 The magazine of the Melbourne PC User Group Windows 3.1 - First Look Ash Nallawalla |
 |
User suggestions have been the driving force behind the improvements and new features in Microsoft Windows 3.1. As reported earlier in my Word for Windows 2.0 article (PC Update, March 1992), Microsoft has been increasing its attention to usability and user comments. Accordingly, Windows 3.1 was released in April 1992. This report focuses on the improvements and new features as compared with Windows 3.Oa (the previous version).
Packaging
Windows 3.1 comes on seven 3.5 inch or 8 5.25 inch disks. A 104-page Getting Started with Microsoft Windows booklet details the installation procedure and provides a quick tour of the package. The licence agreement differs from the Word for Windows one in that you cannot place a copy on your other computer. The 650-page User's Guide has better graphics than its predecessor and provides detailed information from the basics to advanced Windows operation. You are strongly urged to register all your software.
Requirements
Windows 3.1 requires the following minimum configuration:
- MS-DOS 3.1 or higher (5.0 preferred)
- 80286 processor or better
- 640 kB plus 256 kB extended memory (1024 kB extended memory preferred; 2048 kB for 80386)
- Hard disk with 6 MB free (10 MB preferred)
- EGA, VGA, XGA, 8514/A, Hercules, Super VGA or better (colour VGA preferred)
- Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device is optional but highly recommended
- Modem and multimedia devices are optional
Installation was quick and easy. Novice users can use Express Install, while experts can control this process to their satisfaction. The installer checks resident programs to see if they concern Windows. For example, it detected our early version of Novell Netware and suggested that we would need an upgrade for full compatibility. A nice touch was that one could continue a partial installation that had been prematurely ended earlier. The installation asked for my name and company name but did not write it on the master disk.
Tutorial
A brief but well-illustrated tutorial program teaches basic Windows concepts to the novice user. The online Help subsystem is also available for consultation from Windows or most applications.
What Is Windows?
Although this is meant to be an update report rather than a full review, a brief description of Microsoft Windows is in order. The literature describes it variously as an operating system and an operating environment. I regard it as the latter. You still need the MS-DOS operating system to use Windows, which can be regarded as a pleasant facilitator of the DOS "skeleton".
At a very basic level, you need Windows to run an application that demands it, such as CorelDRAW! or Word for Windows. It can also run programs that don't need it, such as Quattro Pro or Q&A and many others. The Windows programs share a reasonable amount of common "look and feel" (as permitted by their lawyers), that is, their menus are similar, and they provide a reasonable on-screen approximation of their printed output At an advanced level and on 80386 or better PCs you can run multiple programs simultaneously, although with varying degrees of satisfaction. The graphical approach means you can do many things by pressing a mouse button on an icon instead of typing commands or pressing awkward key combinations.
What's New?
So what's new? Many changes are immediately noticeable, while others are subtler code improvements.
File Manager
If you ignored File Manager in the past in favour of third party products, you should take note. It now supports multiple "panes" for easy browsing. You can now display the directory tree and a list of files side-by-side in a window. The File Manager also displays more file attributes than before and can even display file and folder names in a choice of fonts.
Another significant improvement is the new "quick format" capability, which enables you to format floppy disks in much less time than before.
I don't like the Disk Copy routine because it drops you to the File Manager level after each copy operation. It was a pain backing up the seven disks from/to drive B: with this utility because the routine defaults to drive A: each time you start it. The Norton Desktop version is better, because it enables you to copy the same disk many times if required, and waits for you to end the task - something the Microsoft Usability Lab should consider for the next release.
The "drag and drop" metaphor for manipulating files is now available. For example, to print a file, you drag the file icon with the mouse and "drop" it onto the Print Manager, which prints the document. I prefer printing from within an application package.
Program Manager
Improvements to the Program Manager include "wrappable" icon titles that sit neatly under each icon in multiple lines, instead of a single long line that may overlap with other icon titles. You will appreciate the new "startup group," which allows you to launch any group of applications automatically when Windows is started.
Printing
Print Manager now has the ability to resume stalled print jobs automatically, without user intervention. For example, if a printer runs out of paper, the print job will be resumed after the paper tray is restocked.
