As strange as it may sound, I was actually at a baseball game when I first realized Windows was a Big Thing. Where I live, we have one of those state-of-the-art baseball stadiums with all the modern-day amenities: artificial turf, a McDonald's, and the main attraction: a huge 110-foot TV screen (the biggest in the world, I hear) that tells everyone when they're having fun.

Of course, with tens of thousands of people as a captive audience, you'd better believe this monster TV is going to show commercials. So there I was, shelling peanuts and waiting to root root root for the home team in the next inning, when on comes a commercial for (wait for it) Windows. Whoa! Here I am sitting with 50,000 of the faithful, and we're all watching a Windows ad. The specifics of the ad have faded from memory (although I do remember some slinky blonde getting all hot and bothered in front of a PC), but I recall thinking that if Microsoft (the publisher of Windows) was willing to shell out megabucks to peddle this new software at a major league baseball game, something BIG was happening.

Actually, with Windows now selling over a million copies a month, "humongous" might be a better word. Windows is, truly, a phenomenon unlike any other in the world of personal computers. This chapter explores the Windows mystique and attempts to answer no fewer than five questions:

• What's with all this Windows hoopla?
• Is Windows really as easy to use as everyone says?
• I've got Windows; now what the heck do I do with it?
• Do I have to toss my DOS programs?
• What's new and improved in Windows 95?

What's with All the Windows Hoopla?

Well, in a nutshell, Windows represents an entirely new way to get things done with a computer. The old way (that is, the DOS way) involved typing commands on your keyboard and waiting (or more likely, praying) for the computer to respond. There are two major drawbacks to this approach:

• Most of us are pathetic typists.
• Most of the things you have to type bear only the slightest resemblance to the English language. I mean, imagine having to type--or even remember--a command like this:

xcopy c:\*.* a: /d:04/15/95 /v

Gag me! Using DOS is like going to a fancy French restaurant where you have to write down your order. If you get anything wrong--like spelling crème as créme (or is it the other way around?)--you don't eat.

Windows changes all that because it works the way human beings work: visually. Your programs and all the commands or options you need to choose are represented visually on the screen (or they're a few mouse clicks or keystrokes away). Just think: no more convoluted commands and snaggled syntax to remember. In fact, Windows may be the first computer application that doesn't require you to remember anything!

Well, When I Was a Kid... Although the keyboard may not be the best way to operate a computer, things used to be worse. In the old days, intrepid users had to enter information through a series of toggle switches on the front of the machine. I think it took about three days just to enter your name.

Is Windows Really As Easy to Use As Everyone Says?

When you get right down to it, Windows, like just about anything else, is as easy or as hard as you make it. This is a fully loaded piece of software that comes with a veritable cornucopia of bells and whistles. It's possible to sink into its mired depths and never be heard from again (except possibly as a story on "Unsolved Mysteries"). If that's what you want, you're reading the wrong book. My goal is to show you just how easy Windows is to both learn and use. The secret, as you'll soon see, is to learn just what you need to know--not what everyone else thinks you should know.

How does Windows make it easier to use a computer? Well, as I said before, images are the key. When you start up a Windows application, most of what you can do with the program is laid out visually in front of you. Carrying on the French restaurant example, using Windows would be like ordering from a menu that has nice pictures of each of the dishes. You point to the selection you want, and voilà, your meal is served up piping hot. Windows 95 even maps out your entire computer (floppy disks, hard drives, CD-ROMS, printers, and all) in a nice, neat visual display like the one shown here. (The program you see here is called Windows Explorer.)

The box on the right gives you a visual representation of all the components of your computer.

Of course, cute little pictures are only part of the story. Another feature that makes Windows easy to use is the dialog box concept. Although you'll learn about these in detail in Chapter 7, "Talk to Me: Dealing with Dialog Boxes," a brief introduction here won't hurt. As the name implies, a dialog box is simply a means by which you and Windows communicate. Now don't expect long philosophical discussions that last into the wee hours of the morning. Windows is good, but not that good. No, you'll see a dialog box any time Windows needs more information from you or needs you to confirm that what you asked it to do is what you actually want it to do. Here's an example of a confirmation dialog box.

