The subject of this evening's conference was Windows 95«MDBO» «MDNM»--«MDBO» «MDNM»all you wanted to know about it in a special one-hour discussion. The guests were two leaders of the Win95 development team: Brad A. Silverberg, senior vice-president of Microsoft Corp.'s Personal Systems Div., and Brad Chase, general manager of the Personal Operating Systems Div. They were accompanied by Senior Editor Geoff Lewis of BW and Steve Wildstrom, author of BW's Technology & You column.
OnlineHost: Good evening, and welcome. Tonight, Business Week presents its regular Sunday conference. The topic is this week's cover story -- Windows 95: How it will change computing.
We have a special treat tonight: The two leaders of the Windows 95 development group. Brad A. Silverberg is senior vice-president of Microsoft's Personal Systems Div., where he's responsible for the development and marketing of Windows 95, among other products. Brad Silverberg has a Bachelor's in Computer Science from Brown and a Master's in Computer Science from the University of Toronto.
Brad Chase is general manager of Microsoft's Personal Operating Systems Div., where he directs the marketing strategy and execution for the MS-DOS and Windows family of products. A graduate of the University of California at Berkeley (Bachelor of Science) and Northwestern's Kellogg Graduate School of Management (MBA), Brad Chase previously directed the launches of MS-DOS 5 and MS-DOS 6.
Joining Brad and Brad onstage tonight is Geoff Lewis (GeoffBW), the senior editor in charge of Business Week's coverage of the computer and software industries and a veteran reporter on these subjects. The moderator this evening is Bob Arnold (BobABW), a Business Week senior editor and editor of Business Week Online.
BobABW: Good evening everyone. A little housekeeping first. The two Brads are on together (on the same computer). Brad Silverberg will identify himself as BradS; Brad Chase as BradC:. We also have with us Steve Wildstrom (SWildBW), author of Business Week's Technology & You column and a Win95 beta tester.
So without further ado...Geoff, wanta toss the first question?
GEOFFBW: Brads: There was another rumor this week about a delay to the introduction of Win95. Is it still on track? And what, if anything -- including the Justice Dept. -- could slow it down?
BradS: Yes, the product is on track for the intro on August 24. No new news.
BobABW: PMaroni left a write-in question.
Question: Will you work to make Win95 run efficiently on Power Macs?
BradS: Win95 runs on x86 architecture [systems using Intel's 386, 486, and Pentium processors]. No plans to do a Power Mac version.
BobABW: Here's a sweeping question:
Question: What is the single most important advance in Win95?
BradC: That's tough to answer, because there are so many. I'd say the most important feature is plug and play. The most important benefit overall is that it is sooo much easier to use and learn.
GEOFFBW: Are there plans to port to other architectures?
BradS: No plans for cross-platform. Win95 is designed and optimized for the x86 architecture. If you want a great version of Windows that runs on other instruction sets, we have WinNT.
SWildBW: While Win95 won't run on ordinary Macs, I have seen it run well on machines with the DOS compatibility board.
BobABW: Bigfootmm goes next, with a question on how Win95 compares with OS2.
BradC: Windows 95 compares quite favorably of course :) It has superior performance, compatibility, ease of use, has a lot of new apps. I could go on.
BobABW: Barrychap wants to know:
Question: Will a gateway to cc:Mail post offices be included in the exchange application to Windows 95, so that Windows 95 users can send/receive mail to/from cc:Mail post offices?
BradS: Win95 includes drivers to a number of mail systems. But we don't have one for cc:Mail. Lotus is encouraged to write one, we'd be very glad to see it.
BobABW: Try this from Tim Cav:
Question: Will you be able to launch multiple DOS sessions, each with their own personal AUTOEXEC.BAT and/or CONFIG.SYS in Win95?
And Brian 5547 has a followup of sorts:
Question: Could you guys discuss how Win95 operates with DOS-based programs. I have read varied pieces, some indicating that the 640k barrier is removed; others stating that it still exists. Whats the scoop?
