Microsoft Windows 95

Microsoft: Windows 95

For years, millions of people world-wide have relied on MS-DOS and Windows operating systems to help them work better and accomplish more. Now and for years to come, people will go even farther with the next-generation successor to these systems - Microsoft Windows 95.

With the Windows 95 operating system, the things users do now are easier and faster. The things they have always wanted to try, from electronic mail to Internet connections, are now possible for everybody. And Windows 95 makes computers more friendly and accessible to the mainstream user.

What is Windows 95?

Windows 95 is the official product name of the next major version of Microsoft Windows. It provides a system that is easier, faster and more powerful to use, and which maintains compatibility with the Windows- and MS-DOS operating system-based applications and hardware peripherals in which customers have invested.

Ease of use is improved through a more intuitive user interface. With the introduction of the Windows 95 operating system, the engine of Microsoft Windows is being revamped to improve performance and provide smooth multitasking. Windows 95 is a complete, integrated operating system that does not require MS-DOS, although it can run MS-DOS-based applications. Windows 95 is equipped with a great amount of wizards to assist the user with common tasks, and a more powerful help system. The performance of Windows 95 meets or exceeds the performance of Windows 3.1.

Why Windows 95?

The key benefits and features of Windows 95

Plug and Play device installation to automate the difficult process of adding devices to a PC. Windows 95 supports the industry-standard Plug and Play specification to enable automatic installation and configuration of add-on devices. The user is able to install that device by just plugging it in and turning the system on. Plug and Play takes care of the messy details of installation and configuration.

Start button and taskbar. These are the main improvements in the Windows user interface. They have gone through the most extensive usability-testing effort ever. Thousands of hours of testing (at customer sites with users of all levels of experience or with experts on training in Windows) were spent. The Start button provides access to all of the computer's resources. So the user is able to open programs, file management, system maintenance, and far more. "In Windows 95 you are just a click away from anything'.

Each time a program is started, a button for it is placed on the taskbar. When the user wants to use any program, he just has to click the button representing that window. The redesigned graphical interface that's not only dramatically simpler to use, but more efficient and customisable as well.

Internet Ready. Windows 95 supports built-in, and easy to use dial-up Internet connections that take the complexity out of network computing. It includes the Microsoft Internet Jumpstarter Kit which provides the tools to browse the "net'. Everybody is able to connect to the Internet without technical knowledge now.

Multitasking. Now the user can accomplish several tasks at once. For example documents can be printed or spell checked in the background. So the user is able to complete his work in far shorter time.

Windows 95 takes the frustration out of computing. It is the operating system for everybody. Support for users with low vision, for those who are hard of hearing, or for users with other disabilities is included as well.

The customer base has broadened to include much more less technical users. Windows 95 has gone through the greatest deal of testing in the history of software production to ensure the quality of the product.

Sources

Microsoft Windows 95 - System Journal - 1995/08/24 Part No. 098-59106

Microsoft Windows 95 - Detailed Questions And Answers - August 1995 - Part No. 098-61281

Windows 3.1 versus Windows 95 - Quantification of Learning Time and Productivity - Usability Sciences, Inc. 07/95

The Microsoft Internet Homepage - http://www.microsoft.com/Windows 95

Vocabulary

for understanding the original articles without consulting a dictionary

property sheets

tabbed notebooks

turn off

plug CD-ROM

play video files