No. Actually, Windows NT came between Windows for Workgroups (WFW--an upgrade to Windows 3.1) and Windows 95. Whereas Windows 3.1 and WFW are 16-bit operating systems, Windows NT ("New Technology") was the first 32-bit graphical operating system from Microsoft. Since Windows 95 is also 32-bit, software that can make the most of Windows 95 will also run optimally on Windows NT.
Released in September of 1993, Windows NT is essentially an industrial-strength version of the Microsoft Windows system most of us have used. It is an offshoot of OS/2 3.0, an earlier operating system jointly developed by Microsoft and IBM. Windows NT was developed from scratch as a multi-user networking system for heavy-duty corporate use, and as such requires much more in the way of hardware horsepower than the single-user Windows 3.1.
Windows NT’s original advantages over ordinary Windows are many. It provides preemptive multitasking, which allows many programs to run at the same time (now offered by Windows 95 as well). It offers advanced file system support, and offered long filenames long before Windows 95, as well as better performance than the older DOS file system. Windows NT offers extremely large storage-device capacity and high reliability, which is important in mission-critical applications. It’s also portable, which means it can run on different processor chips from different companies other than Intel, such as super-high performance RISC chips from Alpha and Digital.
At the time Windows NT was released, computers with 4MB of RAM were just beginning to become commonplace. This was enough to run Windows 3.0 and 3.1 comfortably. But Windows NT has always required a minimum of 16MB of RAM to even get off the ground, and the most powerful processors available. This was far beyond most ordinary single-user desktop configurations, but reasonable for department-level network servers in large corporations.
But that was then and this is now. And now, most computers come with 8MB of RAM, with 16MB being recommended for a speedy implementation of Windows 95. In fact, Windows 95 is ahead of Windows NT in some respects and behind in others. It features the new user interface everyone’s been talking about, which supposedly makes an Intel-based computer look and act more like a Macintosh, long known for its user-friendliness. The current version of Windows NT, version 3.51, still has the older Windows 3.1 interface, but not for long. Windows NT 4.0, to be released in the third quarter of this year, will have the same look as Windows 95, and have a faster, more advanced file system. However, it will drop support for such "ancient" computer technologies as the 386 and 5.25-inch disk drives. Windows 95 is also ahead of Windows NT in its Plug and Play implementation, in which it can automatically recognize peripherals such as sound cards, CD-ROM drives, and modems, and properly configure the system to work optimally with them. For critical situations where reliabilty and security are of utmost importance, however, Windows NT is still the champ.
The resources required to run Windows NT now seem more attainable, although they are still somewhat advanced. To run NT at a good clip, you need at least a 486 with 24MB of RAM or a 90MHz Pentium with 16MB of RAM--still not your typical single-user desktop machine. Windows NT is popular with high-end graphics and engineering users because it’s scalable, meaning it can adjust itself to take advantage of multiple processors. So, installed on a powerful multi-processor workstation-class computer, it can do complex graphics and computation-intensive number crunching with blinding speed.
The bottom line, and Microsoft’s current position, is that Windows 95 is for single-user desktop configurations, and Windows NT is for industrial-strength corporate network server environments. However, the computer industry is speculating that eventually the two operating systems will merge into one all-purpose, all-powerful version of Windows that will require the computers of the future to make the most of their magic.
K.O.P.C.Online home > table of contents > Windows NT