BradS: Win95 runs MS-DOS apps extremely well and also supports something called DPMI, which allows a developer to write a DOS app larger than 640k. Most games these days in fact use a DOS extender which calls on DPMI to run. Win95 will run them great. Games, however, are moving to Windows now, especially with our new games developer kit.
BobABW: A basic question from Robert 627:
Question: How can you get Windows 95?
BradS: On August 24, you'll be able to buy it in thousands of outlets.
BobABW: Here's an interesting one:
Question: What was the hardest part of Win95 to get right?
BradC: [The question is] not so hard really. The biggest challenge was compatibility.
BobABW: Barrychap goes next:
Question: I am using Windows 95 beta right now and it is great! However, one of the problems I have is with MS-DOS games that don't behave well. Will any emphasis be placed on allowing these programs to work better than in the beta release?
BradS: We have made considerable strides in DOS game support since the preview edition.
BobABW: Try this from McT:
Question: I use a quotation application daily in my business. The tech support people for this company have advised me not to use Win95. Should I or shouldn't I follow this advice and why?
BradC: Give it a try!
BobABW: Try this one:
Question: What will be in the quarterly updates you've promised for Win95? How much will those cost?
BradS: They will be free, electronically. We are still working out the plan, but it'll be a great way to get new drivers and so on. We are committed to quality and keeping the product continually up to date.
SWildBW: BradS: Will the updates be limited to MSN or will they be on other services?
BradS: We will post the "tune up kits" or "service packs" (name still to be decided) on Compuserve, MSN, Internet, Web, etc.
BobABW: BillinVa has a technical question:
Question: How do the APIs [application program interfaces] in Win95 differ, if they do, from Win 3.1, and will Visual Basic 3.0 still be able to call them?
BradS: Win95 supports the same APIs as win 3.1, PLUS the 32-bit Windows APIs (aka Win32) that WinNT supports. So you can now write 32-bit apps, like Office for Win95. Your VB [Visual Basic] apps should all work too.
Here's a question from TimCav:
Question: Do you think including MSN is a fair business practice? If so, how can you justify it? It's not an "operating system" component in the pure sense of the term.
BradC: Sure, we think MSN is completely legal and fair. I hope you'll try it.
BobABW: Another hot potato from DannyDGTh:
Question: Is it true that Windows 95 needs much more RAM than Microsoft says it needs?
BradC: No, we have met our targets. It will run as well as Win 3.1 on even a 4-mg 386dx. On a system with more memory, overall performance is even better than win 3.1 with the same apps. So the minimum is 4, recommended is 8. Certain apps may need more.
GEOFFBW: Microsoft took an extra year to get Win95 out. How did that change the program?
BradS: Actually, we originally said it would be out second-half '94 and it will be on the shelves in August. The reason for the extra time is because of the compatibility challenges: making sure Win95 runs well with existing hardware, drivers, and apps. It was a big challenge and we are very happy with the results. The extra time was worth it.
BobABW: SG123 is a Mac fan with a question:
Question: I've got a Mac running System 7.5.1 and utility enhancements. What does Windows 95 have to offer that is equal to or better than what I've already got on my Mac?
BradC: Windows 95 advantages include multitasking and threading, memory protection for apps, thousands more apps, better value, more hardware and software choices -- I could go on.
BobABW: RlaRock wants to know:
Question: Will Win95 be fully backward compatible?
BradC: "Fully," no. Our compatibility is remarkable but you will have to upgrade some apps. That rare case is usually something like a utility that does not know about long file names.
BobABW: Try this one from PatrickVD:
Question: BradC or BradS, Where does Win95 go from here? Are we looking at eventually migrating WinNT Workstation and Win95 into the same OS?
BradS: Win95 continues onward. We have two future versions already in the works. Win95 and WinNT share a lot of code today as well as something more important: The same APIs (Win16 and Win32) so that an app can run on either Win95 or WinNT. The two operating systems are very complementary, so customers can choose based on their needs. For example, Word for NT runs on Win95, and Office for Win95 runs on WinNT.
