This article was published in PC Plus issue 142 (Aug 98), and is reproduced here for information purposes only. This is the original copy which was sent to the magazine, not the subbed version which appeared on the page. |
Conclusion to Windows 98 review, August 1998This is the overall verdict panel from PC Plus's 16-page Win 98 review feature. I also wrote 13 of the other 15 pages, and commissioned and edited the other contributions. |
|
|
|
[BEGINS] Windows 98 -
the PC Plus Verdict. It's important
to judge Win 98 for what it really is. It's certainly not a new operating
system, or even a new generation of the Windows platform, in the way that
Win 3.0 (the first virtual memory version) and Win 95 were. Instead it's
an update release, the equivalent of Windows 3.1 (its internal version
number is 4.10), and a pretty good one too. As you’d expect from an update rather than a replacement, Win 98's
basic performance and reliability haven't changed much from Win 95's - a
shame, but as a short-life architecture (until the mainstream's ready for
Windows NT), Windows 9X never was going to get any fundamental
development. Around the periphery, however, there are plenty of
improvements. Win 98's IE4-enhanced desktop interface is richer and easier to use than
the Win 95 original. The FAT32 filing system is an absolute must for
today's high-volume disks. The inclusion of all the software upgrades that
have emerged in the past three years (DCOM, Winsock 2.0, DirectX 5 etc)
brings the PC instantly up to date. Support for new technologies such as
USB, FireWire and (at last) comprehensive power management sets the PC up
for the next few years. It's the same basic Windows as before, but made
significantly better through point-by-point enhancements.
Win 98 differs from other update products, however, in that many of
its features have already been released to some or all of its potential
customers. How compelling it is (and how painful the price tag seems)
depends on how many of them you already have on your PC. If you currently use Windows 3.1 then everything will be new and it's the
best Windows yet (although your hardware may struggle to keep up if it's
near the 486/66, 16MB minimum). Things are also fairly clear-cut if
you’re using the original 'Gold' release of Win 95 - FAT32, a welter of
detailed updates and the genuinely new items make this a worthwhile
investment, even if you've already installed IE4. That leaves people whose PCs, bought in the last 18-24 months, have Win
95 OSR2 with FAT32 and most of the communications upgrades. Add IE4 (from
the PC Plus SuperCD) and you've got something that simply isn't £85 away
from Win 98. Yet you'll probably find that Win 98 is still a must-have
upgrade - if not right now then within 18 months, and if only so that you
can say 'yes, I'm running Win 98' to the person supporting your new 'Win
98-compatible' software or hardware. For OSR2 users, it's least painful to
think of Win 98 as a retrospective payment for the post-launch Win 95
goodies you've already had. [ENDS]
|
|||
