Subj : Re: Coffin Nails for Win-9x ?
To   : MIKE ROSS
From : Alan Zisman
Date : Mon Sep 26 2005 10:06 am

-=> MIKE ROSS wrote to George Vandervort <=-

 --> FEWER AND FEWER PROGRAMS FOR WINDOWS 98/ME

 GV> Darlene wrote from Springfield, OR, to ask about shareware. She noted
 GV> that many programs say they are for Windows 2000 and XP. Since she
 GV> uses Windows ME, she wanted to know if that meant she couldn't use
 GV> them.
 GV> Well, Darlene, that's exactly what it means. Windows 2000 and XP
 GV> differ fundamentally from 98 and ME. The latter two were based on
 GV> MSDOS, the early operating system that was abandoned in the mid-90s.
 GV> Windows 2000 and XP are descended from Windows NT (New Technology),
 GV> which appeared about the time MSDOS was retired. Their underpinnings
 GV> are very different.
 GV> Eventually, programmers will stop writing for 98 and ME altogether.
 GV> Why? Our site keeps a record of which operating systems our hundreds
 GV> of thousands of visitors use. Nearly four out of five have XP. Only 10
 GV> percent have 98. And ME? It doesn't even register.
 GV> So I think you have a dying operating system.

 GV> === Cut ===


 MR> There are still a lot of old boxes out there and with which 2K and XP
 MR> can't work. That is why you have to run the old 98se amd Me with those
 MR> and get any kind of use out of them. It's like in some older New York
 MR> appartments, there are ancient steam boiler systems that date back to
 MR> the start of the 20'th century. It would be pointless to upgrade these
 MR> since they work perfectly well and with good to great efficiency.

And even if the software is written to support (say) W98SE, it often has 
hardware requirements that preclude its being used effectively on the older 
systems still running those operating systems. I've pretty much given up 
installing new game demos (educational or otherwise) on my school systems... 
virtually nothing written post-2002 (more or less) will run, requiring either a 
faster processor (ours top out at 600 MHz), better graphics acceleration, or 
more RAM (we've got 128-192 MB in each system) than we can provide.

Last week, I tried a miniature golf demo that claimed to work with Win98; it 
wouldn't start up, wanting a better video card.

It's too bad-- I had to give up on a neat looking ancient Egypt simulation, for 
instance, that would have been a nice learning-tool for the grade 7s who study 
that era, but which really needed an 800 MHz or better system.

The older systems run enough things just fine that I'm not yet recommending we 
replace them (especially since we have no money!), but I am starting to get 
frustrated.
.... Inet mail to: alan at zisman dot ca
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