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Why wait for Windows 98?

By Richard Morochove

First published February 26, 1998

This year's biggest software launch, Microsoft Windows 98, is just a few months away. However, if you're eagerly anticipating earth shaking new developments in Microsoft's flagship product, you'll be disappointed. On the Richter scale for software innovation, Windows 98 will barely nudge the needle.

Yet Windows 98 will be important, if for nothing else than the fact that so many PCs run earlier versions of Windows. The new operating system will unleash a logjam of new computer hardware that is patiently waiting in the wings for the software needed to support it. There are also a few real enhancements in Windows 98. If you want to experience it early, you can order an advance copy.

If you've recently purchased a PC, you're probably running software that's closer to Windows 98 than you think. Most new PCs are loaded with the enhancements included in OSR2 from Microsoft, commonly called Windows 95B. This version contains enhancements not included in the original version of Windows 95, which is still available in stores.

The most immediately apparent change in Windows 98 allows you to operate your computer desktop much like a page in an Internet Web browser. For example, you'll be able to start up programs with a single mouse click on an icon, not two. This Webtop view is available now, in Windows 95, if you install Internet Explorer.

Some Windows 98 improvements are behind the scenes stuff, such as an optional 32-bit file access system. This will support large hard drives, over 2 gigabytes (2,000 MB) in capacity, useful if you work with multi-megabyte graphics and multimedia files. It will use smaller clusters, which store data files more efficiently. You'll be able to convert existing hard drives to the new file system without re-formatting them.

On the other hand, the 32-bit system will be incompatible with some utility and database software, so you expect to pay for upgrading these applications. This 32-bit file system is available in the latest version of Window 95, but most PC makers have chosen not to use it, probably due to the incompatibility issues.

One of the genuinely new enhancements in Windows 98 is a closer link to television. If you have a TV tuner board installed, you can receive and display television and other data distributed via broadcast. Potentially, this lets you receive Internet information or other data services over the air. There's also a program guide, listing TV shows.

Windows 98 will also let you view multiple monitors at once. Desktop publishers could view adjoining pages on adjacent monitors. Computer games could offer surrounding views that immerse you in the action.

There are dozens of interesting new peripherals that are awaiting Windows 98 support for the Universal Serial Bus (USB) before they reach store shelves. These include speakers that use the all-digital connection to offer better sound, and a new generation of high-quality monitors. This will also be the first version of Windows that officially supports DVD drives.

According to Microsoft, Windows 98 will be officially released during the second quarter of this year, by June 30 at the latest. However, this could change depending upon the outcome of the current legal wrangling with the U.S. Department of Justice.

If you can't wait until Windows 98 is available in stores to find out more about the operating system, you have two options. You can purchase an advance copy or attend a special Microsoft presentation.

Microsoft is making 100,000 copies of a beta testing version of Windows 98 available to technically savvy home computer users in Canada and the U.S. In order to participate as a beta tester you'll need a PC with Windows 95, a 486DX/66 or higher processor, minimum 16 Mb RAM, 125 Mb of available hard drive capacity and a CD-ROM drive.

The Windows 98 beta program costs $39.95 plus shipping, handling and taxes. You can order your copy at www.microsoft.com/windows/promo/win98preview3/. Purchasing a beta copy doesn't qualify you for a discount on the retail version. All beta software contains bugs not in the final version, so be sure to backup your hard drive before installation.

Microsoft will demonstrate the new features of Windows 98 during a satellite broadcast to 38 movie theatres in Canada [including Toronto] and the U.S. on Saturday, April 4. To register for this free "Microsoft Extreme" session, call (800) 550-4300 or visit www.microsoft.com/magazine/extreme/.

If you aren't attracted by the new features and don't need support for the new hardware, then you'll have no urgent need to upgrade to Windows 98. You may as well follow the path of many who upgraded from Windows 3.1 to Windows 95. Start using Windows 98 only after you buy a new computer loaded with the operating system. CW

Richard Morochove, FCA, is a Toronto-based computer consultant.

Copyright ©1998 by Morochove & Associates Inc. All rights reserved. This work may not be copied or distributed by any means without our prior written permission.

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