
Microsoft WinNews Electronic Newsletter, 
Vol. 1, #3, October 10, 1994
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It's been a busy month at Microsoft in the Personal
Operating Systems Division.  We moved several steps closer
to the next beta release of Windows 95.  Last week an early
version of this next beta release was shipped to about 1200
testers, and the feedback so far has been very encouraging.

Some of you may have experienced a glitch this month while
attempting to  subscribe to WinNews after reading about it 
in Microsoft Magazine.  We apologize.  The response was so
overwhelming that it brought our majordomo list server down
several times before we were able to fix the problems.  All
should be well now.

This issue of WinNews contains articles on two areas:

1. Windows 95, TCP/IP and the Internet.  What features does
Windows 95 have that make it a great internet client, and why
is the Windows 95 TCP/IP stack so good?

2. Windows 95 Performance.  By now you've probably heard the
4M mantra "Performance equivalent to Windows 3.1 on a 4M
machine".  Here's how we're doing vs. Windows for Workgroups 
3.11, and OS/2 Warp.  OS/2 performs poorly overall.  Performance 
for Windows 95 is about equal to Windows for Workgroups.

We finish up with an invitation to attend WINDOWS (tm) 95 
"CHICAGO" FOR THE IS & NETWORK PROFESSIONAL.  This special
presentation will be delivered in 10 more North American cities
before Christmas.  This presentation highlights how Windows 95
addresses the issues of maintaining PC networks, software 
usability and other factors that contribute to the cost of 
PC ownership for corporations.

Alec Saunders
Editor

************************************************************

Windows 95, TCP/IP and the Internet

TCP/IP has become the transport of choice in corporate networks 
because it's an open, non-proprietary standard supported by 
virtually every OS, well supported by third-party tools, and scales 
well all the way up to huge WANs.

In 1994 TCP/IP is projected to pass IPX/SPX as the most popular 
protocol in large corporate networks. Customers have been asking 
for a great TCP/IP stack for windows, and we're listening.  
TCP/IP is in Windows NT today, and a fast, reliable 32-bit TCP/IP 
stack for Windows for Workgroups is also now available.

We have also developed a TCP/IP stack for Windows 95, and it will 
be included as part of the operating system.  Here are the key
features:

 	* 32-bit implementation
 	* High performance
 	* Windows sockets support, for both 16- and 32-bit windows 
          sockets applications
 	* Automatic configuration via support for industry standard 
          DHCP (dynamic host configuration protocol)
 	* Basic utilities such as ftp telnet, ping and arp

Two of the most common questions we get about our TCP/IP 
support:

Q. Can Windows 95 act as an Internet client?

A. Yes.  All the plumbing you need to connect to the Internet
is built into Windows 95.  Windows 95 includes a fast,
robust 32-bit TCP/IP stack, TCP/IP being the language of the
Internet. In addition to TCP/IP, Windows 95 will also
provide PPP, or "dial-in support." This means that Windows
95 is internet-ready, whether you dial into a commercial
Internet provider or you have access to the internet via
your corporate network over TCP/IP.

Q. How else can Windows 95 be used to access the Internet?

A. Windows 95 supports the large number of public domain tools
like Mosaic, WinWAIS and WinGopher via its Winsock
programmatic interface.   Windows 95 also includes utilities
to help you take advantage of the Internet, such as telnet
and FTP.

************************************************************

Windows 95 Performance

In tests, performed on two common PC systems, Windows 95 and 
Windows for Workgroups performed similarly, and proved to be 
significantly faster than OS/2 Warp (beta 2).  The test systems
were 486/66 machines from IBM and Dell, each configured with 4, 
8 and 16 MBytes of memory.

Here is a summary of the significant findings.  

*  Disk throughput:  Windows 95 and Windows for Workgroups 
   have 300% - 400% more disk throughput of  OS/2 Warp.
*  Graphics performance:   Windows 95 and Windows for Workgroups 
   have over 200% more graphics performance than OS/2 Warp.
*  Application startup: Windows 95 and Windows for Workgroups 
   load applications 600% - 800% faster than OS/2 Warp in 
   a 4 MB configuration.
*  Application execution:  Windows 95 and Windows for 
   Workgroups ran Windows applications 150% - 210% faster than 
   OS/2 Warp.
*  Multitasking:  Windows 95 and Windows for Workgroups ran 
   multiple applications and tasks 130% - 180% faster than 
   OS/2 Warp.

