That truism is being continually borne out with Microsoft's operating system, Windows. Since Bill's Big M introduced that wonderous megalith, the resulting royalties have made Microsoft one of the richest companies of the 20th century. In coming years, historians may look back on this time and point out the changes in human society that Windows have helped to bring about - both in terms of communication technology and wealth re-distribution.
Currently, as Windows XP and Server 2003 are based on the NT kernel, Windows ME is the most recent (and mangled) version of what was once Windows 95. In fact, with there having been three versions of Windows 95 and two versions of Windows 98, WinME might well be called Windows 95 Sixth Edition. Qualitative comparison of these versions will be discussed later in this article - here, it is sufficient to say that "Windows ME" is probably going to be the last version of the original Windows kernel.
Some of the newer developments for the Windows platform (Internet Explorer 6 and USB, just to name two) cannot be "grandfathered" back to the first versions, effectively making the original Win95 (version "A") non-upgradeable. The most telling example of Microsoft's abandonment of their original flagship is the obscurification of Internet Explorer 5.5 from the Microsoft servers - this was the last version available that was compatible with Windows 95. It is still available through them, thankfully, but you need to look here instead of the normal IE download page.
Media Player 7.x, also, has been obscurified for 95 - the download page states quite clearly that compatability begins with Windows98, though there is at least one person who has made MP7 work with Windows95 (see
Since Microsoft's survival depends on their continuing to market a new version of Windows now and then, each version more complex than the last, it is in their best interest to stop supporting the older versions. December of 2002, in fact, was the end of "extended support" for this OS. So, in light of business interests, they are going to insist that you upgrade.
You, on the other hand, may have a different priority - if your current system is usable for you, even if it's Windows version 3.1, you may not require any upgrade at all. The decision to upgrade is a decision that only you can make, and no software giant (benevelent or not) can make that decision for you.
If you're curious about whether the time is right for you, you can help yourself answer that question by taking the survey below:
1) What is the primary usage of the machine?If the answers to these questions add up between 10 and 15, a more recent version of Windows (ME, XP or 2003) will probably be your best choice. Between 6 and 9, you could get by with Windows 95 or 98. Between 3 and 5, you can probably stick with '95 - in fact, if your answer is "3", you're probably happy with Windows 3.1.
2) What variety of peripheral devices are used?
- a) Databases, word processing
- b) Internet browsers, MP3 audio
- c) Games, video and/or audio work
3) What add-on cards will be used in the mother-board?
- a) parallel, serial, or PS/2 port
- b) USB
- c) Firewire
For every "a" answer, give yourself 1 point.
- a) ISA bus?
- b) PCI bus?
- c) AGP bus?
For every "b" answer, give yourself 3 points.
For every "c" answer, give yourself 5 points.
A note for those still using Windows 3.1 - the advantages of sticking with this early version are many - small amount of memory and disk space taken up in its use, and older computers with limited resources can run it happily. But next time it crashes (and it will), know that newer versions can handle these crashes much better.
Memory management is not all it's cracked up to be in the early versions of Windows. There are many instances where a General Protection Fault, or other memory problem, will freeze or fracture Windows 3.1. These same memory errors will not hurt Windows 95 as badly, though Windows 98 is even better in this regard. The NT-based operating systems, including Windows 2000 and XP, are much better at memory management than any of the 95/98/ME variants. So keep in mind that Windows 3.1 has its own unique set of troubles - if you can live with them, then live well.
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