This Windows 95 dialog box asks you to confirm a file deletion.

It's a What? Windows is an example of what the computer cognoscenti call a GUI--a graphical user interface--which is pronounced goo-ey. (No, I did not make that up.) Personally, I think PUI--a pictorial user interface--would have been better, but I suppose the pronunciation (poo-ey) would turn people off.

The third key to Windows' ease-of-use is consistency. Certain operations, such as opening and saving files, are implemented the same way in almost all Windows applications, and most Windows applications look more or less the same. These consistencies from program to program mean that you have that much less to learn with each new program you use. (This is a real benefit to those of us whose brain cells are the innocent victims of our misspent youth.) Check out Part 2, "Workaday Windows 95," to find out about many of these consistencies.

Okay, I've Got Windows; Now What the Heck Do I Do with It?

However, donkeys live useful, productive lives, and so can Windows. For one thing, Windows will still allow you to do what people have been doing with personal computers for years: write letters, mess around with numbers, draw pictures, and play cool games. Windows, though, brings a number of advantages to the table:

• Once you're comfortable with the Windows way of doing things (which won't take you very long), you'll be able to do all those normal computer tasks easier and faster.
• Your finished product will be, generally speaking, more professional-looking.
• Windows lets you work on multiple projects at once. For example, while a letter or report is printing, you're free to muck about with a completely different program. (So you could, for example, reward yourself with a couple of rounds of FreeCell--one of the games that come with Windows 95.)

Multitasking The capability to run several programs at the same time. This simply means that Windows (unlike some people you may know) can walk and chew gum at the same time.

Windows by itself is easily worth the price of admission (especially if it came bundled with your new computer), but there's actually a lot more fun stuff lurking in the Windows box. The Windows programmers--bless their nerdy hearts--have included, at no extra charge, a hatful of small programs (they're called accessories). With these programs you can do all of the following things:

• Write letters, memos, résumés, or even your latest Great American Novel.
• Draw and paint pictures, logos, cartoons and whatever else your inner child feels like doing.
• Make quick calculations (so you'll know if that check is going to bounce before you write it).
• Make backup copies of your important files (just in case disaster strikes).
• Play cool games (all work and no play...).

Do I Have to Toss My DOS Programs?

What's New and Improved in Windows 95?

Who's right? Well, as usual, the answer lies somewhere in the middle. Windows 95 certainly isn't the Second Coming, but it's definitely not just a warmed-over version of Windows 3.1. It boasts a boatload of improvements, big and small, that are sure to make the few hours you spend each day hunkered down in front of your monitor a little easier. I'll be giving you the details on many of these improvements as we go along, but just to whet your appetite, here's a list of the major ones to watch out for:

Keep it simple, stupid. The overall design of Windows 95 is simpler and cleaner than that of Windows 3.1. For example, Program Manager is history; to crank up a program or accessory, you simply click on the Start button, and then select what you want from the Start menu that appears.

Belly up to the taskbar. All the programs you have running appear in a special area at the bottom of the screen called the taskbar. Using the taskbar, you always know which programs are loaded, and you can switch to any of the programs with a simple click of the mouse.

Examine your computer with Explorer. Windows Explorer is easier to use and more ergonomically sound than its predecessor, File Manager. For example, Explorer treats your computer as a whole, letting you work easily with all your floppy drives, hard drives, CD-ROMs, printers, and whatever else you have glued to your machine. And you may as well remove the word "directory" from your Windows vocabulary. Directories are now called "folders" in Windows 95, and you better get used to them because they're everywhere.

A Mecca for mouse mavens. Although Windows 3.1 was designed with the mouse in mind, most people eventually found they preferred the keyboard for the majority of tasks. Windows 95 may change all that because although it, too, is made for the mouse, it's smart about it. Lots of tasks take only a single mouse click, things can be dragged hither and thither, and there are toolbars to beat the band. (A toolbar is a strip of buttons that gives you one-click access to common functions.)

