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WHY WINDOWS? |
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Well
it's easy isn't it? You buy a computer - it comes with Windows®
pre-installed - you've got no choice. Everyone else uses Windows® don't they,
so it must be the only operating system, mustn't it? There are, without
doubt, plenty of applications available. Microsoft tell us that this is the best operating system
yet, so that must be true. I always believe advertising - don't you?
It's
easy to get started using a Windows PC because so many other people use
the system, so it's easy to get help, advice and support from friends,
family and colleagues. In this respect it is self propagating.
The
fact that the system is so heavily promoted, pushed and advertised also
helps. Certainly it is reasonably easy to use and administer,
installing
new applications is usually fairly straightforward. But when
things go wrong, and they really
can fall over, users will often have to retreat to our knowledgable
friend and burden them with our various computer migraines, and if that
does not work it's off with the darned machine to the local repair shop.
Crash Proof Your PC
Crash Proof Your PC
Microsoft
(though not single-handedly) have bravely attempted to bring the
complex world of computing to the
general public with an easy to understand Graphical User Interface
(GUI) - the desktop and its controls - with all its pretty colours and
icons, a massive advance from the rather ugly world of DOS based
programs that we were stuck with not so long ago, that had unattractive
difficult to use, or non-graphical interfaces.
Users
never have to deal with the 32bit (or the up and coming 64bit) code
that makes a computer and its applications run, this is kept invisible
to the user, working away in the background deep inside the PC with all
the billions of ones and zeros being all neatly translated into words
and pictures by the pretty Windows GUI environment to make the PC
easier to use. There are automated features and amazing 'wizards' that
perform complex tasks without the user having to think too hard, or
know
how anything really works. It is all clever stuff, but there are
faults.
Microsoft's Windows operating system has without doubt advanced the cause of the 'easy to use PC' but has it been at the expense of true reliability? Most PC owners who have owned a computer for a year or two are reasonably happy about adding peripherals or hardware and installing (and un-installing) various software applications, but the advancements of ease of use has not always been matched with system reliabilty.
Indeed all these 'easy' system changes; software installs and uninstalls, probably conspire to make the Windows computer less stable and more likely to "fall over" with some form of error. We've all had to deal with blue screens, frustrating messages and, more annoyingly, lost or corrupt data i.e your report that took hours to write mysteriously becomes corrupt and unreadable.
While each successive version of Windows (1.0; 2.0; 3.0; 95; 98; M.E.) brought an improvement in useability and functionality, it also needed more and more system capacity, i.e. bigger hard drive, faster processor larger RAM memory capacity, but the reliability for the average user seemed to barely improve...... that is until the current version of Windows was released in the form of XP. Windows XP ditched the FAT file system that was used by previous Windows versions in favour of a more efficient and reliable system called NTFS (New technology File System). Windows XP (along with Windows 2000 Professional, which also uses NTFS) is almost certainly the most reliable operating system released by Microsoft.
BUT Windows XP is often criticised as being a large piece of 'bloatware' that hogs lots of disk space, even today XP is still has its hertitage in the 15 year old technology dating back from 3.x, we still have to deal with the registry, XP also continues to suffer with many security issues and problems such as Spyware or Adware that can easily install themselves onto a Windows system that is still insecure - this, along with the tens of thousands of viruses targetting Windows computers, can make owning a Windows based PC a very frustrating experience.
With all this against it, it is a wonder anyone continues to use the system at all!
SO HOW DID WE GET HERE?
In the 1970's there was a general upturn in interest in 'personal computing'. IBM, who had previously been involved with computing solutions for large corporations and institutions, decided to launch a Personal Computer manufactured from readily available standard components. This new IBM Personal Computer (PC) was launched in 1981 and named the IBM PC XT and had a 4.77 MHz Intel processor at its heart (Don't get too excited now - current computers often use processors running in excess of 3200 MHz !).
For any computer to be anything other than just simply a collection of electronic components inside a box it requires an operating system to enable the descrete parts to work together and be able to perform useful tasks. The key to this is an Operating System (O.S) and the Operating System that IBM chose for its first PC was MS-DOS bought from a new company that no-one had heard of called Microsoft, owned by Bill Gates. (What ever happened to them?)
