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see also: Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows NT
Also see the summary at Windows.
Windows 3.1 is a desktop operating systems made by Microsoft that runs on Intel 80x86.
Intended purpose
server/mainframe: Only very low end servers can run on this operating system.
desktop/workstation: Primarily a desktop operating system for small businesses running old hardware.
handheld: not appropriate
real time: not appropriate
Kind of OS: proprietary
Current Version: 3.1; replaced by Windows 98
Maximum Number of Processors: 1
Kernel: proprietary
POSIX: not supported
File Systems Supported: FAT (NRWF), SMB (RW) (see SMB and firewalls)
Text Command Shell: DOS command line
Graphic Command Shell: Explorere80
click on the preview image for a larger version
screen shot courtesy of Pat Gunn’s Operating Systemsw59
“Older operating systems, some of which largely predated the mass exodus of businesses to the Internet, such as Windows 3.x, are highly vulnerable, says Lynn Bernstein, president of ECG Consulting Inc., in Montclair, NJ.” —Joe Paone, MicroTimes; Oct 8, 2001m6
Other:
opinion
“Microsoft enjoyed its great success not because it had great software but because people were stuck with it. Market domination, not innovation, drove the company’s success,” wrote James Wallace in the book “Overdrive: Bill Gates and the Race to Control Cyberspace”, John Wiley & Sons, September 1997.
1.1 MB QuickTime movie of
Bill Gates explaining his criteria for selecting the best operating system.
“Windows machines have advantages, too, such as more configuration options, cheaper up front cost, availability of software, snappier response on window controls, cheaper components, more peripherals.” —Why Monopolies Are Bad, by Jeff Adkinsw77
Commentary: Quite simply, Windows guarantees more work for the M.I.S. departments — because it computers require far more technical support to do the same work. And when the M.I.S. departments make computer recommendations to management, they tend to look out for their own job security over the best interests of the business. The same reason that many retail stores also push Wintel machines — it guarantees more work for their highly profitable service departments.
Study after study has shown that Macintoshes are less expensive to support and maintain than Wintel machines. Wintel computers typically cost four to 10 times as much in support costs. Even Intel’s own internal study showed that it was costing them four times as much to support Windows machines as it did to support their Macintoshes (yes, Intel used Macintoshes for mission critical work — and since that study they have been expanding their use of Macintoshes).
Independent studies over the years
continually show that worker productivity is substantially higher on Macintoshes than on Wintel
computers. And the difference is greatest in the creative fields
(pre-press, illustration, digital photography, 2-D and 3-D animation, 3-D
modelling and rendering, film special effects, broadcast video editting, CD-ROM
production, multi-media, music composition and performance, sound editting, and
web site production), where the Macintosh is the most prevalent
computer (even more than the high end graphics work stations — and Macintosh OS X (formerly Rhapsody) brings the Macintosh to the high end graphics
work stations). Macintosh OS
X is numerically the most used form of
BeOS and OS/2 also offer excellent desktop alternatives to the Windows family of operating systems. Any of the many free and commercial versions of UNIX offer a better high end operating system than Windows NT. See John Kirch’s article “Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0 versus UNIX” at http://www.unix-vs-nt.org/.
(for your convenience, look for this symbol marking passages about Windows 3.1)
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(Frequently Asked Questions)
To purchase Windows 3.1 hardware and software: Cyberian Outpost
We are working on providing a second source.
If you want your book reviewed, please send a copy to: Milo, POB 1361, Tustin, CA 92781, USA.
Price listings are for courtesy purposes only and may be changed by the referenced businesses at any time without notice.
Windows 3.11 for Dummies; 3rd edition; by Andy Rathbone; IDG Books Worldwide; March 1, 1995; ISBN 1568843704; paperback; 384 pages; $13.56
1 Microsoft Way: A Cookbook To Breaking Bill Gates Windows Monopoly Without Breaking Windows (with Linux CD Operating System); by Reginald P Burgess; American Group Publishing; April 27, 1998; ISBN 1891950088; paperback; 208 pages; $17.95
The Complete Guide to Netware 4.11/Intranetware; 2nd edition; by James E. Gaskin; Sybex; December 1996; ISBN 078211931X; paperback; $47.99; includes information on getting NetWare working with Windows, Macintosh, UNIX, and OS/2
The Multimedia Production Handbook for the PC, Macintosh, and Amiga; by Tom Yager; Academic Press Professional; December 1993; ISBN 0127680306; Paperback; 382 pages; $31.96
If you want your book reviewed, please send a copy to: Milo, POB 1361, Tustin, CA 92781, USA.
Also see the summary at Windows.
“WindowsError 009: Memory hog error. More RAM needed. More! More!” —Matt Garrison,MacLine
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†UNIX used as a generic term unless specifically used as a trademark (such as in the phrase “UNIX certified”). UNIX is a registered trademark in the United States and other countries, licensed exclusively through X/Open Company Ltd.
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Copyright © 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002 Milo
Last Updated: March 20, 2002
Created: June 22, 1998
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