</underline></italic>
>What's this thing called "OSR2"? -- Andrew M.
>
>Microsoft Windows 95 OEM Service Release 2 (OSR2) is an update to
Windows 95 which will
>enable Windows 95 to take advantage of some of the new PC technologies
that have come out over
>the last 12 months =96 these include new hardware features, and various
updates which were formally
>only available for download from the Internet. Microsoft will distribute
this release primarily through the
>OEM channel via new PC=92s. And, some of the components of this release,
such as Internet Explorer
>3.0 will be available from the Microsoft World Wide Web site.=20
<italic><underline>Sounds to me like a O.E.M. release with Internet
Exploder built in. Seems to hole up Netscapes claim pretty well.=20
</underline></italic>
~~~
We sat down with Bill Gates, Chairman and CEO of Microsoft Corporation,
and asked him to
respond to the questions you submitted about the one-year anniversary of
Windows 95. Here are
his responses.=20
I've read in the press that Windows 95 hasn't really been a success. Is
that true? -- Rob B.
Windows 95 represents one of the most successful products we=92ve ever
shipped =96 it has enabled a
new generation of 32-bit applications, and has helped our hardware
partners advance the PC
industry with initiatives like Plug and Play. Most importantly though,
Windows 95 has helped millions
of users get more out of personal computing. And, in just under a year,
we have shipped more than
40 million units of Windows 95!=20
We owe a big thank you to the entire PC community for the success of
Windows 95 =96 today, more
than 20,000 PC manufacturers and assemblers ship Windows 95, more than
3,000 Plug and Play
devices are now available, and all of the latest versions of the best
selling applications are now
written for Windows 95.=20
I'm running Windows 3.1 today =96 everything on my machine seems to run
fine. Why would I
want to upgrade to Windows 95? -- Jon P.
There are three main reasons why millions of customers are upgrading from
Windows 3.1 to the
Windows 95 operating system. First, Windows 95 is much easier to use.
With its simplified user
interface and built-in access to the Internet, Windows 95 represents a
major move forward in the
arena of ease-of-use. It=92s particularly great for people who travel with
their computers. With built-in
power management and plug and play support, battery life is now maximized
and it=92s much easier to
add peripherals on the fly.=20
Second, Windows 95 has enabled a new and exciting generation of
applications. All of the top selling
retail business applications, and the cool new games are being developed
for Windows 95.
Moreover, all of the latest Internet technology is being written to the
Win32 API, making Windows 95
the best platform to explore the Internet.=20
Finally, Windows 95 makes a substantial step forward in reliability and
manageability. We did quite a
bit of work to increase system resources and improve the architecture
which basically means your
computer won=92t crash like it may have with Windows 3.1. In addition,
we=92ve added great management
tools such as User Profiles and System Policies which allow businesses to
easily manage their
desktops.=20
I'm teaching at a new school this year. They have mostly old Apple
computers. I want to
switch them to PCs using Windows 95. How does Microsoft educational
software compare
to Apple's? I need to convince staff and parents! -- Barbara S.
Windows 95 offers many benefits in the school environment -- besides the
easy to use interface,
built-in Internet connectivity, multimedia capabilities, and the
increased manageability of your
classrom computers, there are more than 1300 Windows-based education
products available from
third parties today. Microsoft has a strong commitment to advancing
technology in education - we
offer a number of programs for the K-12 community, and a website at
http://www.microsoft.com/K-12/win95 where you can find information about
Windows 95 in education
including benefits, case studies, quotes from users, articles from
education publications, information
on educational software applications, and more.=20
I=92ve heard about something called Nashville. Can you share more
information? -- Jennifer J.
"Nashville" was the code-name for Internet Explorer 4.0. Internet
Explorer 4.0 builds on all of the great
work we have done in Internet Explorer 3.0 to enable active web content,
and will be a natural
migration for individuals and organizations using the Internet or
intranet today. Internet Explorer 4.0
will be released for both Windows 95 and Windows NT Workstation. Though
we have not talked a lot
about Internet Explorer 4.0, it will allow users to explore local, LAN,
intranet, and Internet information
with a single consistent interface. Internet Explorer 4.0 enables the
concept of the Active Desktop --
timely, custom content brought down directly to the desktop, without
having to search the Internet with
a separate application.=20
When is the next version of Windows 95 coming out? -- Rajeev A.