The IBM PC quickly evolved with the IBM PC XT being brought to market in 1983, but this was replaced with the IBM PC AT standard in 1984. The AT standard was generally adopted and many other companies produced IBM AT 'clones' which used similar hardware that could run the same software as the IBM machines.
Redmond, We Have A Problem -
C:\WINDOWS\VIRUSES\WORMS\TROJANS\MORE~PROBLEMS%%%~BILLY~
Computers, particularly those currently running Windows®, should be treated with respect as it can be insecure and is always under threat from VIRUS and TROJAN attacks, which will wreak havok with your PC, it is also targeted by WORMS that spread malicious virus-ridden e-mails from your computer, which not only could be damaging to the PC's concerned but also slows down the e-mail system and clogs up in-boxes.
Most of this could be eliminated if users stopped and thought twice, or even three times before opening e-mails.
Never open an e-mail that seems to be unsolicited SPAM, just delete it. It may be wise to not have the Preview Pane of Outlook Express open either. It may be better to close it and do not use it.
Even if you receive an e-mail from someone that you know, think twice before opening any attachment, it could still contain a malicious attachment the other person realising it. So:
Microsoft's Windows operating system has without doubt advanced the cause of the 'easy to use PC' but has it been at the expense of true reliability? Most PC owners who have owned a computer for a year or two are reasonably happy about adding peripherals or hardware and installing (and un-installing) various software applications, but the advancements of ease of use has not always been matched with system reliabilty.
Indeed all these 'easy' system changes; software installs and uninstalls, probably conspire to make the Windows computer less stable and more likely to "fall over" with some form of error. We've all had to deal with blue screens, frustrating messages and, more annoyingly, lost or corrupt data i.e your report that took hours to write mysteriously becomes corrupt and unreadable.
While each successive version of Windows (1.0; 2.0; 3.0; 95; 98; M.E.) brought an improvement in useability and functionality, it also needed more and more system capacity, i.e. bigger hard drive, faster processor larger RAM memory capacity, but the reliability for the average user seemed to barely improve...... that is until the current version of Windows was released in the form of XP. Windows XP ditched the FAT file system that was used by previous Windows versions in favour of a more efficient and reliable system called NTFS (New technology File System). Windows XP (along with Windows 2000 Professional, which also uses NTFS) is almost certainly the most reliable operating system released by Microsoft.
BUT Windows XP is often criticised as being a large piece of 'bloatware' that hogs lots of disk space, even today XP is still has its hertitage in the 15 year old technology dating back from 3.x, we still have to deal with the registry, XP also continues to suffer with many security issues and problems such as Spyware or Adware that can easily install themselves onto a Windows system that is still insecure - this, along with the tens of thousands of viruses targetting Windows computers, can make owning a Windows based PC a very frustrating experience.
With all this against it, it is a wonder anyone continues to use the system at all!
SO HOW DID WE GET HERE?
In the 1970's there was a general upturn in interest in 'personal computing'. IBM, who had previously been involved with computing solutions for large corporations and institutions, decided to launch a Personal Computer manufactured from readily available standard components. This new IBM Personal Computer (PC) was launched in 1981 and named the IBM PC XT and had a 4.77 MHz Intel processor at its heart (Don't get too excited now - current computers often use processors running in excess of 3200 MHz !).
For any computer to be anything other than just simply a collection of electronic components inside a box it requires an operating system to enable the descrete parts to work together and be able to perform useful tasks. The key to this is an Operating System (O.S) and the Operating System that IBM chose for its first PC was MS-DOS bought from a new company that no-one had heard of called Microsoft, owned by Bill Gates. (What ever happened to them?)
The IBM PC quickly evolved with the IBM PC XT being brought to market in 1983, but this was replaced with the IBM PC AT standard in 1984. The AT standard was generally adopted and many other companies produced IBM AT 'clones' which used similar hardware that could run the same software as the IBM machines.
As for Microsoft MS-DOS evolved from v1.0
in 1981 through to MS-DOS v6.22 in 1994. Many DOS applications
were used by users, but Microsoft was also developing the Interface
Manager that would be called "Windows". "Windows" would bring a
user friendly and graphical desktop to the computer screen, rather than
white on black writing and blocky looking symbols. Microsoft announced
its Windows® graphical user interface in November
1983 AFTER Apple
Computers had
actually released the Apple Lisa
which used a new graphical user interface system. So Apple
Computer actually beat Microsoft in bringing a user friendly interface
to the computer desktop!