In general, Windows 95's and Windows for Workgroups' performance 
lead over OS/2 increased as the amount of RAM in the PC decreased.  
The lead was largest on 4MB systems.

Here are some of specific results:

Disk I/O Performance

Windows 95 and Windows for Workgroups deliver 300% to 400% 
more disk I/O performance than OS/2 Warp.

     IBM ValuePoint 466DX2/D

     Disk WinMark (KB/sec -        4 MB   8 MB   16 MB
     higher is better)
     Windows 95                   1,030  1,180   1,190
     Windows for Workgroups       1,010  1,120   1,220
     OS/2 Warp                      297    366     394
 
     Windows 95 % faster than      347%   322%    302%
     Warp

Graphics Performance

Windows 95 and Windows for Workgroups deliver over 200% 
more graphics performance than OS/2 Warp.

     IBM ValuePoint 466DX2/D

     Graphics WinMark (M           4 MB   8 MB   16 MB
     Pixels/sec - higher is
     better)
     Windows 95                    12.5   12.6    12.7
     Windows for Workgroups        10.8   10.8    10.9
     OS/2 Warp                      5.2    5.3     5.3
     Windows 95 % faster than      240%   239%    240%
     Warp

Application Load Time Performance

Windows 95 and Windows for Workgroups outperformed OS/2 Warp 
by over 250% when starting applications.  Application load 
time is the amount of time between launching Word for Windows 
6.0a and when the application is ready to accept input.  The 
difference was largest in the 4 MB RAM configuration where 
OS/2, because of its large size, exhibits long application 
load times due to excessive disk paging.

Time required to load first application

     IBM ValuePoint 466DX2/D

     Time to Load Word 6.0c        4 MB   8 MB   16 MB
     (seconds, lower is better)
     Windows 95                    12.9    6.4     5.6
     Windows for Workgroups        11.6    5.7     5.5
     OS/2 Warp                    101.3   21.8    16.2
     Windows 95 % faster than      785%   341%    289%
     Warp

Application Execution Performance

To test the speed of application execution, Windows Magazine 
created benchmark macros for Word and Excel that execute a 
\wide variety of application functions.  The run time of these 
macros is influenced by graphics performance, disk performance 
and available memory. Application load time is not included.  
When running a single macro in Excel 5, Windows 95 and Windows 
for Workgroups proved to be 150% - 210% times faster than OS/2 Warp.

Single task application performance

     IBM ValuePoint 466DX2/D

     Excel Macro (seconds -        4 MB   8 MB   16 MB
     lower is better)
     Windows 95                     193    106     102
     Windows for Workgroups         181    118     112
     OS/2 Warp                      384    159     152
     Windows 95 % faster than      199%   150%    149%
     Warp

Multi-task application performance

To test multitasking performance, both the Excel and Word 
macros were executed in side-by-side windows  with the times 
for each added to give an overall score.  OS/2 has the option 
of running each Windows application in a separate session - which 
ostensibly provides better multitasking because application execution 
is preempted by OS/2 instead of waiting for each to yield.  However, 
test results show that this option does not improve performance 
running multiple tasks.  This separate session option was used for 
the OS/2 16 MB test, but caused the 8 MB test to fail with insufficient 
memory, in which case a single shared session was used.

Windows 95 and Windows for Workgroups ran multiple applications 130% -
180% faster than OS/2 Warp in either shared or separate Windows
sessions.

     IBM ValuePoint 466DX2/D

     Simultaneous Excel & Word                
     macros                       8 MB   16 MB
     (total time score - lower
     is better)
     Windows 95                    295     247
     Windows for Workgroups        349     269
     OS/2 Warp                     468     319
     Windows 95 % faster than     159%    129%
     Warp

     OS/2 Warp failed simultaneous macro test w/8MB RAM
     w/Insufficient memory error in Word approx. 5:15 into the
     tests when the applications were run in separate sessions.
     Time shown is in a single shared Windows session

Component benchmarks (disk throughput and graphics performance) 
were performed using the Ziff-Davis Winbench 4.0 suite. Appli-
cation benchmarks were performed using the Windows Magazine
WinTune Excel and Word Macro benchmarks.

