Death of the Mac?

With the development of Windows 95, what will happen to the Macintosh? We, as Macintosh users, will be the first to say the Mac OS is just better than the rest. True or not, the Macintosh seems to be lagging behind in some aspects. Furthermore, the release of CHRP will let us, as Macintosh users, operate with all versions of Windows and every other operating system available on one computer. For many people, that is a godsend. Most companies base their systems around IBM. Many of these companies will be upgrading to Windows 95 when they can and could easily force employees to use it. With CHRP, we can use both systems and not have to buy a different computer, just a new OS.

Windows 95

Windows 95 is going to be, if not already, a success. And why shouldn’t it be? If you were a Windows user, you too would be flaunting Windows 95 as if there were no tomorrow. Most of the more noticeable changes are right on the desktop. In past versions, the desktop was hidden by the Program Manager, which should have been called the desktop. The Recycle Bin is the equivalent to what we call the Trash. It enables you to take things out of it after you have put them in there. The Start Button should be a very useful tool, but the Macintosh does the same thing more elegantly. Using the Start Button, the user has a hierarchical menu for recently used documents and applications. It sounds great, but the user has to put them in the menu. That is easier said than done. The rest of us will not see these as revolutionary innovations in technology simply because we have had them since 1984.

Many Macintosh users will try not to believe this, but Windows 95 has some advantages over the Mac. The networking tools in Windows 95 surpass any so far. The Find command lets you search with multiple criteria and it lets you save your searches. Copland (System 8) should be able to match this. Windows 95 has what is known as preemptive multitasking. This allows you to copy a file and still work in your word processor. The OS maintains the memory so that no conflicts can occur. This would allow one application to crash, but not ruin the whole system. Of course, this only works with new 32- bit applications. The old 16- bit versions will not follow this feature. Copland will have a limited version of preemptive multitasking. It will allow preemptive multitasking for things that don’t need a user interface. So you could empty the trash, copy a file and render an image all at the same time. The version following Copland (code-named Gershwin) will have full support of preemptive multitasking.

CHRP

CHRP (now PPCP) will give us the ability to use all these systems on one machine. If your business requires you to use Windows, this will be great. You will not have to convert Macintosh files over to another operating system. You can use the exact same software as you would at work, which is a lot less hassle. This could lead to much less use of the Macintosh side for certain things. But for things like graphics and desktop publishing, you may realize how much better the Macintosh is and use it a lot more. Or, after using DOS or Windows for a while, you may learn why the Macintosh is known to have the most user-friendly interface of all and completely give up on other operating systems. Of course, not all professions will require the use of Windows. Many schools use Macintoshes, so many teachers will see little or no difference in their computing styles.

Windows 95 offers some nice features to those who have used previous versions of Windows. Preemptive multitasking will be a great feature to those who are willing to upgrade their software. The Macintosh still has many better features than Windows 95 and will continue to do so as new versions of the System arrive. Copland will provide us with an even better help system and new customization features. Folders will automatically open when an icon is dragged onto it and the new System versions will be almost completely Power Mac native. For Power Mac users, this is one of the best things Apple could do. The Macintosh has many software developers backing it up. Ironically, Microsoft happens to be a very large one. The Macintosh forums on America Online alone and the fact that Apple cannot keep up with the demand on computers tells us that plenty of Macintosh users are out there. Will the Macintosh die because of Windows 95? No. The Macintosh is going to be here as the most user-friendly OS for a long time.