Microsoft eventually released Windows® 1.0 in 1985 after many delays and sales were quite low, possibly not helped by the fact that it was released a year after Apple Computers had released its revolutionary new Apple Macintosh machine which boasted a Graphical User Interface and could be controlled by something called a 'mouse'.
Microsoft - Anti-Competitive, Anti-Trust and Market Manipulation Claims
MS continued developing Windows® making it more useable with Windows 2.0 which was released in late 1987. A completely new version of Windows® was developed and released as Windows 3.0 in 1990 and sold 3 million copies in one year. The computer industry and the public were now beginning to climb on board the Windows bandwagon. The Windows of 1990 perhaps wasn't very good by todays standards but it seemed to be a marvel at the time. Apple continued developing its superior systems, but due to massive promotion by Microsoft (and possibly the widely alleged industry manipulation, anti-competitive & anti-trust mal-practices further along the line), it was the Windows system of Microsoft that was to grow to dominate the PC desktop market.
Other Well known Windows Versions:
In 1992 MS released an updated version Windows 3.1, and in 1994 a version called Windows for Workgroups a.k.a Windows 3.11 which allowed better netwoking of PC's. Windows 3.1 was my first introduction to the use of the PC and I thought it was absolutely miraculous! The v3.1 system required an IBM compatible machine with an 80386 processor, 2MB or more of RAM, 8MB Hard Disk and a 3.5" or 5.25" Floppy Drive, VGA video, Keyboard and Mouse with the MS-DOS 3.1 (or higher) operating system doing the donkey work. Windows 3.11 required a bit more, but the PC I used was a 486 DX66 machine with 12 Meg RAM and a 512 MB Hard Drive. Amazing!
Microsoft eventually released Windows® 1.0 in 1985 after many delays and sales were quite low, possibly not helped by the fact that it was released a year after Apple Computers had released its revolutionary new Apple Macintosh machine which boasted a Graphical User Interface and could be controlled by something called a 'mouse'.
Microsoft - Anti-Competitive, Anti-Trust and Market Manipulation Claims
MS continued developing Windows® making it more useable with Windows 2.0 which was released in late 1987. A completely new version of Windows® was developed and released as Windows 3.0 in 1990 and sold 3 million copies in one year. The computer industry and the public were now beginning to climb on board the Windows bandwagon. The Windows of 1990 perhaps wasn't very good by todays standards but it seemed to be a marvel at the time. Apple continued developing its superior systems, but due to massive promotion by Microsoft (and possibly the widely alleged industry manipulation, anti-competitive & anti-trust mal-practices further along the line), it was the Windows system of Microsoft that was to grow to dominate the PC desktop market.
Other Well known Windows Versions:
In 1992 MS released an updated version Windows 3.1, and in 1994 a version called Windows for Workgroups a.k.a Windows 3.11 which allowed better netwoking of PC's. Windows 3.1 was my first introduction to the use of the PC and I thought it was absolutely miraculous! The v3.1 system required an IBM compatible machine with an 80386 processor, 2MB or more of RAM, 8MB Hard Disk and a 3.5" or 5.25" Floppy Drive, VGA video, Keyboard and Mouse with the MS-DOS 3.1 (or higher) operating system doing the donkey work. Windows 3.11 required a bit more, but the PC I used was a 486 DX66 machine with 12 Meg RAM and a 512 MB Hard Drive. Amazing!
Windows®
95 was the next Operating System released by Microsoft, it brought a
more functional user friendly graphical interface. Windows 95 supported
the FAT16 file allocation table system and also brought with it a real
entry point into the developing world of that exciting (new) technology
called the Internet with the
standard inclusion of a browser called Internet
Explorer. My employers at the time were investing in new
computers and these came equiped with this wonderful new operating
system. Even so, myself and my collegues would often experience
just how frustrating and time wasting the computer experience can be as
we witnessed the many freezes that Windows 95 seemed to inflict upon
us! It was probably these frustrations that what put me off
investing in a computer at home at that time. But I suppose people were
amazed (or brainwashed) into buying into this new technology because it
was all gleaming and new.
