Prelude

This page is devoted to (my practising) answers to amazingly unexpected questions. I suppose, having started with CP/M, grown up with MS-DOS and now working with Windows NT, that I forget some people don't have that entrance. Here goes:

What's Windows 2000? Is it like Windows '95/'98? Or Windows NT 4.0?

Microsoft Windows 2000 is founded on Windows NT 4.0 design with lots of additions. The family history is:

Windows NT 3.1 -> 3.5 -> 3.51 -> 4.0 -> 2000

The other Windows has been with us for longer:

Windows '95 -> Windows '95 OSR2 -> Windows '98 -> Windows '98 SE (Second Edition) -> Windows ME

The Windows '9x borrows heavily from the even older Windows:

Windows 1.0 -> 2.0 -> 2.0/286 -> 3.0 > 3.1 -> Windows for Workgroups 3.11

NT stands for New Technology. Although the NT family may appear to act and work like Windows '9x, it is a completely different system. What does that imply? Well, programs that you are used to may work on it. Not every piece of hardware that you are used to, works on it. One user difference is that Windows '9x really has no security - hit the Escape and you can use the PC if you don't know the password. NT won't allow that - it will resolutely force you to give a password to let you in. (Exclusions apply).

Why can't I find the information I want on the Internet? Why is it so unhelpful?

The Web is not a public library. The public library is set up to serve you. In a library, if you can't find the information by yourself, you ask the library assistant.

The Web is more like a public noticeboard where people stick on notes. The authors and makers of these notes serve themselves primarily, not you (although there are library staff who serve via the Web). Some authors want to sell stuff, others want to discuss stuff. Often the information is not vetted or co-ordinated for accuracy, relevance or suitability

My way of using the Web is to establish a list of sites where I KNOW about the quality of information and the content is what I want. In order to do this, I trawl the net using references and tips from newsletters, word of mouth and search engines. Search Engines like All the Web, Ask Jeeves, Alta Vista, OneSeek, Google and Catcha bring me a lot of references but not all the references are accurate, relevant or useful.

Well, if the Web is so limited, then why is there so much hype about it?

In this marketing based life, marketing hype is everywhere. The Web is no exception. However, like going to the open marketplace, you often return with some treasures. And so with the Web.