Windows 95


The computer has become integrated with all facets of life in the 1990s. In the business world particularly, the ability to use a PC is now considered a fundamental requisite for employment. This places a new burden on the education system, to ensure that children are taught the computing skills at school and college that there will need in later life. In addition, the government has placed statutory requirements on teachers to ensure that IT is an integral part of the national curriculum. This demonstrates the recognition of the vital role which IT plays within the learning process.

To ensure children are able to take advantage of IT, it is important that computers are easy to use. One of the first places to start is to make the user interface - the screen which the children will use - as simple as possible. So will Microsoft Windows 95, probably the software launch of the decade, with the most publicised development programme, linking partners from both the hardware and software sectors, ensure that children are taught the computing skills of the future.

What is Windows 95

Windows 95 represents a major step forward in functionality on desktop and portable PC platforms by providing a system that is even easier, faster and more powerful to use, and which maintains compatibility with the Windows and MS DOS operating system based applications and hardware peripherals, which you may already have invested in.

The new operating system is not simply a new revamped interface, but a completely new design of engine which improves performance and seamless multitasking. Windows 95 is a fully integrated 32-bit system that does not need MS_DOS, although it can run MS-DOS applications.

Key changes

New Interface

For those familiar with Macintosh, OS/2 and Acorn environments, the switch to the new interface with its Task Bar and Start button which have replaced the Windows 3.x Program manager. Objects can be manipulated via right-clicking which brings up a pop up menu. Printer controls and the ability to browse networks can be integrated within the desktop. The desktop layout is customisable and any number of shortcut icons can be attached to the background for quick and easy access.

The Start Button - Almost any operation can be achieved with the Start button, which sits in the the bottom left of the screen. On clicking the Start button a menu pops up offering Programs, Documents, Settings, Find, Run and Shutdown. Selecting the program icon, another menu pops up with access to all applications on the hard disk. This menu completely replaces program manager. The documents option lists the last 15 files opened and offers quick access to them without priory need to open the application first. Find is the easiest and quickest way to find a file on any floppy or hard disk, simply enter the file name and Windows 95 will search for all files with the criteria, which can also be file types, sizes and dates. Selecting Run has the same affect as Windows 3.x, it allows you to run any run any file not listed in the programs menu.

The Taskbar - An essential part of Windows ’95, apart from holding the Start button, all currently open windows, documents or application are represented by a button on the bar. The Taskbar is always on top, so enabling easy access with no need to shuffle open windows yourself, let the taskbar do it for you.

Right-clicking objects - Every wondered why you mouse had two buttons, well Windows ’95 will now be making use of it. Clicking over any object will bring up a menu featurinf access to options and properties related to the object.

Shortcuts - Shortcuts will be familiar to many Acorn and Apple users, who for a long time have been able to place an icon on the back drop which gives a ‘shortcut’ access to a document or application. With all the other navigation tools in Windows ’95 this isn’t going to be an essential tool.

Explorer - Don’t worry! The windows 3.x Program Manager and File Manager haven’t been scrapped completely. The Explorer now combines the too, producing a far more graphical overview of your complete system. This can be used in conjunction with My Computer which again gives access to just about every setting that you might wish to alter on your system.

Long Filenames - The ability to have long files is feature that many Workgroups 3.11 users have been used to for some time, but it’s now available in Windows 95. Filenames can now be made up of both lower and upper case letters, and up to 255 characters in length. This doesn’t mean that you will be able to create wonderful new names for your existing data unless it has been created by a 32-bit application.

The Recycle Bin - Accidentally deleted a file before and not been able to retrieve it, well the recycle bin now stores all deleted files until the bin is emptied. A great idea and very useful, a feature for the Mac user for some time now, is this the sign that Windows ’95 is environmentally friendly!

New 32-bit application support

Applications written to the Win32 API, based on windows NT can be fully utilised with pre-emptive multitasking and long filenames. Compatibility with existing 16 bit applications should be no problem, although you may experience difficulty with some programs. So far Microsoft have tested nearly 2500 of the most regularly applications, which can be viewed on the World Wide Web at www.windows.microsoft.com.

Plug and Play

Plug and Play is a new technology developed by PC product vendors that will dramatically improve the integration of hardware and software. Windows 95 is a key to enabling this technology to work with it built into all levels of the system. As a user you should now be able to easily install and connect devices such as monitors, printers, video cards, SCSI adapters, by simply plugging them in and allowing the system to automatically allocate hardware resources.