BobABW: RedDwarf wants a prediction:
Question: Plug and play can't be fully implemented until the three requirements are filled: Operating system, BIOS, and PnP peripherals. When do you see this becoming fully implemented industrywide?
BradS: We see PnP everyday now. Plus, Win95 has great legacy device support [the ability to support devices that predate the PnP standard, i.e. 95% of equipment now in existence]. «MDNM»Hardware vendors see that PnP reduces support costs and leads to happier customers. There are over 200 PnP peripherals today. A good example is the HP LaseJet 4 and 5 printers: They support PnP great.
BobABW: Try this one:
Question: Re hardware, what is the recommended configuration for processor, memory, and disk for Win95? How does MSN change those requirements?
SWildBW: But Exchange really wants more than 8MB to work well.
BobABW: Try this one:
Question: How does Win95 compare to WinNT?
BradS: Win95 is targeted at the mainstream desktop (or portable) running productivity apps or games. WinNT is targeted at the server, technical workstation, and mission-critical apps.
BobABW: Here's a basic question from Vperl:
Question: The x86 platform...how long will this platform exist 'til it's history?
BradS: The x86 will be here for a long, long time.
BobABW: Barrychap is full of questions:
Question: I see the biggest problem with Windows 95 intro is Plug and Play with older equipment. I have two versions of the same PCI IDE-I/O card; one doesn't work and the other works fine. Will the vendors be responsible to some extent for fixing these problems?
BradS: With legacy hardware, we do the best we can to detect it. With PnP, it's fully automatic.
BobABW: Try this one from PrismElit:
Question: Will Visual Basic be included as a systemwide scripting language in the next version of Win95? I think this is an important step in automating and controlling applications, and avoids the needs for users to learn multiple scripting languages.
BradS: I can't say...No question that some VB derivative is our strategic direction for a scripting language.
BobABW: IHound is next:
Question: Do I, the average home PC user, need to upgrade right away, or is this more appropriate for businesses? I know you are marketing this, but be honest...If I've found a nice '95 shell like Wayfarer thru AOL, do I need WIN 95?
BradC: Jim Seymour's column in PC«MDNM» Magazine addresses this well this week. Naturally we are pretty enthusiastic about Win95 and think most people will find it worthwhile: Easier, faster, more possibilities, more fun....
BobABW: WhisperNe is up next -- and folks, the Brads will be with us until 10. Question: In my experience, OS2 is quite "techy." You need to know a lot about your system to run it effectively. Will this be the case with Win95?
BradC: We have done a very good job removing the techy stuff you see in OS/2. The power is still there, but Win95 is very friendly. The results of our suitability testing have shown that people get their tasks accomplished much faster, too.
BobABW: MeNate has a question that's on a lot of minds:
Question: Will there be much of a performance increase in going from 12 megs to 16 or more megs of RAM?
BradC: Yes, you bet. Win95 scales well. As you add more memory, it gets more zip.
BobABW: Another popular query, from David G. And how will they be better?
Question: I would like to know when applications for Win95 will be coming out.
BradC: Some are out already. My son uses Freddie the Fish, which uses some technology we made available to ISVs [independent software vendors] so they can have apps run on both Win 3.1 and Win95. You will see lots of apps come when we ship and during the first 6 months in particular.
BradS: Excel for WinNT and Word for WinNT work on Win95 today, too.
BobABW: GarryW1 is trying to read tea leaves:
Question: With the release of Win95 add-ons going to follow on the heels of Win95, does that signify that Win95 is incomplete?
BradC: No, we are very bullish about the quailty of Win95. Future enhancements means that Win95 has a great future!
BobABW: Try this one, on Microsoft Network:
Question: Will MSNet load graphics without a choice?
BradS: Sorry, i don't understand.
BobABW: Not sure I do either.
SWildBW: I think the reader was trying to find out if MSN will let you turn off graphics, like some Web browsers?
BradS: I don't know the answer to that question, sorry. I do know that MSN has very nice progressive rendering, so that you get a coarse picture quickly and then fills in the details in the background.
