Entrepreneur's Complete Guide to Software

Between your computer's language and applications such as word processors and spreadsheets, there's an operating system, or OS. You're probably familiar with one or more of these: Windows 95, DOS, Macintosh System 7, OS/2, UNIX, Sun, and so on. Guess which one is selling best? Remember, there are deals between PC manufacturers and operating systems publishers, so might doesn't always make right.

Windows 95 upgrade, $109, Microsoft Corp., (800) 426-9400, http://www.microsoft.com

You knew the Windows 95 upgrade would be the bestseller-and not because it automatically comes loaded with so many PCs. Windows 95 brought Windows into the native 32-bit arena without taking as many resources as NT. Windows 95 also added more efficient navigation through a combination of the Start Menu for launching programs and the button bar for moving among open programs. Although Windows 95 is legendary for causing trouble during installation, it brought networking protocols and other empowering capabilities to the home and small-business desktop, and that buys those users time before having to choose between NT and UNIX derivatives for a business-class operating system. It also buys Microsoft time to make a successor that can compete with the two serious business platforms. The upgrade will need 45MB of hard-drive space.

Other Products

Mac OS 8, $99 (Macintosh), Apple Computer Inc., (800) 293-6617, http://www.apple.com

What's Hot

• Red Hat Linux 4.2 is red hot. The Linux operating system-a derivative of UNIX-boasts sophisticated network and Internet administration tools, and performs true multiuser multitasking. Although Linux itself is free, it has too many components for most system administrators to bother collecting, and we highly recommend forking over the $49.95 for Red Hat's Linux 4.2 version. One reason Internet service providers (ISPs) are switching to Linux is that it runs on Intel, Sun, Alpha, and Power PCs. Red Hat's 4.2 version alone works on Intel, Alpha and SPARC. Linux is lean, too-the Intel version can run on a 386! The $49.95 version includes the Linux 2.0.30 operating system, libraries, Web and FTP servers, Sendmail SMTP server, Ethernet, PPP, SLIP, NFS, network firewalling, virtual hosting, C, C++, Objective C, Pascal, assembler, FORTRAN, BASIC, Java support, Perl, LISP, secure Red Baron 3.1 Web browser (supports forms, frames, SSL and SET), FTP, gopher and e-mail clients, X Windows, image and video viewers, paint programs, support for PCL and PostScript printers, arcade games, flight simulators, and much more. Red Hat Linux reads DOS, OS/2 and Windows NT file systems. You can even get beautiful graphical office suites for Linux-see Applixware Office Suite, which reads Word and Excel files, in our Suites category. If the idea of Linux is too techie for you, pass this on to your Information Systems department-it could be the smartest move you make for your business this year. If you don't do it, then don't complain about platforms that won't talk to each other and resource-hungry operating systems with bloated applications running your hardware costs up to the moon. Contact Red Hat Software Inc. at (888) 733-4281 or http://www.redhat.com
• Sales of what Apple Computer calls the most significant Macintosh upgrade since 1984 are booming-more than 1.2 million copies were sold between July 26 and August 8 this year alone. Macintosh OS 8 allows for faster operations and multitasking, and provides spring-loaded folders that open when a file is dragged on top of them, an Internet Set Up Assistant, and popular Internet software. Personal Web Sharing turns any Mac-intosh into a Web server. QuickTime 2.5, QuickTime VR 2.0, QuickDraw 3D 1.5, and QuickDraw GX multimedia tools are also included. As a result of the recent deal with Microsoft, Internet Explorer, as well as Netscape Navigator, will be bundled with the new Macintoshes. Macintosh OS 8 works on all 68040- and Power-PC processor-based Macintosh OS-compatible systems. It does not support 68030-based systems, even those with PowerPC upgrade cards. Mac-intosh OS 8 will run most existing applications. Macintosh OS 7.6 or 7.6.1 owners are eligible for a $30 rebate.
• Windows 98 should ship in the first quarter of 1998. (See "Business Software," October, for a complete review of the test version.)
• OS/2 Warp 4 ($229; upgrade $139) runs OS/2, DOS and most Windows 3.x applications, and does so on older machines (386 and 486) if they have enough memory. OS/2 Warp 4 continues the legacy of robust networking, too-it will transparently reconnect to a network if someone takes the system down and brings it back up. You also get speech recognition, Internet features and Java support. If you don't need to run Windows 95 applications, OS/2 Warp 4 from IBM Corp. can help you get a lot out of your hardware. Call (800) 426-2255, or visit http://www.ibm.com

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This article was originally published in the November 1997 print edition of Entrepreneur with the headline: Entrepreneur's Complete Guide to Software.