Programs like Netscape and Mosaic run perfectly with it, without the additional configuration or drivers normally required under Windows. After the Novell Netware connectivity software installs, a Network folder appears. Click on it and you can browse network resources--such as printers and files--which are presented in a file/folder metaphor. Drive letters and virtual LPT: ports can be assigned, and are available in all OS/2, DOS or Win-OS/2 sessions. You also get Novell network tools, including drive-mapping, user-messaging and print-queue listing. This version of OS/2 should also please REXX programmers, since it ships with APIs for Sockets, complete with online programming references. Although OS/2 Warp is designed for systems with limited memory, performance and the overhead that network drivers consume dictate realistic RAM configurations. The test system worked fine with a single network driver and 8MB of RAM. Upping RAM to 12MB provides room to accommodate two drivers, such as the Novell driver plus the TCP/IP stack. If you want to install three or more drivers, you'll need at least 16MB. OS/2 Warp Connect puts a slightly bigger hit on system resources than Windows 95, which can comfortably run TCP/IP, Novell and Windows networking in 8MB of RAM. Still, the ability to run one of these connectivity options in 8MB makes OS/2 Warp Connect look resourceful compared to Windows NT 3.5, which requires 12MB to run well at all, regardless of connectivity. In this sense, OS/2 Warp Connect appears to be a fairly economical way to get connected with a 32-bit operating system. *--Info File--* *OS/2 Warp Connect* *Price: *Not available at press time *In Brief: *IBM's OS/2 operating system now has network connectivity and is Windows-enabled out of the box. *IBM Personal Software Products *800-3-IBM-OS2, 800-772-2227 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *New NT Makes its Point* * Big Squeeze * Windows 95 Style * Other Features *NT 3.51 sounds like a small upgrade, but don't be fooled. Microsoft packed plenty of features into the latest NT.* *by: John D. Ruley, Editor-at-Large* Click Here to see a 93KB bitmap image of artwork which goes with this article, entitled: * Windows 95 UI Support.* Click Here to see a 93KB bitmap image of artwork which goes with this article, entitled: * NTFS File System.* With last year's release of Windows NT 3.5, Microsoft's high-end operating system went from a fringe product that was of interest to developers and a few enthusiasts, to a phenomenon among serious business-computer users. NT 3.51 is more than just a point upgrade. With it, Microsoft seeks to build on NT 3.5's gains. NT 3.51 adds a grab bag of new features, including support for Motorola's PowerPC RISC-based computers. I tested a beta of NT 3.51 Workstation on a 75MHz Compaq notebook computer with 12MB RAM, and on an elderly AT&T 486/33 desktop computer with 32MB RAM. The server version was tested on a Mips R4000SC-50 system with 32MB RAM and on the PowerPC machine described in High Power--at a Price . Big Squeeze Aside from PowerPC platform support, compression is, perhaps, NT 3.51's most significant new feature. Compression is implemented using a new version of the New Technology File System (NTFS)--supported only on NT. If you dual boot between NT and DOS, OS/2 or Windows 95, you won't be able to use the same compression on both operating systems. You can designate particular file directories (or entire partitions) as compressed or uncompressed, using the new File/Compress and File/Uncompress menu options in File Manager or using a new command-line function. The compression mechanism is similar to--but not compatible with--Microsoft's 32-bit DriveSpace compression in Windows 95 and yields average compression ratios of about 2: 1. Because NT 3.51's compression is built into NTFS, rather than added on, it inherits the reliability and recoverability features of NTFS. It can be used on NT servers, effectively doubling server disk capacity. Compression was completely transparent, with no measurable performance hit on any of the systems I tested. It isn't recommended for use with AT-compatible ST-506 or early IDE hard disk controllers. I did encounter a bug when using Excel for Windows NT with compressed directories, but Microsoft said a fix should be available by the time you read this. Windows 95 Style NT 3.51 supports Windows 95 user interface elements, including new online help with auto-indexing, full-text search, tabbed dialogs, property sheets, window "widgets" and more. This should allow most Windows 95 applications to run on NT out of the box. Exceptions will include shell extensions, apps that require private VxDs and programs such as low-level disk utilities that depend on Windows 95-specific API behavior. Little use is made of the new user interface elements in NT 3.51 itself. The main examples are system help, a Windows 95-style "corner-grab" widget on the NT 3.51 File Manager, a new Console control panel item and the new License Manager application--all of which worked perfectly. However, I came across several cases where the new help system generated benign errors when used on older help files. Microsoft advised me that the help system will be revised before shipment and should behave better. Other Features NT 3.51 