BobABW: Let's go to David Read:
Question: Why shouldn't business buyers just wait until WinNT gets the Win95 GUI and then gain the scalability and security of Win NT?
BradS: Win95 will be here in August. Business buyers can take advantage of all the benefits of Win95. In corporations, you will see a mix between Win95 and WinNT, depending on the needs of a particular user. Win95 will be faster, more compatible, and use less hardware. WinNT will be the most robust operating system available. It all depends on what's important to you.
BobABW: Johnw9222 has a DOS question:
Question: Is DOS dead? Clear up the rumors.
BradS: MS-DOS applications live on, though very few ISVs are working on new DOS apps. If there is sufficient customer demand for a new DOS, we'll do one. But we are not actively working on one.
BobABW: Here's one from ppcis:
Question: What will Microsoft do when the X86 architecture fades out and new processors that utilize RISC (reduced instruction-set computing) technology such as the superfast PowerPC 604? How long will it take to convert Win95 x86 to RISC?
BradS: Easy -- WinNT! But I disagree with the premise. The notion of x86 fading out is only in someone's dream.
BobABW: Here's a question from Leonsis:
Question: Will you allow any IP to develop under Win95 and host it on MSN?
BradS: MSN is working with many many content providers today.
BobABW: Try this from Rgamache:
Question: What's the scoop on the Win95 Preview Program update? Bug fixes or new features? I have beat the PP for 2 months and have been very pleased.
BradS: The preview product update is primarily bug fixes.
BobABW: Tycoon aspires to be one:
Question: What will be my wholesale cost on [Win95] for me to sell to my customers?
BradC: Well, it will be... sorry can't say that here...
BobABW: Here's a technical question:
Question: I have seen the Final Beta Preview and accompanying text. I noticed that it fails to discuss how to prepare for the installation of Win95 when using third-party memory management (QEMM) and/or disk managers. Will this be in the 8/24 release?
BradC: Yes. You bet.
BobABW: Try this one:
Question: When Win95 applications arrive, what will be the most notable improvement?
BradC: There will be many. Hard to pick one. Long file names is a broad one. I am a big fan of the improvements in two areas. The first will be multimedia games and titles, which benefit from Win95 architecture and ease of use improvements like autoplay. They also benefit from new hardware. The second is administrative stuff for informations systems professionals, for example management apps.
BobABW: Who has Hoover been talking to?
Question: I have had people that work for Microsoft tell me not to get Win95 when it first comes out because there are still a lot of bugs. Is this true?
BradC: Go for it. No guts no glory. Just kidding. It does not require guts. When we release it, it will be because it is ready. And it has "uninstall" so if you don't like it for some reason you can go back to Win3.1. I hope you like it.
BradC: Steve what do you think?
SWildBW: I've seen it improve a lot since the preview. We're starting to install the latest version on some production machines.
BobABW: On that note, folks, we have to sign off. I want to thank both Brads for spending extra time with us. And thanks to Steve Wildstrom and Geoff Lewis as well.
BradnBrad: Thanks to everyone who came to listen or ask questions. Happy 4th!
BobABW: The Brads have to go, but perhaps SWild and GeoffBW will duck into the BW chat room for a minute if you have further questions.
BobABW: Also, the Brads have offered to answer questions we didn't have time for tonight -- if you want to e-mail them at BradnBrad.
BobABW: Folks, send those questions instead to me (BobABW) and I'll forward them to the Brads.
OnlineHost: Thanks to Brad Silverberg and Brad Chase of Microsoft, to Geoff Lewis and Steve Wildstrom of Business Week, and to the BW Online team for this evening's conference. If you would like to continue the discussion, we invite you to move over to the BW Online Chat Room (under the Talk icon on our main screen). Or you can post questions and comments on the BW Online Message Boards (try Computers & Communications).
Transcripts of all BW Online conferences are available for downloading soon after the event (look under Special Events, Talk, or SearchBW). Check out our conference calendar for coming events, and reserve each Sunday night at 9 pm ET for BW Online's regular weekly conference. Thanks again, and goodnight!
Copyright 1995 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. All Rights Reserved.
