Chicago Enters Beta Testing

Early reports indicate that the next version of Windows is an evolutionary step up from Windows for Workgroups 3.11

Dave Andrews

This month marks the tenth anniversary of the now-famous one-time commercial that Apple ran during the Super Bowl to introduce its new Macintosh computer to the world. Ten years later, Microsoft has entered beta testing on a new version of Windows (commonly referred to as Windows Chicago) that only now catches up to features that have been present for years in the Mac OS.

The market success of Windows 3.1 is undeniable: The Software Publishers Association says that in 1992, North American sales of Windows accounted for $1.93 billion, compared to the Mac's $990 million. Yet in terms of built-in support for networking and plug-and-play configuration, the Mac OS has often led where Windows eventually followed. The next version of Windows will attempt to remedy this situation, but it will find strong competition on the Intel architecture from IBM's OS/2 2.1, which has been shipping since June 1993.

In December, Microsoft was expected to release the first development kits to programmers who want to get an early start on developing Windows Chicago applications. (The version number has not been officially decided on, although industry insiders say Microsoft will call it Windows 4.0.) This next version of Windows is not expected to ship until sometime during the first half of this year at the earliest. Microsoft will position Chicago as a universal client that will offer preemptive multitasking, plug-and-play identification and configuration of system-board devices, the Win32S subsystem, Video for Windows, OLE 2.0, a new interface, the full MAPI (Messaging API) 1.0 subsystem, filenames longer than the "8.3" format, and better integration with NetWare. The big question--Can the company do all this in an operating system targeted at a 386 or 486 system with as little as 4 MB of RAM?--will have to wait until the company releases this product. Furthermore, whether Chicago provides a dramatic improvement as a platform for running Windows 3.1 and DOS applications will also have to be determined later.

"The bottom line is that a very large set of services [now available in Windows NT] will be implemented in the next version of Windows," says Jeff Thiel, product manager of Windows marketing at Microsoft. "But if you're looking for a production application server, you're probably going to want to use NT." The design point for Windows Chicago does indeed appear robust: Native Win32 applications will be able to take advantage of the services that full-blown Windows NT applications can use, except for Unicode, security, and symmetric multiprocessing. Of course, Windows Chicago is specifically for the Intel 80x86 platform as well.

Thiel said that any services included in Windows Chicago that are not now included in Windows NT will be added to Microsoft's portable 32-bit operating system. "Windows NT remains the full superset," Thiel says. "Any deviations from that are temporary." This means NT will soon get a new interface. The interface in Windows Chicago is much more Mac-like and combines the File Manager and Program Manager so that program groups actually map to real directories.

One indication of the strategic importance that Microsoft is placing on this next version of Windows is the way the company is conducting its beta testing. Unlike Windows NT, in which Microsoft conducted an open beta-test program, Microsoft is being very discreet with this project. "NT was a different platform. We had to build some momentum behind it," Thiel says. "Chicago is a very different situation. We have a huge installed base -- we also have competition."

Although Microsoft officials say you won't have to exit Windows to run DOS programs, sources say the company w ill sell the 32-bit version of DOS that will provide the foundation for Chicago as a stand-alone product. Many of the new features in Windows Chicago (e.g., the Video for Windows run time, Win32S, and OLE 2.0) are already here today. And Windows for Workgroups 3.11 has a 32-bit file system and 32-bit network card and transport drivers.

Despite the revamped interface, it looks as though Windows Chicago represents a gradual evolution of an environment that will be judged in part by how well it competes with OS/2.

WINDOWS/CHICAGO HIGHLIGHTS

Plug-and-Play: Chicago will include the Plug-and-Play BIOS, bringing the operating system closer to putting an end to the "DIP-switch blues" once and for all for users of new ISA cards. Supports automatic installation and configuration of add-on devices. Notebooks will automatically reconfigure themselves when removed from a docking station. Microsoft and IBM will likely cooperate on adding Plug-and-Play for Micro Channel cards under Windows. Plug-and-play EISA cards will also be supported.

Preemptive: Microsoft says Win32 programs running in Chicago will be able to preemptively multitask, meaning a task can interrupt a task with a lower priority instead of waiting for the lower-priority task to finish.

New interface: Alpha testers report the File Manager and Program Manager are now combined and the new interface incorporates features of the Mac, OS/2, and X Window System.

Win32S: Allows 32-bit applications to run on Windows 3.1, Chicago, and Windows NT.

MAPI 1.0: Originally slated for release in the third quarter of 1993. Allows replaceable directory service providers.

Better networking: Built-in support for peer-to-peer networking. Better integration with NetWare, thanks to Microsoft's own NetWare redirector, a 32-bit protected-mode driver that reduces the conventional memory footprint. Support for IPX lets Windows workstations communicate on either side of an IPX router.

OLE 2.0 integration: OLE 2.0 programs will be able t o pass information to the Windows shell, possibly allowing thumbnail images of documents.

Enhanced-mode support only: No longer supports standard mode (won't run on 286-based PCs).

TAPI support: Better integration of Windows to the phone system.