Monday, October 23, 2000		On Hardware

Windows 2000 provides more wizards

AFTER the launch of Windows Me recently, most of the computer users might feel confused as which operating system is best for him or her. Before reaching a final conclusion, it is better to understand the salient features of each and every operating system. In the previous issue, we discussed the Windows Me. Here is a descriptive review of Windows 2000.

Before the launch of Windows 2000, the Windows operating system users were broadly classified into Windows NT users and non-NT users, which included Windows 98/95 users. In fact, for a majority of non-Windows NT users like Windows ’98 and Windows ’95, Windows NT was more or less a mystery. So, the Microsoft launched a new product, which had the best of both the worlds and this product was being termed as Windows 2000.

Windows 2000 is basically an operating system, which has been developed on the NT platform and has the best features of Windows NT along with other user-friendly features of Windows ’98. It is indeed Microsoft’s best operating system offered so far as it has a lot of modifications over its previous operating systems. One such modification to the operating system is the ability to prevent crashes and the ability for the operating system to repair itself. Thus it makes one of the most reliable systems world-over and also the most reliable desktop operating system Microsoft has ever produced.

As per the comparative reliability tests conducted by ZD Labs, the average system uptime of Windows 2000 Professional was over 50 times that of Windows 98 and 17 times that of Windows NT Workstation 4.0. Undoubtedly, stability wise, Windows 2000 is beyond compare. Going by the performance also, Windows 2000 has a success story to tell. These results are well reflected in the tests conducted by ZD Labs, which shows that by running the most popular business applications, with 64 mb RAM, Windows 2000 was 32 per cent faster than Windows 95 and 27 percent faster than Windows 98. It is also significantly faster than Windows NT 4.0 on configurations with 32 mb. These results clearly shows the advancements in the Windows 2000 operating system over and above its previous versions of Windows viz. Windows 95/98/NT.

The distinctive features of Windows 2000 do not end here, as it seems that Microsoft has learnt enough from the past. The biggest problem for the Windows operating system has been the security issue.

But now, Windows 2000 professional provides adequate security features to protect the sensitive business data, both locally on the desktop computer and as it is transmitted over the local area network, phone lines, or the Internet. Moreover, with its support for Internet-standard security features such as IP security, Layer 2 tunneling protocol, and virtual private networking. With the addition of this feature, Windows 2000 has become the preferred system world over, as many big banks and financial institutions are switching on to Windows 2000.

Another area, which has become the key area for the success of any operating system, is compatibility with the Internet. It is worth mentioning that the Internet is the present and also the future. Thus, any operating system that would be planned in the future will be now based on the Internet.

Using Windows 2000 professional, one can make most of the Internet as the common user interface. If looking for that "extra" in the Internet experience, then you should try Windows 2000. Moreover, the easy to use interface of Windows 2000 would also makes it indispensable to quite an extent.

Windows are responsible for the PC revolution in the world. It was Windows, which brought a common man to a PC. So, this has been the USP (unique selling point) of Windows and in Windows 2000, this tradition has not only been maintained but has been taken to new heights.

Windows 2000 provides more wizards, a centralised location for common tasks, and menus that adapt to the way you work. Besides, the usability, the Windows 2000 also has a better support for the hardware as it utilises the hardware to its best by having fully incorporated USB (universal serial bus) ports.

It is a boon for executives who use notebook computers, as this is a perfect operating system for the mobile computers. Also, it has a lot of features for even small business also, which makes it valuable. It is also an absolute delight for the developers and other technical persons, who find it very useful and power-packed.

For most of the persons, a big question would be which operating system, Windows 2000 or Windows Me, would be the right choice for them. Both these operating systems are actually good and offer features that were missing in the previous versions of the Windows. Though there are some common features in Windows 2000 professional and Windows Millenium like the user-friendly interface and its improved Internet capabilities, still there could arise the choice depending upon its usage.

As a thumb rule, if you want to use the operating system basically for home, where one or two computers would be running then the Windows Me would be the right choice. For home-based computers you need a system, which is basically crash proof and restore the system to the previous best level. These capabilities are dealt best in Windows Me.

Similarly, Windows Me has a lot of other features, which are relevant for a home-based computer and are already mentioned in the previous edition of the Login… Tribune. Windows 2000 is the big brother that can actually fit into any slot, from a home-based computer to a developer’s computer.

— VV