Windows®
98/98SE promised better things. As Windows® 98 is loaded
afresh onto a PC we get a greeting message that says something to the
effect of 'Welcome to Windows 98, computing just got better'.
Yeah
right! Because Windows95 could often be so awful it would have
been difficult for Windows 98 to be any worse! It's like
admitting
that 'our previous system was a bit of a dud, but here's the new one
you've just paid a ton for - we think it's better'. It had better
be better! Was it? Yes it was, Windows 98SE is certainly superior
to '95, but still hopelessly unstable (laughably awful when compared to
a GNU/Linux system).
Windows 98 was more comprehensively featured, and used the lastest and more space efficient file allocation table called the FAT32 file system, but ask any Windows 98 user and I'll bet that they were (and still are) plagued by those freezes, crashes and blue screens. Despite all these poor instability problems, because Windows98 is relatively easy to use, it is probably still relied upon (ha!) by about a third of PC users in 2004, and with LINUX systems now really threatening Microsoft's dominance in the PC market, MS has decided not to end support for Windows 98 in 2004, but continue until 2006, which is a good and a bad thing depending on which side of the Linux vs MS debate you happen to be on.
Windows 2000 Professional saw the light of day around 1999 and used a different file system to the other general Windows systems. Whereas Win 98, for example used FAT32, Win 2000 Pro uses NTFS and much better and more reliable way of arranging files on your hard drive, coupled with an updated GUI, Windows 2000 Professional is arguable the best Operating System Microsoft have produced so far.
Windows 98 was more comprehensively featured, and used the lastest and more space efficient file allocation table called the FAT32 file system, but ask any Windows 98 user and I'll bet that they were (and still are) plagued by those freezes, crashes and blue screens. Despite all these poor instability problems, because Windows98 is relatively easy to use, it is probably still relied upon (ha!) by about a third of PC users in 2004, and with LINUX systems now really threatening Microsoft's dominance in the PC market, MS has decided not to end support for Windows 98 in 2004, but continue until 2006, which is a good and a bad thing depending on which side of the Linux vs MS debate you happen to be on.
Windows 2000 Professional saw the light of day around 1999 and used a different file system to the other general Windows systems. Whereas Win 98, for example used FAT32, Win 2000 Pro uses NTFS and much better and more reliable way of arranging files on your hard drive, coupled with an updated GUI, Windows 2000 Professional is arguable the best Operating System Microsoft have produced so far.
Then came
Windows® Millennium Edition (ME) - seemingly a hybrid of
Windows 98 and the professional Windows 2000. Windows ME was a
stop gap between Win98 and the release of WindowsXP and it showed -
although it had more and better features than Win98 it was still just
as
unstable. Millennium had a similar graphical user interface to
Windows 2000 Professional but, unlike 2000 which used NTFS, ME still
utilised FAT32, which proably contibuted to its renowned unreliability!
Finally we
have Windows® XP, which promises (again) a better Windows operating
system. Windows XP is, in fact, just a small advancement of
Windows 2000 (NT 5.0) since XP is actually NT 5.1 and, amazingly you
may think, Windows XP still borrows some of its technology from the
ancient 'steam engine' of the computer world - Windows 3.x, and
we still have to deal with the old registry. However XP promises
a more stable environment as its management of the .dll file extensions
is said to be improved and it can use the more efficient NTFS (New
Technology File System) while also being able to utilise and read from
the older FAT32 system. It has a very pretty new GUI desktop -
very good looking - it is
more
stable but certainly not flawless. Unfortunately Microsoft left
many security flaws in Windows XP, so it remains prone to various
malicious attacks from Viruses and Hackers etc. Microsoft has had
to continually issue patches in an attempt to plug these holes, so it
is important for the user to keep their system up to date and obviously
use an Anti Virus appliction and Firewall. Ensure that at least
Service Pack One (SP1a) is installed and, when proven to be reliable -
Service Pack 2.
Windows XP is undoubtedly a very good effort from MS, and as long as it is kept free of viruses it is usually very pleasant to use and has many new useful features, the GUI (desktop environment) is good looking and pleasantly designed.
Product Activation
The big issue with XP and other new Microsoft products, such as Office, (apart from the extortionate costs of course) is that it need to be activated by going on-line to log on to the Microsoft website so that Microsoft can authorise its use on your PC. In effect it means that Microsoft virtually own your PC with its restrictive licencing policies.
