Windows 95 Not All It’s Cracked Up to Be

I find much of the coverage of Microsoft Windows 95 in The Times and in other news media too shallow and simplistic and as such misleading. We have tested Windows 95 for almost eight months. Even though we have state-of-the-art computers that require no upgrading, we are taking Windows 95 off our computers because the disadvantages outweigh the advantages.

What is misleading about media coverage is that there is too much mixing of apples and oranges in trying to compare performance of Windows 95 with other operating systems. If one compares Windows 95 with raw DOS or Windows 3.1, we agree that Windows 95 is a better operating system. However, if the comparison is with Windows 3.11 for Workgroups or with Windows NT, Windows 95 comes out the loser.

One reason is that both of the latter are already 32-bit systems. Moreover, just as DOS was made a very easy-to-use system with add-on programs, so is Windows. There is hardly an added feature in Windows 95 that we do not already have added on our present system. If asked to summarize Windows 95 in a sound bite: It is a compilation of add-on utilities and programs already in the market that operate better than the comparable utilities and programs do in Windows 95.

Our experience is that Windows 95 has not solved any of the problems we encountered with our Windows 3.1 programs. We have more crashes than in Windows 3.11. All our programs run slower in Windows 95 than in Windows 3.11. The only exception is Microsoft Word for Windows 95, which runs at the same speed in both programs. However, Word Perfect 6.0 for DOS runs circles around Microsoft Word when it comes to speed.

It is my opinion that sophisticated Windows users will find Windows 95 a drag. However, for neophytes who have a big enough computer to handle it, Windows 95 is the way to go.

JACK ALLEN

Compulaw Consultants

Pacific Palisades

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In an article on Aug. 30, you listed eight ways to “Avoid Windows 95 Installation Problems,” to which I would like to add No. 9: Get a Mac.

RICK KRIZMAN

Studio City