Gordon Eubanks, CEO of Symantec, and Stephen H. Wildstrom of Business Week's Technology & You column were the guests on Aug. 21 to discuss using Windows 95.
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OnlineHost: Good evening and welcome to Business Week Online. This week Microsoft's long-awaited -- and much ballyhooed -- Windows 95 makes its debut. Tonight's conference brings you help on how to make the most of the new system. Our guests are Symantec President and Chief Executive Officer Gordon Eubanks and Stephen H. Wildstrom, editor of Business Week's Technology & You column and himself a beta tester for Win95 who has written about it frequently.
Gordon Eubanks will address questions such as the benefits of the new system, how it will affect business users -- and what can be done to ease the transition. If you use Symantec's Norton Utilities, learn how the company's new Windows 95 products (Norton Utilities, Norton Navigator, and Norton AntiVirus) will help you protect and manage your PC in the new environment.
Eubanks, also a member of Symantec's board of directors, founded the company in 1982. Previously, he was vice-president of Digital Research Inc.'s commercial systems division, where he was responsible for the development and marketing of all system software products. Gordon Eubanks' screen name is Gordon Eu.
With Gordon Eubanks on stage is Steve Wildstrom (SWildBW) of BW's Technology & You column. Prior to taking on this assignment in mid-1994, he served as senior news editor in the Washington bureau for eight years and as a correspondent in Washington and Detroit. The moderator is Jack Dierdorff
(JackBW), consulting editor of BW Online. And now on to your questions!
JackBW: Good evening, all of you on AOL. And welcome to BW Online, Gordon Eubanks. Hi, Steve Wildstrom.
GordonEu: Thanks. Glad to participate.
SWildBW: Good evening.
JackBW: Steve, you can throw out the first question for Gordon.
SWildBW: Gordon, Windows 95 contains a lot of utilities that were left to independent software vendors like Symantec in earlier versions. How do you decide where to compete, and where to leave the field to Microsoft?
GordonEu: Actually, Win95 has less utilities than Win 3.1 -- i.e., no antivirus. What we do is to work hard early with Microsoft to fill the holes, but we really are not being encroached on«MDNM» by Win95!
SWildBW: But, for example, you left backup out of Norton Utilities 95. Why?
GordonEu: We are focusing backup on workstations and servers with Norton Enterprise Backup. Microsoft has a good backup in Win95.
JackBW: Bestx3 in Alexandria, Va., has a pretty basic consumer question.
Question: Why buy Windows 95 now for home use?
JackBW: Both of you may have some thoughts.
GordonEu: I think it is a much better game machine and better for communications.
SWildBW: If you're really comfortable and happy with Windows 3.1 or 3.11, there probably isn't that great a hurry. But Win95 is much easier to use. Probably more important, it will use all of your memory efficiently.
GordonEu: Also, plug and play is great.
JackBW: C7681 in Evansville, Ind., has another basic question. Steve?
Question: What are the main differences between Win95 and Win 3.1?
SWildBW: I'm not sure where to start. The interface is completely different. The file manager isn't a nightmare, though if I can put in a plug for a Symantec product, you won't want to use the Windows Explorer after trying Navigator. You really can run multiple, big applications like Word and Excel and move data between them without expecting a crash at any moment.
JackBW: I have a suggestion as part of the answer, Steve: People should read your Technology & You columns in Business Week.
GordonEu: To me the big difference is that Win95 has better stability and better communications. Also, I think that multitasking is a real benefit. Also do not forget that new stuff will be designed for Win95.
JackBW: JonPaul 11 has a rather challenging question for you, Gordon. Think he's from Redmond?
Question: Microsoft will eventually not only take over your market, but push you out of business. What do you think of that?
GordonEu: I think that there are more and more opportunities to protect data as we get more complex systems, but it is our job to work with Microsoft to continue to add value. There's no indication they want to take over our business -- they had antivirus in Win 3.1 but not in Win95.
SWildBW: Microsoft originally planned a much bigger set of utilities for Win95, but they scaled back the plans. Partly, I think, because they found that writing good utilities is really hard. I think they'll leave a lot of the field to independents.
JackBW: Try this question, from Kwopper1.
Question: How many updates do you think we will have to go through before Win95 is bug-free?
GordonEu: I think that today Win95 is very solid. I have been using it since December and really recommend it now. Of course, it will get better, but this is not Win 3.0.
