Microsoft WinNews Electronic Newsletter, Vol. 1, #3, October 10, 1994 **************************************** 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). ************************************************************ If you know someone who might be interested in WinNews, feel free to forward this document, provided you forward it in it's entirety, as per the copyright notice below. If you wish to stop receiving WinNews, send mail to enews@microsoft.nwnet.com with the text UNSUBSCRIBE WINNEWS in the body of your message. ************************************************************ This document is provided for informational purposes only. The information contained in this document represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation on the issues discussed as of the date of publication. Because Microsoft must respond to change in market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of Microsoft and Microsoft cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information presented after the date of publication. INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THIS DOCUMENT IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND FREEDOM FROM INFRINGEMENT. The user assumes the entire risk as to the accuracy and the use of this document. This document may be copied and distributed subject to the following conditions: 1) All text must be copied without modification and all pages must be included; 2) All copies must contain Microsoft's copyright notice and any other notices provided therein; and 3) This document may not be distributed for profit. Copyright (c) Microsoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved.