Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, August 6, 1995 TAG: 9508070135
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: F-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: TODD COPILEVITZ DALLAS MORNING NEWS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
In just five years, the vast majority of U.S. homes will have one, probably two, computers, experts predict. Whether that comes true will hinge, in large part, on the success of a single new product, Windows 95.
Set to hit the shelves on Aug. 24, Microsoft Corp.'s new operating system promises to set milestones for making PCs easier to use.
``This is going to change everything when it comes to computers,'' says Ann Stephens, president of PC Data, which analyzes software sales. ``In an industry that's known for lots of revolutions, this one is without rival.''
That's because Windows 95 will:
Eliminate the need to learn computerese before installing a program or new accessory; step-by-step on-screen instructions will guide users through the process.
Make it painless for millions of new users to use the Internet.
Improve the computer's ability to play video and audio.
Give users extensive control in customizing their computers.
Allow current Windows users to forget dozens of complicated instructions once necessary to complete basic tasks.
By the same token, new Windows users will spend much less time learning how to make the computer work for them. And that, ultimately, is the goal: to bring millions of new people in front of computers.
``It's kind of like saying that, starting tomorrow, all cars won't run on gasoline, but something entirely new,'' says Larry Mondry, CompUSA's executive vice president for merchandising. ``We're not saying your gasoline-powered car won't work. Instead, your car will run quieter, more economical, and the whole upgrade costs only $100.''
Earlier versions of Windows gave Microsoft extensive clout. Since Windows 3.1 hit the market five years ago, 65 million copies have been installed, making it the most popular software ever and giving Microsoft unprecedented power in the computing industry.
By the end of 1995, with just four months of sales, Windows 95 should sell 30 million copies, according to projections by industry analysts.
Next year Microsoft expects to sell 100 million copies, effectively doubling its presence in less than 18 months. And the majority of those sales will be tied to new computers.
To make sure everyone within driving distance of a computer store gets the message, Microsoft will spend an estimated $200 million advertising Windows 95. The ads are likely to focus not on computers, but how easy it now will be to put computers to work in everyday life.
Additional Windows 95 promotion from computer makers and other software developers may even double that budget.
Windows already runs 80 percent of the world's PCs. Macintosh, which has its own operating system, accounts for just over 8 percent, with the remainder divided among IBM's OS/2 and other operating systems.
The experts say they can't overstate dominance of this magnitude. Operating systems control the look and function of a computer, providing the stage for all other software to perform.
Without Windows, PC users would face memorizing dozens of commands for the older DOS system. Many wouldn't have a clue how to do even basic tasks.
Windows made it easier, giving them graphics, icons, pull-down menus and a mouse to navigate their way through choices. Windows communicated with DOS for the user rather than just eliminating the older system altogether.
But for all its innovation, Windows 3.1 remained only a mask on an arcane system, making a futile effort to tap the raw power of faster machines,
Over the years, software manufacturers and the more powerful computers have put demands on Windows that Microsoft didn't anticipate, such as multimedia programs, adding CD-ROMs and setting up small networks. Windows 95 starts fresh from the ground up, working without DOS, removing the limitations and tapping the full power of modern computers.
With it, Microsoft has taken dead aim on the ease-of-use claim that for more than a decade was the sole domain of Apple's Macintosh. Indeed, Windows 95 looks a lot like a Macintosh in many respects.
It does away with program groups in favor of folders. Icons on a virtual desktop allow users to navigate through their hard drive, or a remote computer network. Double-clicking a mouse on a document automatically launches the program that created it and loads that file.
Those are features Mac users have enjoyed for years, albeit at a premium price. Now, Windows 95 offers it all for under $100 to nearly every PC.
For people with older computers, the transition may be tough and expensive. Old software should work fine with Windows 95. Indeed, some will work better. But the software's demands on equipment are another matter.
Microsoft insists Windows 95 will work on a 386-based PC with as little as four megabytes of RAM. Don't believe it, says Sean Fulton, senior technology editor for HomePC magazine, which tested Windows 95 extensively from a home user's perspective.
Users can try installing Windows 95 on an old 386, but they won't like the results, he says.
``A 486 is the base model if you want to do anything at all,'' he says. ``And you'll need at least eight megabytes of RAM, 12 if you want to run the new programs that will follow Windows 95.''
Experts recommend that computers have at least eight MB of RAM and a 250-MB hard drive. The Windows software alone can take up to 79 MB of hard drive space, although it does replace the existing Windows and DOS software.
Windows 95 went through unprecedented testing by more than 400,000 so-called beta testers - ranging from computing professionals to young kids who asked to see the software - to make sure it works with older programs. Windows applications will work just as they did in the past, although the menu will have the look of the new interface.
The bigger challenge is running DOS-based programs and games. Since Windows 3.1 proved awkward for entertainment programs, thousands of games were created in the older DOS system. That used to mean exiting Windows, using the Alt F4 command, and starting the programs from a C: prompt.
by CNB