Microsoft don't seem to see that this is REALLY annoying more and more users. Funny thing is that more and more users are converting to other operating systems from different companies such as SuSe / Novell Linux and Mandrake Linux etc etc.
More About Hardware
The 'Form Factor' i.e. the physical layout of the Personal Computer has changed and evolved over time. As mentioned the first IBM standard was the XT and this soon evolved into the AT which again was updated into the current standard, the ATX. However from 2005 a new form factor called BTX has become available. This new BTX standard will provide a motherboard, compnent and case layout that is better suited to cooling of the system. Newer and more powerful computers tend to generate increasing amounts of heat as the speed of computing increases.
MS has a new version of Windows in the pipline due for release sometime in 2007. In the mean time MS released an update to the popular Windows XP operating system in the form of 'Service Pack 2' - to keep the pot boiling.
What we do know is that the forthcoming new Microsoft OS, Windows VISTA, will be bigger and even more bloated than ever before - having massive RAM requirements and requiring even more hard disk space. Hardly good news really, patrticularly as Vista won't really do much more for the average user than the current XP operating system does already. To most general users Windows VISTA will only appear different due to the radically different style of the GUI (graphical user interface - the desktop and associated controls etc).
Afterall it is the programs (the applications) that the user installs, or that the system builder installs for its customers, that give the user most of the functionality that they require: An office suite is not part of the Windows operating system so users must chose to install additional programs such as Open Office, Star Office or the very expensive Microsoft Office. Other applications not included in the O.S. are programs such as Power DVD or WIN DVD, Nero or Easy Media Creator, Pinnacle DVD Creator, Firefox, Thunderbird, Mozilla, Antivirus app's, photo editing software such as Paint Shop Pro or PhotoShop or GIMP and users have options of an abundance of media players such as Real, iTunes, Win Amp and Media Player Classic.
Windows XP is undoubtedly a very good effort from MS, and as long as it is kept free of viruses it is usually very pleasant to use and has many new useful features, the GUI (desktop environment) is good looking and pleasantly designed.
Product Activation
The big issue with XP and other new Microsoft products, such as Office, (apart from the extortionate costs of course) is that it need to be activated by going on-line to log on to the Microsoft website so that Microsoft can authorise its use on your PC. In effect it means that Microsoft virtually own your PC with its restrictive licencing policies.
Microsoft don't seem to see that this is REALLY annoying more and more users. Funny thing is that more and more users are converting to other operating systems from different companies such as SuSe / Novell Linux and Mandrake Linux etc etc.
More About Hardware
The 'Form Factor' i.e. the physical layout of the Personal Computer has changed and evolved over time. As mentioned the first IBM standard was the XT and this soon evolved into the AT which again was updated into the current standard, the ATX. However from 2005 a new form factor called BTX has become available. This new BTX standard will provide a motherboard, compnent and case layout that is better suited to cooling of the system. Newer and more powerful computers tend to generate increasing amounts of heat as the speed of computing increases.
MS has a new version of Windows in the pipline due for release sometime in 2007. In the mean time MS released an update to the popular Windows XP operating system in the form of 'Service Pack 2' - to keep the pot boiling.
What we do know is that the forthcoming new Microsoft OS, Windows VISTA, will be bigger and even more bloated than ever before - having massive RAM requirements and requiring even more hard disk space. Hardly good news really, patrticularly as Vista won't really do much more for the average user than the current XP operating system does already. To most general users Windows VISTA will only appear different due to the radically different style of the GUI (graphical user interface - the desktop and associated controls etc).
Afterall it is the programs (the applications) that the user installs, or that the system builder installs for its customers, that give the user most of the functionality that they require: An office suite is not part of the Windows operating system so users must chose to install additional programs such as Open Office, Star Office or the very expensive Microsoft Office. Other applications not included in the O.S. are programs such as Power DVD or WIN DVD, Nero or Easy Media Creator, Pinnacle DVD Creator, Firefox, Thunderbird, Mozilla, Antivirus app's, photo editing software such as Paint Shop Pro or PhotoShop or GIMP and users have options of an abundance of media players such as Real, iTunes, Win Amp and Media Player Classic.
