
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, August 25, 1995                   TAG: 9508250065
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: A-7   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

COMPARING WINDOWS 95

Windows 95 has a fundamentally different design from the current version of Windows, and it incorporates many features found in programs such as Apple's Macintosh software and IBM's OS/2.

Here's how Windows 95 compares with its predecessor:

Favorably

32-bit architecture, the basic design that allows many of the program's features and other software to take advantage of advanced microchip speeds. Previous Windows programs have relied on 16-bit design, a term that refers to the size of the words or directions in a program. All other things being equal, a 32-bit program should perform twice as fast as a 16-bit one.

Start button: An icon in the lower left corner of the screen provides a common place to open a file, launch a program or get help.

Taskbar: A strip at the bottom of the screen shows what programs are running and allows a person to switch back and forth between them.

Multitasking: A person can run several programs at once, such as writing a letter while a spreadsheet is recalculating an investment portfolio while an on-line browser is scanning for the latest stock prices. Problem: This doesn't work as well with older programs and can lock up the computer.

Long file names: Previous Windows confined file names to eight letters. Windows 95 allows 255 characters, but only with new programs.

Shortcuts: Allows an icon to be created for specific documents, such as the August sales report, and placed on the main screen. Previous Windows required a person to start a program and then find the document.

Unfavorably

Power: While Microsoft says Windows 95 will perform as well as the current Windows on computers that use a 386 microprocessor and 4 megabytes of memory, it recommends more powerful machines. Reviewers say the best performance comes with Pentium-based PCs that have at least 8 megabytes of memory.

No virus program: Even worse, some antivirus programs that used to work under the old Windows won't do well in the new.

Fewer keyboard functions: For people who don't like to use a mouse, old Windows provides a way to use the keyboard for most functions. Windows 95 has fewer keyboard alternatives. Some keyboard commands require a special Windows 95 key that is featured only in keyboards by Microsoft and a few PC makers.

by CNB