Windows 98

Whether or not to upgrade is also a pretty simple choice for users with a PC at home. Windows NT 4 is a business-orientated OS and not as flexible an operating system for home and work. The NT OS can't really cover both markets as long as the latest multimedia hardware remains unsupported and Direct X remains tied to the Windows 9x platform. If you hanker after playing games as well as working (and what home user doesn't?) then you'll want to follow the Windows 98 path, for now at least.

Until NT 5 comes along, Windows 98 is looking like a good bet for portable users. The Pentium II notebooks on the market are now capable of running NT 4 at similar speeds to their desktop equivalents. However, support for power management, docking stations and PC Card remains weak or reliant on proprietary solutions from various manufacturers. While corporates with a working setup based on Windows 95 might not be keen to rock the boat with Windows 98, it's currently Microsoft's best bet as an operating system for mobile users.

Upgrading is an altogether more difficult choice for serious power users or corporate customers running desktop machines. The fact that Windows 98 has proved slightly quicker and more stable than the 95/IE 4 combination might prove compelling, but that's not really such an issue for users and departments who haven't needed an advanced browser and don't need Push technology. The impressive range of peripheral and component support in Windows 98 is an excellent move on Microsoft's part for home users and enthusiasts whose systems are packed with new and exciting hardware, but this is practically irrelevant if you're running a plain vanilla desktop with mainstream office apps.

That's really the crux of the matter. Taken as a desktop operating system for home and small business users, there's little doubt that Windows 98 is an essential upgrade and will find a place in the hearts of new users and Windows 95 old hands alike. For serious business users, however, 98 may be an improvement on its venerable ancestor but the operating systems that should be on the minds of SMEs and corporates alike should be Windows NT. NT 4 is streets ahead of Windows 98 for mainstream business use and ease of administration on a corporate level. If it ever ships, NT 5 must be the target that every serious IT manager has in their sights. While Windows 98 represents a solid evolution of the Windows 95 line, it's only really clouding the issue for the corporate market.

Author: Contributors: Stuart Andrews, Jonathan B