The new technology is not limited to the latest machines, as it is backward compatible and should work with older non plug and play systems.

Architecture

The new 32-bit architecture has been organised to optimise the use of memory on low end systems and to maximise its use with higher end machines with caches to improve functionality. Making such big changes could create a situation where existing hardware and software is not compatible, but there are still bits of 16-bit code included to ensure full compatibility. The old system of INI files has been replaced with the New Registry and many of the drivers have been rewritten to provide better support for floppies, most CD-ROMS and Multimedia playback.

Networking and Mobile Computing

You’ll be able to continue running existing networking components, while enhancing the 32-bit protected networking components first delivered in Windows for Workgroups. Support is provided for multiple network servers and new 32-bit Windows based NetWare client utilities all working alongside an integrated desktop network browser.

Windows now has built in support for PCMCIA devices, docking stations and port replicators, making life easier for the portable PC users. To combat the organisational problems of keeping files up to date on both a portable and desktop, Windows 95 uses The Briefcase designed to keep all files ‘in synch’.

New Utilities

There’s new Windows based disk compression, defragmentation and backup tools, which may prove essential if you can not afford a new hard disk, but can not wait to run Windows 95. Write has been replaced by WordPad with a number of enhanced utilities. Printing is now very fast with new spooling, which has definitely improved printing. On the communication front, there’s a new HyperTerminal comms utility, Microsoft Exchange a universal in/outbox for Mircorosft and Internet e-mail. The software needed to access the Microsoft Network is supplied as standard. Accessibility options have been improved for users with impaired hearing, mobility and vision.

Multimedia

There are substantial changes in the new operating system, focused largely around the multimedia device and optimised CD-Rom drivers. A first glance these new additions appear to be making Multimedia viewing and creation considerably more efficient. The multimedia features will be fully tested in the next part of the Windows ’95 tour

Installing Windows 95

You might expect that such a complex piece of software, that takes up fair chunk of hard disk space would have a technically taxing installation procedure. The opposite is however the case, the installation wizard guides you through the process and using a CD-ROM, Windows 95 was sucessfully installed in approximately 45 minutes.

The recommended an easiest process is to upgrade from a machine already running Windows 3.x, but make sure you select the option o make a backup of Windows 3.x. If you later decide that your system can not handle 95 or you are personally not suited to it, then you can easily swop back. If you select the basic recommended installation then adding or removing applications/devices is simple, using the control panel.

Once installed, you’ll be given the chance to make an on-line registration, where you can make a free call to the Microsoft Network using the registration wizard. However you should be aware that when this procedure is carried out, it sends an audit of you hard disk back to Microsoft recording hardware and software installed. You can stop this from happening by carefully reading the dialogs in detail.

What is the Windows Registry

When you installed software/hardware in Windows 3.x the storage of configuration data was very haphazard and information was stored in CONFIG.SYS and WIN.INI plus a group of individual .INI files. The idea of the registry is that it stores just about every detail about your system from wallpapers and screen saver data through to startup parameters. The central database makes organisation much simpler and any configuration settings can be viewed in one file.

What do you need to run Windows 95

The minimum configuration for Windows 95 is a 20MHz 386DX processor, VGA graphics, 30-40Mb additional space over a current Windows 3.x installation, and a mouse. MinimumRAM is 4Mb, although it is recommended that 8MB is ideally required.

We had the operating system running a range of computers and have proved that it is possible to run Windows 95 on a 386 as Microsoft have continued to state. However we found that this enabled us to do very little other than using a word processor or very basic spreadsheet work.

From our small scale testing, our recommendation would be that the minimum spec to successful run a wide range of applications including graphics would be a 486DX2 66, with 8Mb RAM and a540Mb hard disk.

Working on a Pentium 70 made a significant difference, but the true colours of the system were clear when testing on a 486DX2 66 but with 16Mb RAM. The speed increase an ability to multitask became a true dream.

The Microsoft Network

The Microsoft Network received immense media coverage leading up to the launch on 24 August with several attempts to stop Microsoft bundling their client software with the final release version. Microsoft won the battle to bundle it with Windows 95, but it isn’t quite all that it has been made out to be. Pricing structures are similar to CompuServe with a monthly fee including a set period time on-line with ever hour that charged additionally. Schools are unlikely to benefit from using MSN in preference to another service provider, although as part of its strategy for broadening access to Microsoft training, Microsoft has announced the Microsoft Online Institute, available to all Windows ’95 Users accessing the Microsoft Network. The Institute allows users to tap into an online, interactive ‘campus’ with a bookstore, classroom buildings, guidance centre, student union, library and other sites. There, the students and prospective students can research Microsoft products and technology, access training providers and educational materials, interact with instructors and other students, and learn about traditional classroom training opportunities.