Redmond, We Have A Problem -
C:\WINDOWS\VIRUSES\WORMS\TROJANS\MORE~PROBLEMS%%%~BILLY~
Computers, particularly those currently running Windows®, should be treated with respect as it can be insecure and is always under threat from VIRUS and TROJAN attacks, which will wreak havok with your PC, it is also targeted by WORMS that spread malicious virus-ridden e-mails from your computer, which not only could be damaging to the PC's concerned but also slows down the e-mail system and clogs up in-boxes.
Most of this could be eliminated if users stopped and thought twice, or even three times before opening e-mails.
Never open an e-mail that seems to be unsolicited SPAM, just delete it. It may be wise to not have the Preview Pane of Outlook Express open either. It may be better to close it and do not use it.
Even if you receive an e-mail from someone that you know, think twice before opening any attachment, it could still contain a malicious attachment the other person realising it. So:
| If
you use any Microsoft Windows operating system on your PC you
ABSOLUTELY MUST have an ANTI-VIRUS package installed.
If you don't have anti-virus installed do it today. It is THE most
important piece of software that you will ever buy - bar none. Make sure
that you have a FIREWALL
installed too. These measures will help protect you from viruses
that could fatally damage your computer: 1/ Ensure that you have an ANTI VIRUS PACKAGE installed 2/ Ensure that it is regularly updated with the latest virus definitions - if you have not updated it for a couple of months it is probably useless. 3/ Enure that the software licence is re-newed as soon as it expires otherwise you will be unprotected 4/ Perform regular virus scans - at the very least once a week 5/ It is essential to install a FIREWALL for proper security protection 6/ STOP and THINK before opening ANY e-mail 7/ Anti-virus and firewall is software that you just cannot afford to be without. We find that NORTON and MCAFEE are far too bloated and slow all but the very newest and fastest computers down to a virtual crawl - so why not try PCCILLIN from TREND MICRO, or if funds really are tight why not try free solutions from AVG and Zone Alarm which are both excellent and don't slow your computer down very much at all: FREE AVG ANTI-VIRUS HERE FREE ZONE ALARM FIREWALL HERE FREE FIREFOX use the MUCH safer FIREFOX browser & ditch Microsoft's useless Internet Explorer FREE OpenOffice.org - a full office suite HERE FREE A Better Operating System HERE Paid For SECURITY SOFTWARE from TREND MICRO FOR A BETTER, SAFER, MORE SECURE AND MORE
EFFICIENT BROWSER
 The award winning FIREFOX
browser is much safer than Microsoft's dismal Internet Explorer browser
and so will help prevent your PC from becoming infected with piles of
'malware' which will eventually ruin your computer and could cause you
security headaches.
OFFICE SOFTWARE - Word Processing
- Spreadsheets etc:
If you don't wish to pay the extortionate
charges for MS Office then use OpenOffice.org
for FREE HERE
WISHING YOU SAFER COMPUTING - GOOD LUCK DON'T always think Microsoft - try THINKING OPEN SOURCE |
Windows 'Bit-Rot'
I'll wager that everyone has suffered with the 'bit-rot' peculiar to Windows systems - whereby Windows gradually goes slower and slower as it gradually and inevitably gets itself into more and more of a muddle as time goes by. For the enthusiatic PC owner, the only remedy is to re-install Windows periodically though this can be very labourious task (read time-wasting), for everyone else it simply means having to put up with a Windows PC that gets progressively more inefficient.
BUT THERE COULD BE ANOTHER WAY>>>>>
REDMOND WE HAVE A SOLUTION
file:/home/user/thesolution/unifiedfilesystem/mandrivalinux/etc
I'll wager that everyone has suffered with the 'bit-rot' peculiar to Windows systems - whereby Windows gradually goes slower and slower as it gradually and inevitably gets itself into more and more of a muddle as time goes by. For the enthusiatic PC owner, the only remedy is to re-install Windows periodically though this can be very labourious task (read time-wasting), for everyone else it simply means having to put up with a Windows PC that gets progressively more inefficient.
BUT THERE COULD BE ANOTHER WAY>>>>>
REDMOND WE HAVE A SOLUTION
file:/home/user/thesolution/unifiedfilesystem/mandrivalinux/etc
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