We are working on a new retail update, code named "Memphis," with beta
due in CY97. This release
will focus on making PCs even easier to use by further integrating our
Internet technologies into the
base operating system and by adding support for the latest exciting new
hardware.=20
Do your plans for the future include phasing out Windows 95 & just going
with one 32-bit
operating system, namely, Windows NT? -- Leslie W., Dale M.
Today, Windows 95 and Windows NT share several important pieces of
technology. This includes a
common user interface, a common application programming interface,
multimedia support,
networking model and other components. Over the next few years, we expect
the Windows family
(Windows 9x, Windows NT Workstation and Windows NT Server) to use even
more shared
technology. While the products may eventually share a common kernel,
there will continue to be
multiple members of the Windows family.=20
What's this thing called "OSR2"? -- Andrew M.
Microsoft Windows 95 OEM Service Release 2 (OSR2) is an update to Windows
95 which will
enable Windows 95 to take advantage of some of the new PC technologies
that have come out over
the last 12 months =96 these include new hardware features, and various
updates which were formally
only available for download from the Internet. Microsoft will distribute
this release primarily through the
OEM channel via new PC=92s. And, some of the components of this release,
such as Internet Explorer
3.0 will be available from the Microsoft World Wide Web site.=20
What is Microsoft doing to make it easier for corporate customers to
deploy applications
and operating systems across all of their desktops? -- Lewis B.
We are very committed to making this easier, both with tools and
products. You can find many tools
and detailed information on our web site to help understand the most
efficient process. Additionally,
we have recently released Microsoft Systems Management Server 1.2, which
allows system
administrators to easily distribute software on to remote systems.=20
What's the difference between Windows NT Workstation 4.0 and Windows 95?
-- Phil B.,
Mark S.
Windows 95 and Windows NT Workstation share many technologies: the user
interface, the
programming interfaces, the networking model, and more. But there are
also key differences
between the two products.=20
Windows 95, with reduced systems requirements, great application and
device compatibility, and
easy installation, is the easiest way to get to a 32-bit desktop. Windows
95 offers improved stability
over 16-bit Windows (Windows 3.1 and Windows for Workgroups 3.1), robust
multitasking, and great
mobile support through Advanced Power Management and Plug and Play.=20
Alternatively, Windows NT Workstation 4.0, with high performance,
industrial strength reliability and
security, is the most powerful 32-bit desktop. Customers who have the
necessary hardware and
required application and device compatibility should look at Windows NT
Workstation 4.0 as their
standard 32-bit desktop.=20
We=92re excited about people moving to the 32-bit platform. In fact, over
two-thirds of businesses today
are considering moving to, testing, or deploying 32-bit Microsoft Windows
platforms. These
businesses want to take advantage of a new generation of 32-bit
applications, exciting new
technologies, and more reliable and manageable operating systems.=20
Why can't you upgrade from Windows 95 to Windows NT Workstation 4.0? --
Dan G.
Today, Windows NT Workstation 4.0 provides a robust and automated upgrade
paths for MS-DOS
6.x, Windows 3.x, Windows for Workgroups 3.x and Windows NT Workstation
3.x operating systems.
Windows 95, due to the differences in registry architectures, will
require a manual upgrade.=20
We=92re already hard at work on the next major version of Windows NT
Workstation, which will include
an automatic upgrade from Windows 95 =96 the beta will be available in
1997.=20
Several questions came in regarding the features that will be in future
versions of Windows
95 and Windows NT Workstation =96 can you comment?
We=92re doing a lot to advance both Windows 95 and Windows NT Workstation
over the next year,
including better integration with the Internet, supporting and advancing
the newest hardware
technologies, and adding features to the operating system to make PCs
cheaper to use and
manage. On the Internet front, we feel that browsing the web should be
the same as browsing files
and folders on your local machine, so you=92ll see a seamless interface
that lets you view all kinds of
content. Much of our hardware support will revolve around making it
easier to connect devices to your
PC, using new bus technologies like Universal Serial Bus (USB) and IEEE
1394. You can read my
essay, Windows to the Future for more detail on what we=92re doing in these
areas.=20
--
** History 101**
Hiroshima 45 - Chernobyl 86 - Windows 95
-=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D= -=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D-
"The only problem with Microsoft is they just have no taste,
they have absolutely no taste, and what that means is, I
don't mean that in a small way I mean that in a big way.=20
...I have a problem with the fact that they just make=20
really third rate products."
Steve Jobs, Triumph of the Nerds, PBS Documentary
-=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D-= =3D-=3D-=3D-
-=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D-
=20