supports more than a dozen PCMCIA modems, and several PCMCIA hard disks, network cards and other devices. I tested both supported and unsupported PCMCIA modems on the 75MHz Compaq. The supported modems were recognized and operated properly. NT 3.51 Server's License Manager tracks product license compliance across multiple servers, but it wasn't available in the beta version I tested. The Server version of NT 3.51 supports two licensing models--the per-seat "information access" licensing introduced with NT Server 3.5 and a new per-server "concurrent connection" licensing model. The latter is quite similar to the licensing available with competing network operating systems. Microsoft apparently plans to support both licensing models--and track license compliance using the new License Manager application--on all Back Office server-suite products, which include NT Server, SNA Server, SQL Server, MS-Mail and Systems Management Server. NT users I've spoken with are surprised that Microsoft is releasing a new version of NT so soon after 3.5--they wonder why the new features weren't simply streamlined into a Corrective Service Diskette. Microsoft representatives said they feel the new features demanded a new version number. However, they are sensitive to the issues this strategy raises and decided to call it a .01 upgrade, pricing the product accordingly. While final price information wasn't available at press time, I've been told to expect that it will be offered "at cost" to registered NT 3.5 owners. Considering the new features, that sounds like a bargain. *--Info File--* *Windows NT 3.51* *Price: *Not available at press time *In Brief: *Latest release of Microsoft's flagship operating system offers compression, PCMCIA support and Windows 95 user interface elements. Plus, it runs on PowerPC systems. *Microsoft Corp. *800-426-9400, 206-882-8080 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ High Power--at a Price *by: Will Gee, Technical Associate* Motorola's PowerStack Series E, Model E604-100P delivers Windows NT on a RISC platform and, in doing so, provides a lesson in excellent system design. But the engineering enlightenment is costly, as the PowerStack's price is as dear as its design. The prerelease system we tested featured a 100MHz PowerPC 604 RISC microprocessor, 128MB of RAM, a 256KB L2 cache and a Cirrus Logic PCI graphics card. These components are housed in a compact enclosure with three PCI expansion slots, SCSI storage options and a built-in Ethernet connection. A modular SCSI Device Expansion module, which lets you add four more SCSI devices, is also available. The PowerStack has a key-locked power switch, befitting its intended use as a dedicated server. Aside from hosting a RISC processor, what makes this system special is the way it's put together. You don't have to touch a tool to take apart and reassemble the PowerStack. You won't find any screws, jumpers or ribbon cables, since all system components are designed either to snap together or plug in. Despite its snap-in assembly, this system has a solid feel. We tested the PowerStack as an NT Server 3.51 platform. Motorola supplied the system with NT preinstalled, along with other prerelease NT software, including PowerPC native versions of Microsoft Word and Excel, Elastic Reality's image-editing software, a software development kit (SDK) with a compiler and example code, and even a native version of ID Software's Doom. Except for the SDK, all of the software ran well on the PowerStack. The SDK problems included a malfunctioning editor, errors during sample application builds and a lack of Microsoft Foundation Class (MFC) support. The kit comes with a help file that describes how to patch the MFC source from Microsoft Visual C++ 2.0 so that it will compile using the PowerPC tools. But our attempts to do so failed. Hopefully, Microsoft and Motorola will include precompiled MFC libraries in future SDKs. Because the PowerStack we tested was a prerelease model running a beta operating system, we didn't conduct formal benchmarks. From our observations, however, the PowerStack seemed reasonably fast. But it didn't seem to bend the performance curve as profoundly as the new CPU may have suggested. Motorola's use of optional parity-checking RAM in the system we tested may have affected the PowerStack's performance. Parity-check memory is widely used in high-end midrange and mainframe computer systems, but is rarely encountered in PC servers. It provides 1 bit of error-checking for every byte of memory. This feature greatly increased the system's cost and may also have reduced performance, but it increased reliability. The optional SCSI expansion module on the system we tested upped the cost as well. We do, however, remain extremely impressed with the PowerStack's design and construction. It promises easy servicing for key corporate servers, without putting undue strain on network operations. *--Info File--* *Motorola PowerStack Series E, Model 604E-100P* *Price: *As tested, $16,065 (includes 128MB parity-check RAM at $10,000) *In Brief: *Motorola's PowerStack is a PowerPC-based NT server distinguished by its advanced memory architecture and outstanding design. *Motorola Computer Group *800-759-1107, 714-708-3550 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------