SWildBW: Strangely enough, Win95 became really solid with the first test release Microsoft sent out after they shipped the preview edition to 400,000 or so buyers. There were really big improvements in the last few "builds."
GordonEu: I agree it is now much better than the preview.
JackBW: Christinb in New York tosses this question in.
Question: We have not yet seen products that are labeled "designed for Windows 95." When will that change?
GordonEu: Right now, we have three products in the stores, and I think by the end of this week there will be many more -- lots of games by Christmas!
JackBW: Here's a question from Betacam00 -- I haven't heard this rumor yet.
Question: What can you tell us about the rumors concerning Microsoft being able to read everything on your hard drive once you register with Microsoft Network?
JackBW: Gordon, while you're at it, have you tried MSN -- and how is it?
GordonEu: I think that online registration is a benefit to customers in general, and Microsoft does this in an above-board way. I do not believe that people should be prying. I have used MSN -- seems good, but so is AOL.
JackBW: Steve wants to add.
SWildBW: The rumor about the Registration Wizard started with an erroneous story published in the trade magazine Information Week in May. Info Week has long since published a correction, but the story has assumed a life of its own. It simply isn't true.
JackBW: SCWillson wants to hear more about your backup strategy, Gordon.
Question: So, how come Symantec hasn't released an improved backup program for Win95? The one it (Win95) ships with doesn't support SCSI drives.
GordonEu: We are focusing backup on network environments, so we did Norton Enterprise Backup. We are looking at the desktop opportunity alone, since the SCSI issue has surfaced from many of our customers.
SWildBW: Just to clear up some possible confusion -- Win95 will back up a SCSI disk drive, but it doesn't support SCSI tape drives.
JackBW: Now one from Drgary1 in San Diego.
Question: I just purchased Norton Utilities a month or two ago. Will I have to purchase a new package, or will there be some type of free to low-cost upgrade?
GordonEu: You are entitled to our best price directly from us (800 441-7234). Also there are upgrades in retail for existing customers who do not want to order direct.
JackBW: Here's SAW52.
Question: Why doesn't Win95 have antivirus?
GordonEu: I believe that with all the things Microsoft wanted to focus on, they left this to third parties like Symantec.
JackBW: A pertinent point from E1361 in Alpharetta, Ga.
Question: What percentage of business users will have to upgrade hard- disk-drive space to accommodate Win95? Do you think Win95 will drive up demand in the chip market?
GordonEu: I would recommend 500 meg of hard disk for Win95. It will help sell high-end chips -- i.e., Pentiums and P6.
JackBW: Steve, you can probably answer this, from RedDog581 in Chula Vista, Calif.
Question: How long did it take to develop and make Windows 95? If you already answered this, I must have missed it.
SWildBW: About a year longer than Microsoft planned.
JackBW: As the world has noticed.
SWildBW: The development has been going on for about four years, but it really only became the top-priority project after Windows NT shipped in 1993.
JackBW: Try this next, from G De Bell, in the San Francisco area.
Question: I deal with businesses that need to be sure that basic applications can be used. Now they use Windows applications, but have basic DOS applications that can be run from the DOS prompt when the inevitable crash comes. Will this be possible with Win95?
GordonEu: Yes, you get complete DOS.
JackBW: DLyne is next, from Nantucket.
Question: How difficult and how much hard-disk space does installation take?
SWildBW: The disk space is about 50 megs, though you'll need more than that free during installation. You can take the requirement down by choosing a "minimal" installation, but you give up a lot of features in the process. If the installation goes smoothly -- and it has on most of the machines I've tried -- it's really quite simple. You'll really want a CD rather than the floppies, though.
GordonEu: It takes about an hour to install. Nice wizard technology! Yes, on CD!
JackBW: BAndrysiak in Jacksonville, Fla.,. has a communications-related question.
Question: Isn't Win95 coming out with TCP/IP support?
GordonEu: Yes, it is built in. It has both IPX, TCP/IP built in and works for me.
SWildBW: And it's fairly easy to configure!
GordonEu: I think the networking is a big strength!
JackBW: Win95bad has this to test your wits.
Question: Why buy Windows 95 when I'm already using the final version?
GordonEu: If it is a registered copy, no reason.
SWildBW: Depends what you mean by the final version. If it's Build 950, that's final or almost final.
JackBW: Take this from Ah Lias next, from Pico Rivera, Calif.
Question: I've seen a video called, "Microsoft Windows 95 Video Guide." There is a bunch of impressive stuff on there, like "Right Clicking" and the new "Task Bar." But how can you view CD video? I don't think my CD-ROM is capable of doing that.
