🚀 go-pugleaf

mcr...@ix.netcom.com (Psychoboy) wrote:

>Is Microsoft Windows 95 a true, real operating system?
IMHO, yes

>Now, of course, this question has many loose ends, so I'll try to 
>set the variables.  Now, a lot of people think Windows 3.xx is an 
>operating system.  Well, it isn't...for most people, MS-DOS is.
True, Windows 3.1 requires DOS to run.
Therefore it cannot be an OS.

> [snip - a lot of stuff that we all know]
>If Windows 3.xx were a true OS, there would be no autoexec.bat or 
>config.sys files.  There may be files with the same name, or similar 
>files...but they would work for Windows 3.xx, not for DOS.  And, you 
>wouldn't be able to exit out of it.  Can you exit from DOS? Even if you 
>could...where would you go? Nowhere...it's impossible...the only feasible 
>place you'd end up is in your setup, in your ROM.
And all PC's have a very similar ROM totally geared towards a non
GUI OS. Mac's contain part of the GUI in the ROM.
As do some unix machines.

> DOS controls your 
>computer...it pretty much IS your computer.  So with this said, is 
>Windows 95 a shell, or a real operating system? Is it loaded from DOS? Do 
>you exit from it, or is it a real OS...like a graphical DOS?
1. Windows 95 is one product
2. It is both a GUI and a DOS in one
3. It is primarily a GUI
4. You can run Windows programs from the DOS prompt because it is
   Windows.
5. Windows 95 requires no AUTOEXEC.BAT or CONFIG.SYS
6. Windows 95 drivers replace the old DOS ones.
7. Even DOS games like WC3 will run from Windows95 with ease (even in 347)
   and use the Windows drivers
8. I actually use the Windows mouse driver in DOS games running from the DOS
   box.
9. Interaction between the Windows 95 DOS and Windows 95 GUI seems to be
   one.
10. Windows 95 doesn't require a separate OS to run it because it run's
    itself.
11. Only when in DOS mode the GUI doesn't run.
12. There is a manual way of of kicking in the Windows 95 GUI
    (normally the GUI is started by the system files - but some setup
    programs, if run from DOS mode, have to be able to start the GUI
    the OLD way because they were made before Win95 - this is to type WIN
    in MS DOS mode). Type WIN in DOS mode and Windows is run.
    But if you have no AUTOEXEC.BAT, Windows 95 will run because
    this is built into the .sys system files
> I am 
>severely confused on this matter.  Where does DOS 7 come in? If Windows 
>95 is a true OS, DOS 7 would be just a shell to run DOS programs, right? 
>Unless Windows 95 can run DOS programs some other way.  Please...someone 
>help me.  Thank you for any responses in advance.
Well, no program can run DOS programs in any other way.
OS/2 requires a DOS shell too.
Why doesn't anyone hassle OS/2 - it doesn't support all DOS programs though.
You have to boot from a floppy to run DOOM from OS/2 - how sad
Windows 95 can run DOOM in a DOS windows from within the GUI.
By the way, DOS 7 is Windows 95 as well

Glenn Stewart