In the ideal world schools could benefit from both MSN and service providers such as IFL from Research Machines or Demon Internet, but I guess its likely that most schools will only be able to afford one provider. This decision is up to the individual school, but should be considered with exceptional care.

Windows ’95 and DOS

One of the major changes to the operating system is that MS-DOS is not required in order to run DOS applications. In the past the support for DOS through Windows has not be perfect and many applications, particularly games have not run correctly. Windows ’95 however can run DOS applications and so far, has successfully coped with everything thrown at it. Another of the key features of using DOS applications is that they can be run in a window unless you wish to exit out of Windows and restart in a DOS mode (only likely for the most demanding games).

Compatibility Issues

Microsoft have already tested around 2,500 of the most commonly used windows applications. In the second part of this look at Windows ’95 we will take a look at these applications, but we will also be giving you as much data about compatibility with many of the ‘educational’ titles that you’ll already have in school. If you have already purchased Windows ’95 and have tested software, please let us know whether it works, so that we can build up a picture of what will and will not work.

Conclusion

Windows ’95 represents a major change in computing and in particular the user interface, resulting in an operating system designed to meet the needs of just about everyone. Upgrading to Windows 95 should not be an obvious decision, it needs careful thought. Consult a specialist education dealer who can assist you with the migration from Windows 3.x to 95, ensuring that you have a clear plan as to how the upgrade will happen and the time scales involved. The biggest consideration is going to be the issue of adequate hardware, change because of the new interface and on lower spec machines you will possibly reduce efficiency rather than increase it.

Commenting on the launch of Windows 95, David Svendsen, Managing Director, Microsft Ltd, said "Windows ’95 is about unlocking more of the potential of computing, as we move into the next era of computing, with broader communications via e-mail and the on-line world, dazzling multimedia and games, and richer educational software. Windows 95 helps open up this new world. It makes computing easier and more fun, and will empower people and businesses to do more with computers than has previously been possible."

Having spent a lot of time looking at Windows 95 over its development period, it would be fair to say that as an operating system, it’s one of the best.

Windows 95 Applications

If you decide to upgrade to Windows 95 or buy a brand new computer supplied with Windows 95, then the next decision you will need to make is, do I upgrade or buy applications which have been specifically written for the 32-bit operating system.

Most current 16-bit Windows applications will work with Windows 95, but ultimately you will want to look for Microsoft’s ‘Designed for Windows 95’ logo. Strict guidelines will have been followed by the programmers in order to have the product badaged with the new logo. The presence of the Windows 95 logo means that a program has satisfied the following criteria.

  1. Its a Win32 API executable
  2. It supports the Windows 95 UI/Shell and follows the Microsoft Windows User Interface Design Guide.
  3. It will also run under the latest version of Windows NT
  4. It supports long file names.
  5. It should be aware of Plug and Play events

In addition, file based applications that offer Open, Dave and Close menu commands must also satisfy the following criteria:

  1. It supports Universal Naming Convertions(UNC) pathnames.
  2. It has OLE 2.0 Container and or/Object support, and OLE 2.0 drag and drop support.
  3. It supprts Send mail functionality using MAPI or Common Messaging Call(CMC) API.

To summarise, any product displaying the ‘Designed for Windows 95’ logo, is sure to make excellent use of 32-bit environment. However, that doesn’t mean to say that other applications will not make use of Windows 95. Some developers may release early version which meet only some of the criteria and can therefore not carry the Windows 95 logo.

All of the applications reviewed are fully compliant with Windows 95 and therefore carry the’Designed for Windows 95’ logo.

Microsoft Office Standard Edition

The standard addition of Microsoft Office contains, Word for Windows, Excel, Powerpoint and Schedule+, all sharing the same version number, 7.0. Access can be purchased separately or is part of the Microsoft Office Professional Edition.