GordonEu: Video drivers are built into Win95. I think it works with all the MS CDs -- at least, the ones I have used.
SWildBW: A lot of the new PCs shipping this fall will feature MPEG video compression. It will really take PC video to a new level -- full-frame, full-motion and at least VHS quality.
JackBW: From Teaneck, N.J., BobA has a question I've heard a lot.
Question: Gordon, what's your opinion on how much RAM is needed for Win95 to run well?
GordonEu: I really think 8 meg, but why not go for 16?
JackBW: David Slv in Sherman Oaks, Calif., sends us this.
Question: How does Win95 compare with OS/2 Warp?
SWildBW: IBM is right that Warp is technically superior. So is Windows NT and in much the same way. Windows 95 demands less hardware and is much, much easier to install. The big problem for Warp is that it will only run Windows 3.x software for the foreseeable future. All the cool stuff coming out will run on 95 and NT (games on 95 only) but not on Warp. Big, big problem for IBM.
JackBW: For business users, DWiita2493 in Birmingham, Ala., has a cogent question.
Question: My company is mostly Win 3.x and Windows for Workgroups 3.11. How will Win95 be better for us? Everything I've seen tells me I want this for at least home use. But convincing the powers that be? That may be more difficult without more technical ammunition.
GordonEu: Lower support costs and better networking.
SWildBW: I don't know what software you use, but try pasting an Excel chart into a Word document, then dropping the result into a PowerPoint presentation. This will actually work in Win95. It's theoretically possible in 3.1, but almost guaranteed to produce a crash.
JackBW: Another question I've heard often, from MKMcHugh in Virginia.
Question: Will upgrading to Windows 95 impact the software I run now? For example, Word for Windows and Microsoft Works? I have a Pentium 75mhz with 8 ram -- will it work on my system?
GordonEu: My own experience is that the Win 3.1 stuff works great. I know Office does, cc:Mail does, ACT! does.
JackBW: Tom5057101 is up next.
Question: For Gordon -- what are your plans for the products you will have when/if the Delrina acquisition is completed? Will the products remain independent or should we expect to see a "suite" of communications and remote- access products from Symantec?
GordonEu: Delrina is on the same track they were. WinFax for Win 95 is due in November. They have a communications suite now and will have a better one for Win95. Our view with acquisitions is to keep the strategy that is in place. We will include pcANYWHERE in that group.
JackBW: Gordon, a question about modem links, from ShawnBrad.
Question: Does Win95 have a good Terminal program for modem communications?
GordonEu: I have not really used it except to configure an ISDN modem, but it seems fine.
JackBW: We're almost out of time. Steve, do you have a final question for Gordon?
SWildBW: O.K. Microsoft expects to sell at least 20 million copies of Windows 95 in the last four months of this year. Do you think they'll make it? And how many copies of Norton Utilities and Navigator do you expect to sell?
GordonEu: I think that they will be very successful -- 20 million would be better than that. We are looking for a large number of Win95 customers to buy utilities. For a start, they all really should get Norton AntiVirus. Overall, we would be very happy with a strong early adoption.
JackBW: That's a wrap. Thanks so much for being with us, Gordon. And thanks, Steve.
GordonEu: Thanks much for having me. Enjoyed!
OnlineHost: Thanks to Gordon Eubanks of Symantec, Steve Wildstrom of Business Week's Technology & You column, and all the BW Online team for this conference on making the most of Windows 95. If you're using a version of AOL with access to the Web, you can find out more about Symantec via keyword: Symantec. And thanks to all of you on AOL -- with apologies to those whose questions we didn't have time for.
If you'd like to continue the discussion, we invite you to move to the BW Online Chat Room or post comments and questions on the BW Online Message Boards (try Computers & Communications). Transcripts of all BW Online conferences are available soon after the event (look under Talk, Special Events, or Search BW, or for this one also in BW Online's Computer Room, under What's New on the BW Online opening screen).
Mark your calendars for another BW Online conference Wednesday, Aug. 23, on small business and the Internet, with BW's Gary McWilliams, who specializes in covering technology for small business, and Evan Jones of TSI Soccer (8 pm ET, Coliseum). And remember to join us in the Globe every Sunday at 9 pm ET for BW Online's weekly conference with editors and newsmakers, usually featuring a discussion of the Cover Story in the current issue of Business Week. Thanks again and goodnight!
Copyright 1995 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