Networks
Network setup is easier under Windows version 3.1, especially for complex system configurations. Network errors are displayed with more information regarding the type and source of the problem.
You can now specify "persistent" network connections, meaning that information about a remote disk drive or printer is maintained by the Windows environment after a network session is terminated. Any "disconnected" drives will appear in the File Manager's drive bar as "unavailable." To re-establish connection, you simply click on the drive icon.
Performance
Performance improvements are noticeable throughout Windows 3.1. These include faster, more responsive user shell components (notably File Manager and Program Manager); increased display driver performance; better printing performance (overall speed is improved, but Windows will also give control back to the application quicker once the print command is invoked); and faster paging in 386 enhanced mode. It is supposed to include FastDisk, a 32-bit driver that allows Windows to bypass DOS in the BIOS for its virtual memory paging file, although I found no reference to it in the user's guide or a file with this name.
Robustness
Remember "Unrecoverable Application Errors" (UAEs)? You won't see them although misbehaved applications will crash as before - the main difference is that you will not have to reboot your PC. As if to prove me wrong, I saw an error message asking me to restart Windows because the Character Map utility found a problem with a font. It didn't complain after I restarted Windows. I once had to press Ctrl-Alt-Delete but this let me end an application without rebooting the PC.
Windows 3.1 comes with a diagnostic tool called "Dr. Watson" that records and stores information about an application error, should one occur. This data provides detailed feedback on the error that can be used by a support technician to determine the solution for the error.
Developer Tools
Microsoft's developer support program for Windows version 3.1 includes tools and information to help developers write more error-free Windows applications. For instance, a new mechanism has been implemented within Windows version 3.1 that enables validation of the many parameters that applications use to communicate with the Windows environment. If an application uses the wrong type of parameter, or if the parameter's value is outside the acceptable range, Windows will report an error. Developers are thus notified of potential parameter problems before their product ships.
Several utilities are also being made available to Windows developers that help to detect and trace the source of problems. For example, a new "stress test" utility creates a highly active and dynamic environment in which application bugs may be "shaken out" during all stages of development.
TrueType Scalable Fonts
Windows 3.1 includes the new TrueType(TM) scalable font technology. TrueType provides "outline" fonts, giving you instant access to fonts in any point size, and allowing high quality output on any monitor or printer supported by Windows Itself.
TrueType is an Integrated component of Windows 3.1. All the benefits of scalable font technology are built into the operating environment itself, and existing Windows applications can use them immediately. Four TrueType scalable font families are supplied: Arial (alternative to Helvetica), Times New Roman, Courier and Symbol. Every major font vendor (with the understandable exception of Adobe) has committed to develop substantial TrueType font libraries for both the Macintosh® and Windows platforms.
TrueType is also offered on the Apple® Macintosh; TrueType fonts can be ported between Windows and the Macintosh without conversion. Documents using TrueType fonts may be exchanged between a Windows PC and the Macintosh without required changes in character set, font metrics or line endings. TrueType is also available in Macintosh-compatible laser printers, in Truelmage printers, and has been licensed to numerous printer vendors for use in future products.
TrueType fonts are automatically converted to bitmap images and downloaded to laser printers so that what the user sees on the screen is the same as the printed page. TrueType uses dynamic downloading, sending only the characters requested rather than the entire character set, resulting in fast, efficient printing.
Object Linking and Embedding
Object Linking and Embedding (OLE) creates an environment in which applications can share information seamlessly. With OLE, all data can be thought of as being a type of "object." A spreadsheet chart, an illustration, a table, and even a paragraph of text are all examples of objects. OLE provides the capability for applications to share these objects easily.
Windows 3.1 supports OLE by providing standard libraries, interfaces and protocols that applications will use to exchange data objects. As Windows developers begin implementing OLE capabilities within their programs, you will see a new generation of applications that work together cooperatively.