More detail on these benchmarks is available in the file
DPERF4.ZIP (APERF4.ZIP or PPERF4.ZIP for TXT or PostScript)
on the WinNews servers on Compuserve, the Internet, AOL, Genie
and Prodigy.

************************************************************

WINDOWS (tm) 95 "CHICAGO" FOR THE IS & NETWORK PROFESSIONAL
Join us for an in-depth look at Windows 95 "Chicago" from an 
IS perspective. Find out why industry analysts, like the 
Gartner Group, have concluded that Chicago will save as much 
as $1,000 per user/year in support costs.

Come to a full review and demonstration of Microsoft 
Windows(tm) 95 "Chicago" and see how it can:
-  Help reduce end user support burden
-  Increase IS control over the desktop
-  Increase end user productivity

DEMONSTRATION HIGHLIGHTS WILL INCLUDE:
-  Network integration (NetWare(tm) Client)
-  System management tools
-  Security
-  Live Windows 3.1 upgrade
-  Remote capabilities
-  Other features critical for integrating Windows 95 "Chicago" 
   into today's corporate environment.

PLEASE CALL 1-800-685-0951 if you plan to attend in order to 
prepare the facility for the appropriate size audience.  Seating 
for this event will be on a first-come, first-served basis.  We 
recommend arriving at least 30 minutes prior to the start time.

DATE	LOCATION	VENUE				TIME
Oct 19	Washington DC	National Theater		1:30-3:30
Oct 24	Philadelphia	Philadelphia Civic Ctr		1:30-3:30
Oct 26	Boston		Westin Copley PL		2:00-4:00
Nov 8	San Francisco	Nob Hill Masonic Aud		1:30-3:30
Nov 9	Los Angeles	LA Convention Ctr		1:30-3:30
Nov 10	Orange County	Anaheim Convention Center	1:30-3:30
Nov 21	Toronto		Metro Toronto Convention Ctr	2:00-4:00
Nov 29	Houston		Sheraton Astrodome Hotel	1:30-3:30
Dec 8	Detroit		COBO Convention Ctr		1:30-3:30
Dec 12	New York	Marriott Marquis		1:00-3:00

************************************************************

New files on WinNews

This month was my month to clean up our WinNews servers.  Many
files have been updated to reflect the fact that Windows 95 is
the official name for the product that will come from the
"Chicago" project.  New files have also been added.

I have re-organized all of the files into single file ZIP files
to minimize download time for you.  The naming convention is as
follows:

	D prefix	Word 2 doc file
	A prefix	ASCII Text file
	P prefix	Postscript printer file

In the list below you will see some files marked 'N' and some 
'U'.  N files are new files this month.  U files are files that
have been updated to reflect the name change from Chicago to 
Windows 95.

N	DIW.ZIP         Response to InfoWorld Networking 
			Review August 94
N	DW95OV.ZIP      Microsoft Windows 95 - Overview
N	DMYTH.ZIP       IBM PSP Myths about Windows 95 
			Debunked
N	DPERF4.ZIP      Windows 95 vs. Warp Performance 
			Benchmarks
U	DDW95L.ZIP	How to Adapt an App for Windows 95
U	DDW95N.ZIP	Writing 32-Bit Applications for All 
			Windows Platforms
U	DLOGO2.ZIP	What You Need To Do To Get The Windows 
			Logo When Windows 95 Ships
U	DMGT.ZIP	Windows 95 Desktop Management Whitepaper
U	DRESKT.ZIP	Microsoft Windows 95 Resource Kit
U	DRVGD.ZIP	Microsoft Windows 95 Reviewer's 
			Guide - Beta 1
U	Dtcp.zip	Windows 95 TCP/IP Q&A
U	DW95FS.ZIP	Microsoft Windows 95 - Fact Sheet
U	DW95NT.ZIP	Microsoft Windows 95 Networking White 
			Paper (Word 6 Format only)
U	DW95Q.ZIP	Microsoft Windows 95 Questions and 
			Answers - September 1994

NOTE: For the sake of brevity I have ommitted new listings of
ASCII and Postscript files.  For each new Word file shown above
there is an equivalent ASCII or PostScript file, named according
to the conventions listed above -- ie. DLOGO2.ZIP becomes
ALOGO2.ZIP (ascii) and PLOGO2.ZIP (postscript).

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************************************************************

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