At last! The right mouse button becomes useful. Speaking of the mouse, did you ever wonder what the heck the right button was supposed to be for? True, some programs made use of it, but not Windows itself. With Windows 95, however, the right mouse button is used to display "shortcut menus" that give you quick access to frequently used commands and features. This will often save you from having to hunt through endless pull-down menus to find what you want.

Hallelujah: longer file names! For my money, Windows 95's Most Valuable Feature award definitely goes to its support of longer file names. That's right, no more trying to shoehorn a meaningful name into a measly eight characters. Now you can go crazy because the limit has been bumped up to a positively verbose 255 characters! (One word of warning, though: only programs designed for Windows 95 will be able to understand these long-winded names.)

Wizards: The Windows 95 pit crew. With Windows 3.1, you were on your own when it came to performing tasks like setting up a new printer. With Windows 95, however, you're never alone because the program comes with a whole crew of so-called Wizards. These helpers take you through common Windows tasks (such as installing a printer) by asking the right questions and recording your answers.

Helmets off: Windows becomes crash-proof (well, almost). By far the most annoying thing about Windows 3.1 was its perverse tendency to go up in flames whenever an important deadline or meeting was looming large. Windows 95 was designed from the ground up to be more stable and not to give up the ghost as easily as Windows 3.1 did. (Again, however, you'll need to use programs created specifically for Windows 95 to get truly bullet-proof operations.)

Less dirty DOS dancing. Many of the things you used to have to do in DOS are now built right into Windows 95. For example, DriveSpace (the program that creates more room on your hard drive) is now a seamless part of Windows 95.

Help for hardware headaches. Windows 95 has built-in support for something called "Plug-and-Play" (PnP). This means that if you add PnP-compatible hardware to your system, Windows 95 will recognize it and configure the device for you automatically.

Where's the beef? Check out the new accessories. Many of the no-charge programs that come with Windows 95 have been beefed up from their Windows 3.1 versions. For example, WordPad (the word processor) has quite a few more features than Write, its anemic Windows 3.1 cousin. There's also a bunch of brand new accessories that are making their debuts in Windows 95. These rookies include Phone Dialer (which dials your phone for you), CD Player (which plays music CDs on your CD-ROM drive), and Microsoft Fax (which enables you to send and receive faxes right from your computer).

Get online with the Microsoft Network. If you have a modem, Windows 95 includes an easy link to the new Microsoft Network. This online service boasts electronic mail, programs, lots of info, and even links to the Internet.

Windows and DOS: Now a happy couple. Before Windows 95, DOS and Windows were, at best, acquaintances. They got along reasonably well most of the time, but their spats could be nasty ones. Now, however, DOS and Windows have shacked up and are living together under one Windows 95 roof. This, combined with the new Windows 95 versions of some important DOS programs (see below), should mean that most of us can say goodbye to the old DOS world.

The Transition from Windows 3.1 to Windows 95

To help you get through, I'll be pointing out the significant differences between the two products throughout this book. To give you a bit of an idea what to expect, though, the following table summarizes what became of the Windows 3.1 programs (and some DOS 6 ones, too) in the move to Windows 95.

This Windows 3.1/DOS 6 program:	Becomes this in Windows 95:
Program Manager	Start menu
File Manager	Windows Explorer
Calculator	Calculator (new version)
Calendar	Same
Cardfile	Same
Character Map	Character Map (new version)
Clipboard Viewer	Clipboard Viewer (new version)
Clock	On the taskbar
DEFRAG (DOS 6)	Disk Defragmenter
DriveSpace (DOS 6)	DriveSpace
Media Player	Media Player (new version)
MS-DOS Prompt	MS-DOS Prompt (new version)
Notepad	Notepad (new version)
Object Packager	Object Packager (new version)
Paintbrush	Paint
Print Manager	Control of individual printers
Recorder	Gone
ScanDisk (DOS 6)	ScanDisk
Solitaire	Same
Terminal	HyperTerminal
Undelete	The Recycle Bin
Write	WordPad

Copyright © 1995-2008 Paul McFedries and Logophilia Limited