OLE capabilities have already been implemented within new versions of the Windows Write, Paint, and Cardfile accessories. You can, for example, create an illustration using the Paint program and "embed" the graphic in a Write document. If the illustration must be updated, you can click on its icon within the Write document, which automatically launches Paint to allow editing of the drawing. Since the original graphics file is "linked" to the image embedded in the document, any change made to one will automatically update the other. This eliminates the need to modify multiple copies of the image or modify the original image and reimport it into the document
Dynamic Data Exchange
In the Windows environment, the standard way of sharing data between applications is through a mechanism known as dynamic data exchange (DDE). Object Linking and Embedding (as well as other foams of data exchange) use DDE as their primary means of data exchange. Windows 3.1 provides developers with a new Dynamic Data Exchange Manager Library (DDEML) that offers a higher-level programming model and makes it easier for developers to implement DDE capabilities in a Windows application.
DOS Applications
A number of changes improve support for existing DOS applications within the Windows environment. In particular, DOS application performance is enhanced when using Windows with MS-DOS 5, since it makes significantly more memory available to DOS applications. In addition, Windows 3.1 now supports DOS applications in VGA graphics mode in a window or running in the background.
Also, Windows 3.1 includes more prewritten Program Information Files (PIF files "tell" Windows how to run specific DOS applications) than before. Finally, disk-paging will enable you to run more DOS applications than under Windows version 3.0.
Multimedia
Windows 3.1 apparently works seamlessly with the Microsoft extensions for multimedia computing. These extensions enable you to include new objects such as audio, animation and full-motion video and embed them in existing applications. These features will also enable a whole new class of multimedia documents, such as encyclopaedias enhanced with video and audio clips, or catalogs that display animated illustrations. PCs integrating Windows and the multimedia extensions to Windows started shipping recently. I do not own any multimedia device, so was unable to look at the new sound features. (I was a judge at the Comdex Fall PC Week Labs Multimedia Shootout and did see and hear the results of a beta version then.)
For example, you can assign sounds to system and application events. The devices must conform to the Multimedia Personal Computer (MPC) specifications. Basic sounds are handled by an optional sound card, while more ambitious noises can be made with a MIDI interface. (If you are considering buying a CD-ROM drive then make sure it is also MPC-compatible.) I own a Disney Sound Source device that provides quality audio to my son's games and was pleased to note that its makers have agreed to make it MPC-compatible soon. I am not optimistic, however, that this will help me.
Laptop Support
Users of laptops will appreciate a feature in Windows version 3.1 called "mouse trails", which makes it easier to find the cursor on a laptop display. Windows 3.1 also supports the Advanced Power Management specification, which allows Windows to interact with native power management of a laptop PC for longer battery life. I was unable to test this facility as I don't have easy access to a laptop.
Vendors of laptops and other small form-factor computers will have the option of licensing a special version of Windows in ROM. This version of Windows 3.1 will be burned into a ROM chip and will execute directly from ROM rather than from a hard disk.
Miscellaneous Changes
There are minor changes that are too trivial to list. For example, the Reversi game has been replaced by one called Mine. The desktop feature now has added a few rather unspectacular screen blankers and some new wallpaper. Sony, I haven't discovered the undocumented Gang Screen display technique yet. Charles Wright will probably scoop it again in one of his columns.
Highly Recommended
Windows 3.1 is a cornerstone of Microsoft's Windows strategy, which spans from 80286 laptops to high-end workstations or servers. Today, Windows runs on MS-DOS, but Microsoft will ship Windows NT (for "new technology") in late 1992. Windows NT will run the same DOS-based and Windows-based applications as Windows 3.1, while also supporting advanced security, multithreading, multiprocessor systems, and RISC chips that promise even higher performance.
If you are one of those people who have steadfastly refused to use Windows - please reconsider. Components such as OLE and DDE are rapidly enhancing productivity and more vendors are shipping compliant applications. This product is highly recommended. If you area Windows 3.0 user then you should not hesitate to upgrade. The cheapest way to get it is by joining Microsoft Communique, which is being advertised currently in PC Update. It will cost Communique members $70, others pay $100.
Acknowledgments
Portions of this report are derived from literature supplied by Microsoft Corporation, USA and Macro Communication, NSW.
Reprinted from the May 1992 issue of PC Update, the magazine of Melbourne PC User Group, Australia
