ISSUE 501: The high-tech office- June
1 1999
ALAN ZISMAN
Operating system upgrades offer some extras,
but nothing that can't wait until later
A few weeks ago, this column took a look at the
feisty open source operating system called Linux. But while Linux is
getting lots of well-deserved attention, more traditional operating
systems from Microsoft and Apple still control the vast
bulk of users' computers. And these companies are not prepared to give
up control of your desktop. Each has a new minor release of their mass
market operating systems, and each has bigger changes planned.
First off the mark is Apple with its OS 8.6, available
as I write as a 35-meg download (www.apple.com/macos) or a $30
CD ordered directly from the company. Either version, however, is only
accessible by users of the previous OS 8.5. Other Mac owners first need
to upgrade to OS 8.5 to go all the way to 8.6.
Once there, OS 8.6 promises better battery life for
Powerbook owners and increased system stability. OS 8.6 allows
Powerbook users to connect their laptops to many cell phone models for
wireless communications. Hardware support is improved for USB,
Firewire, DVD-RAM and game-playing devices. A new version of Apple's
Runtime for Java improves performance running Java-enhanced Internet
pages.
The Sherlock search utility, which debuted in OS 8.5,
features much touted improvements. New additions include 25 plug-ins,
which allow for the use of more search engines, as well as other
popular Web sites ranging from CNN to Amazon.com. On
your local drive, Sherlock can find content within HTML and Adobe
Acrobat documents.
(There are hints that Apple is aiming to make Sherlock
an easy-to-use front-end for consumers wanting to shop over the
Internet.)
At Apple's recent Worldwide Developers' Conference,
the company demoed that version's Sherlock II, with company
vice-president Avie Tevanian suggesting "no one will want to
shop on the Internet any other way."
With the Mac OS and Microsoft Windows
resembling one another more and more, it should perhaps be no surprise
that Microsoft also has a modest operating system upgrade for your
attention.
As I write, Windows 98 Second Edition (aka W98SE) has
been shipped to manufacturing. It should be available about the time
this column appears. Like Apple's update, it's designed as a set of
modest improvements to last year's version, in this case, Windows 98.
Like Apple, Microsoft is making the software available
in a couple of low- cost ways to current owners of Windows 98. You can
receive it as a Service Pack which is freely downloadable from www.microsoft.com
or on CD for about $30. Unlike Apple, Microsoft is also putting W98SE
directly into stores. The full version, aimed at owners of Windows 95
or 3.1, sells for about $150 or the same price as the original Windows
98.
Included in the second edition are the various Windows
98 improvements that were made freely obtainable following that
version's release. They include: Internet Explorer 5 and Direct X 6.2,
along with a collection of bug fixes and drivers. Device Bay, a
slow-to-catch on hardware standard aimed at making it easier to swap
drives and other devices, Firewire and cable and ADSL modems are also
all supported.
The biggest new feature will be for work and home
small network users: SE's Internet Connection Sharing allows multiple
computers on a network to share a single Internet account, though this
is already available as proxy server or gateway software, from other
vendors.
Other additions also of interest to network users
include: tighter security for Virtual Private Networking, Wake-on-LAN
to automatically turn on suspended computers by sending signals across
the network, and improvements to high-speed ATM (no, not the bank
machine) networking support.
These new features aren't included in the freely
downloadable Service Pack, only in the CD upgrade or full versions.
Like Apple, Microsoft has more ambitious plans.
Microsoft has distributed hundreds of thousands of copies of Windows
2000 Beta 3, with release expected late this year or next. Despite the
name, this is not an evolution of Windows 95/98, but rather the next
version of the company's NT operating system aimed primarily at
corporate servers and desktops. Company president Steve Ballmer
suggested we could expect a major upgrade of the Win95/98 series,
informally being referred to as Consumer Windows, for the end of 2000.
These spring upgrades are nice, but neither is a
must-have. If you're ordering new hardware, you may want to make sure
it includes the latest operating system version.
Next week, we'll look at both companies' longer term
plans for your desktops: OS X and Windows 2000, respectively. *
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