OS/2 Shareware BBS: 36 Tips/36-Tips.zip/osotwnwp.txt

Text File | 1997-03-23 | 9KB | 187 lines

OSOTWNWP - HOW WINDOWS 95 STACKS UP AGAINST OS/2 WARP
12/01/95

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              How Windows 95 Stacks Up against OS/2 Warp
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Please Read Entire Document for Full Explanation of Procedures
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DESCRIPTION

This document describes some key differences between Windows 95 and
OS/2 Warp.

RESOLUTION

The operating system is both the brain and the central nervous system
of your computer. It affects everything that happens. So if you are
thinking about buying a computer or want to upgrade your current model,
choosing the right operating system is a key decision. You need to
consider four critical areas when evaluating your choice of operating
system: reliability, usability, productivity enhancement, and
technological advantages.

Reliability
-----------
How does the operating system protect itself and the computer when
something goes wrong with your software programs?

  OS/2 Warp is designed with a feature called OS/2 Crash Protection,
  which allows the computer to continue running even if an application
  fails. The premise of this safeguard is that all applications run
  protected in their own address space. The fate of one application
  does not affect the system or any other application. OS/2 Warp merely
  shuts down the faulty application while other programs continue to
  run. This robust design makes for an extremely reliable operating
  system capable of handling mission-critical, line-of-business
  applications.

  Windows 95 is not fully protected from all application failures. The
  new applications written specifically for Windows 95 can process
  information in the same area of the computer's memory as the
  operating system. Therefore, if a problem occurs in that common
  portion of memory, the application can cause the entire operating
  system to crash. Older, 16-bit applications that fail can cause other
  applications--and possibly the whole system--to lock up as well. Once
  this happens, you can only recover by restarting your system. Unlike
  OS/2 Warp, applications in Windows 95 are not completely protected in
  their own address space. DOS applications have an additional problem,
  because Windows 95 lets them manipulate the hardware directly. This
  too can cause the entire system to crash.

Can the operating system damage my data? How can we be confident of
data integrity?

  With OS/2 Warp, your data is secure. Data, applications, and the
  operating system itself, are processed in separate "rooms" within the
  computer's memory. Furthermore, if you have more than one application
  running at a time, each application is processed in its own separate
  room.

  With Windows 95, situations occur where data can be damaged. For
  example, data is vulnerable when an application stores it in an area
  called the system cache, prior to writing the data to its permanent
  storage location. If the system crashes before the contents of the
  cache are saved, the data is lost. Furthermore, if a second
  application stores data in the cache before the original contents are
  saved, this overwrite also causes the data to be lost.

Usability
---------
Since the icons on my Desktop represent actual files in my computer,
and I can move them from one place to another, how does the operating
system track the relationship between these icons and the actual files?

  With OS/2 Warp, the system tracks the icons dynamically. What this
  means to you, the user, is that every time you make a change to the
  file, the icon knows it.

  With Windows 95, it's easy to break the icon structure with shortcuts.
  When you create a shortcut, a pointer to the file location is created.
  If you then move the file, the pointer is not updated to the new
  location. So when you click on the icon to get to the file, the system
  has to search the entire hard file on the basis of only the file size
  and date stamp. If your computer is attached to a network, Windows 95
  will search the entire network, and this can take a very long time.
  If you move the file to a different disk volume, the system will not
  find the file at all.

Learning and using a system is much easier if you do all the tasks in
the same way. Does the operating system use a consistent interface for
all functions?

  The OS/2 Warp user interface is completely consistent. For example,
  the drag-and-drop capability applies to all functions.

  Windows 95 does not maintain a consistent interface. The Win 95
  drag-and-drop features are applicable only to some objects. There are
  exceptions that you need to remember. For example, you cannot drag
  objects to the "My Computer" folder. If you want to delete a dial-up
  networking connection because you no longer need it, you cannot drag
  its icon to the Windows 95 Recycler. Windows 95 does not let you drag
  items to the Start menu either. In addition to the drag-and-drop
  inconsistencies, use of the right mouse button is inconsistent. In
  most places you can press the right mouse button to invoke a pop-up
  menu. If you try to do this at the Start button, it will not work.

Productivity
------------
If you don't buy applications specifically written for the 32-bit
operating system and, instead, keep running the applications you
already own, will the operating system still improve your productivity?

  Improvements in productivity come from an operating system's
  ability to perform preemptive multitasking. With preemptive
  multitasking, an operating system controls which application is
  running at any time. In an operating system without preemptive
  multitasking, an application can wrest control of the computer
  and not release it until its work is complete. There are no
  caveats to the multitasking capability of OS/2 Warp. Consequently,
  you can simultaneously fax a note to someone, download a file
  from the Internet, and more, while you run your favorite 16-bit
  Windows application.

  Windows 95 cannot perform preemptive multitasking when 16-bit
  applications are running. Therefore, if you plan to use mostly
  older 16-bit applications, you should not expect to see
  productivity improvements. There also are times when Windows 95
  cannot multitask 32-bit applications. Windows 95 uses older
  16-bit code for two very important modules (Window management
  and Graphics Device Interface). When an application needs to
  use these modules, it must wait in line until the previous
  application gives up control; the operating system cannot
  preempt it. If a 32-bit application needs to use one of these
  two modules, it might have to wait for it. That application is
  not able to multitask while it waits. In addition, 16-bit
  applications can inhibit the multitasking-related performance
  of the 32-bit applications. When you run a mix of 16-bit and
  32-bit applications, Windows 95 resorts to a less sophisticated
  form of multitasking called cooperative multitasking.

How well does the system run multimedia applications when it's doing
other functions at the same time?

  With the preemptive multitasking of OS/2 Warp, multimedia
  applications run smoothly, even when the system is doing other
  functions. Therefore, a video clip running while other tasks
  work in the background will look the same as a clip running
  by itself.

  The multitasking problems mentioned previously compromise
  Windows 95 performance as a serious multimedia production
  platform. If a Windows 95 system is doing other operations
  while running an audio or video clip, you can perceive breakup
  in the sound and jumpiness in the pictures.

Technological Advantages
------------------------
Are the new 32-bit operating systems based on the old DOS technology?
What are the benefits or drawbacks of this design implementation?

  OS/2 was designed to overcome the shortcomings of the older (DOS)
  technology. Furthermore, each new release of OS/2 improves the
  implementation of that design. Shedding the confines of DOS
  technology allowed OS/2 to become a robust and enduring operating
  system.

  Windows 95 is based on DOS technology that dates back to the
  early 1980's. The older technology affects Windows 95's ability
  to multitask and to effectively manage the memory in your PC.
  For example, Windows 95 might report "out of memory" messages,
  when, with the same amount of memory, another operating system,
  such as OS/2 Warp, can and would continue to work, and even
  launch more work. From a technology perspective, Windows 95
  offers nothing new.

______________________________________________________________________
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without limitation, warranties of fitness and merchantability with
respect to the information in this document. By furnishing this
document, IBM grants no licenses to any related patents or copyrights.
Copyright (c) 1994, 1995 IBM Corporation. Any trademarks and product
or brand names referenced in this document are the property of their
respective owners. Consult your product manuals for complete trademark
information.