Word

Version 7.0 has very few substantial changes from the previous release, but the leading word processor has been written to optomise the 32-bit operating system. Theres no need to learn a new menu structure, as this stays almost unchanged, documents can be viewed with Outline, Normal and Page Layout as before, and the visual look of the interface also remains unchanged. Documents can be previewed before opening if required and if you make use of the templates, these have been grouped into categories, accessed through a tab style dialog box. The templates supplied can be customised to suite your needs.
The new answer wizard uses IntelliSense technology to determine the type of help you need. When you type a request in your own words on the answer wizard tab, the wizard will supply answers that will help you get the work done. In the ‘How Do I’ section of the Answer Wizard, easy to follow instructions show the best way to complete a task. Tip Wizard tracks your actions and then suggests better ways to achieve the desired tasks.
By default, Word checks spelling while you type, displaying a wavy red line under any word not found in its dictionary. Clicking on the highlighted word with the right mouse button, brings up a small pop up menu suggesting an alternative spelling.

Excel

The main body of the Excel Spreadsheet has been re-written to enable it to make use of the 32-bit operating system, therefore performance has been enhanced.
Excel’s new AutoCalculate feature is a useful addition, which enables you to sum, avaerage, count, count num, max or min a selected range without the need for a formula. Instead the result is shown on the status bar at the bottom of the screen. Another new ‘auto’ feature is AutoComplete, where you type in the first few letters of an entry in a cell, Excel can then complete the entry based on the entries you have already made in that column. Previous entries can also be selected from a list which is automatically created for you.

Its now easy to move ranges of cells between worksheets and workbooks, using the enhanced drag and drop facilities. You can automatically copy the contents of cells to a database, each time you a workbook that is based on a template. The wizards controls all of this for you through and easy to follow, step-bystep process.

CellTips offers a facility to enter a short note into each cell, giving brief details about the type and format of the data to be entered. ScrollTips makes it easy to see exactly where you are when scrolling by putting up a small popup displaying either the row number or cell letter.

A significant new tool is Excel’s new mapping capability, which uses MapInfo to create demographic and topographical maps from spreadsheet data. Maps for the UK and Europe are included.

Powerpoint

Powerpoint has undergone the most major changes of any of the Office applications, with a new file format, in order to take account of the new support for animation and multimedia. This means that you can now really bring presentations alive with animations, sound, video and voice, making a truly impressive presentation.
Microsoft have added AutoClipart which suggest appropriate clipart images based on the content of the presentation, while StyleChecker helps ensure consistent presentations with accurate grammar. If you are creating presentations to send to others then the Pack and Go Wizard will save the presentation and viewer in a compressed format on one or several disks. The user interface has been revamped, bringing the toolbars in line with Excel and word.

Schedule+

Scchedule+ is a new addiion to the Microsft Office suite, providing the basic facilities of a Personal Information Manager(PIM). Schedule+ consists of five sections: Appointments, Planner, Events, Contacts and ToDo List. The appointment book shows your schedule in either daily, weekly or monthly views, with the ability to store notes alongside an appointment and sysmbols to show the type of appointment.
If Schedule+ is working over a network, the Planner lets you see whether your colleages are free for a meeting, providing of course they all key the appointments section upto date! Data stored in the Contacts section can be viewed in list or card format and linked with Microsft Exchange and Mail. The event section stores and shows special dates.

The Binder

You’ll not upgrade to Windows Office 95 just for the Binder, but it is a useful addition. Effectively Binder is an OLE applet which can contain Powerpoint presentations, Word documents, Excel Spreadsheets, graphs, bitmaps and so on, all connected with an individual project.

Access

Microsoft Access for Windows 95 includes many new and improved wizards, builders, and add-ins that make it easy to create and maintain databases and database objects. With the Database Wizard, you can pick from over 20 different databases, including databases that you can use for business or personal use. For example, you can create an Asset Tracking database or a Wine List database.

The redesigned Database window in Microsoft Access for Windows 95 provides a variety of options for viewing and manipulating database objects. You can switch between object types by using tabs across the top of the window, list objects using large or small icons, or list them by name or by name and details.
Drag a table, query, form, report, or macro to the desktop to create a shortcut for opening that object, plus drag and drop tables and queries from the Database window to other applications, such as Microsoft Excel or Microsoft Word. Microsoft Excel spreadsheet cells can be dragged and dropped to the Database window to create new tables.

Speeding up the process of creating a table, you can enter data in to a blank datasheet, much like adding data to a spreadsheet. When you save the new datasheet, Microsoft Access evaluates the data you entered and automatically creates appropriate field types and formats for you.
The report writing Wizardds have been developed, allowing exceptionally complex and visually pleasing reports to be created, simply by following the step by step guides.

The power of a relational database is now at the finger tips of even the modest Database user, especially with all the new wizards and the Table Analyser. For those experienced users, Access 7.0 now includes Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications, so you can build custom solutions in no time at all.

