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Topic: Comparison of all recent Windows versions (Read 3734 times) previous topic - next topic
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Comparison of all recent Windows versions

In the german "c't magazine", issue 23/2002, there's a very interesting table with a comparison of recent Windows versions. I thought this would be valuable for those of you who plan to install a new OS soon, so i scanned it, translated it and uploaded it:

Comparison table: Windows (PNG, 500 KB)

Remember, this is taken from the c't. There's a big article around this, so if it interests you, buy the mag!

Comparison of all recent Windows versions

Reply #1 –
To avoid some unnecessary confusion, this refers to integrated tools that come with the OS, not third-party tools!
(Because someone asked me why they listed "DVD-player" etc.)

Comparison of all recent Windows versions

Reply #2 –
I have a big heap of c'ts lying around but don't have the time to read them 

Judging from my own experience system protection is very poor with all OS's. A big fat double minus. There is a lot of room for improvement.

Comparison of all recent Windows versions

Reply #3 –
Some parts make no sense:

DOS compatibility: 2000 gets a -- and XP gets just a -

All DOS compatibility was removed on XP, it's impossible to run a 'real' DOS app on it, contrary to Win 2000.

Comparison of all recent Windows versions

Reply #4 –
Garf: what do you mean by "real DOS app" - I thought that all MS operating systems  with NT kernel (NT 3.x, 4.x, 2k, XP) run  16-bit DOS apps  under  NTVDM  CPU emulation layer  ("virtual dos")?  I think this is not changed in XP, or am I wrong?

Comparison of all recent Windows versions

Reply #5 –
Quote
Garf: what do you mean by "real DOS app" - I thought that all MS operating systems  with NT kernel (NT 3.x, 4.x, 2k, XP) run  16-bit DOS apps  under  NTVDM  CPU emulation layer  ("virtual dos")?  I think this is not changed in XP, or am I wrong?

XP no longer supports 'real DOS' apps. They simply removed all legacy support.

Comparison of all recent Windows versions

Reply #6 –
then why do they run fine here? (albeit slowly compared to under dos-based win9x's)
 

Comparison of all recent Windows versions

Reply #7 –
Maybe they don't use the parts of the legacy support that was removed.

The app I'm thinking of is a 32-bit DOS application though - maybe the 16-bit stuff still runs, I don't know.

I do know for sure XP DOS support is worse than Win2K's - it nearly put my current employer out of business because a part of revenue was still being generated from a DOS application. It didn't and will never run under XP (Win2K was fine) and when contacting Microsoft the answer basically was 'Hahaa, sucks being you'