Conclusions on Microsoft Office 95

With the exception of Powerpoint, the changes to the applications are not going to hit you straight in the face. You’ll need to read the on screen documentation to find out where the changes are, and how to make best use of these.

You will also need to consider the implications for upgrading to Office 95, particularly if you don’t upgrade lock stop and barrel. Documents created in Office 95 applications will not run on previous releases. This will cause problems if you have some machines with and some without Office 95, plus staff working at school will not be able to access files at home unless they have Office 95.

Works for Windows 4

Microsoft Works for Windows 95 has been updated to include new features and enhancements, but still contains its five elements of - word processor, spreadsheet, database, drawing module and communications module. You can create letters, memos, reports plus many more, illustrated with charts, spreadsheets or pictures. The works task launcher has very much the same tasks as in previous versions, although it has been redesigned. To meet the new Windows 95 guidelines. There are more than 30 Task Wizards, plus an online assistant to help you complete common tasks.

The new Easy Formats feature lets you insert a stylish format at the touch of a button, so you can give your documents flair with new borders, paragraph styles and clipart.

Publisher

Microsoft Publisher for Windows 95 has been enhanced with new Page Wizard design assistants to help you through the design process, where the computer takes over and does the layout for you. These Wizards can be complimented with Design Gallery, which is full of ideas for page design and ready made publication pieces.
Fancy first letters can be added to any story without fuss, plus ruler guides are available to assist with lining up objects.

Microsoft have decided to add far more support for colours, plus the ability to print spot colours and prepare files for sending out to printers. The disk based version comes with a library of 150 clipart images, with 1000 on the CD edition. Word art features let you create special effects with text, using tools to rotate, stretch, shadow and compress and shape words into a variety of attention grabbing styles.

Mircosoft Plus

Microsoft Plus is a companion for the Windows 95 operating system that makes your computer self-maintaining. It allows you to customise your PC with unique desktop themes and it offers outstanding data compression on both 486 and Pentium computers. As an added bonus you also get an Internet Jump Start Kit for easy access to the Internet. An intelligent system agent runs in the background, monitoring and maintaining your PC, and at regularly scheduled times it performs common tasks such as disk error correction and automatic data compression on your system. There’s also a choice of 11 colourful desktop themes which will dramatically alter the personality of your PC. The only draw back to installing the Microsoft Plus in full is that it will take yet another 40Mb of disk space.

Corel Draw 6

We have only received one non Microsoft product carrying the ‘Designed for Windows 95’ logo, and that is Corel Draw 6. Corel Draw is not simply a drawing package, but a complete suite of graphics tools. The suit contains CorelDRAW, CorelPHOTO-PAINT, CorelPRESENTS, CorelDREAM 3D and CorelMOTION 3D, plus the following utilities: CorelDEPTH, CorelOCR-TRACE, CorelCAPTURE, CorelFONT MASTER, Corel PRESENTS Runtime Player, Corel SCRIPT Dialog Editor and CorelMEMO.

Trying to look at all of these features would be unrealistic, so we’ll just focus on the main five applications.
CorelDRAW is a vector based illustration package, which forms the heart of the suite. The basics have been brought across from earlier version, but to find out about and test all of the new features could take weeks.
CorelPHOTO-PAINT hasn’t undergone that major a change, although drag and drop has been implemented between open images, and there are now some 77 different effects to apply to Bitmap images.

CorelPRESENTS is in competition with Microsoft Powerpoint fro creating high quaility presentation with minimal fuss. Earlier versions of CorelPRESENTS lacked features and certainly didn’t have the new Wizards which make design easy.
CorelDREAM 3D is a completely new addition to the suite, and enables users to render three dimensional images, with different surfaces and lighting effects. With time and experimenting you can get to the stage where a complete environment can be created. However the time it takes to render will depend on the speed a spec of your machine.
CorelMOTION 3D takes objects from DREAM and provides the tools to create a 3D animation, providing you have the necessary processing power.

The CorelDRAW suite is no small application, it can be used by students through to professional designers, and is probably the leading graphics application for the PC market. In order to make best use of the suite, the machine you are using will ideally need to be a high end machine with 16Mb of memory.

Conclusions

We’ve only mentioned a few of the new applications which have been re-written for Windows ’95, and will continue to cover others as they are released. The ones we have picked are currently some of the most commonly used in schools today.
They all have new features, some better than others, but all are worth upgrading to over a period of time, if you’re already made the switch to Windows 95. It has to be said though, that at the minute, sticking with existing applications if budgets are tight is not going to leave you miles behind.