Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition -- 2 Times, and Still Wrong?

Author's Rating:

Pros: Ease of Use, USB, Internet Centric

Cons: Security, Stability, Multiuser Issues

The Bottom Line: 
Still Using : Upgrade if possible. Considering It: Try Ubuntu or PCLinuxOS. (Puppy Linux for older computers)

Author's Review
Microsoft Windows 98, when it was released, was by far the most advanced, capable, and intuitive operating system avaliable. While it did have many positive things about it, it still had the random crashing, constant rebooting, and virus/spyware/malware problems versions prior, and succeeding it did.


Pro's

USB - The most widely touted capability of Windows 98 was, in fact, it's ability to support USB natively. Sure, it was possible on Windows 95, but it took third party drivers that, sometimes, didn't quite work correctly. USB allowed for many other features such as Plug & Play, faster connections to periphials, and more.

Internet Based OS - The whole GUI (graphical user interface) of Windows 98 was based around a web centric look. Navigating through files and folders had the options to go back, forward, refresh, etc, just like Internet Explorer did. The whole OS was integrated with a .NET Passport (also known as a messenger ID, Hotmail account, etc.) This allowed for easy access to the internet, email, instant messaging, and newsgroups.

Ease of Use - Windows 98 did as much as possible to make new users feel well acquainted at the computer in as little time as possible. Help Guides, colorful, graphic rich tours, and other means of providing assistance were almost always avaliable for any core part of the operating system.

Con's

Security - Windows 98 had just as many, if not more security holes than any Windows version prior to it. However, to be fair, it didn't help that the internet was just taking off, and Microsoft didn't quite know what to expect. Yet, even after Windows 98 SE was introduced, it had just as many security vulnerabilities as the first edition did.

Stability - Windows 98 crashed alot. Period. As an illustration of this, Windows 98 was based off the DOS kernel. Windows XP is based off of the NT kernel (also known as the business kernel, or the one that Microsoft built from scratch). The NT kernel is 10 times more stable than the DOS kernel. If you think your Windows XP computer crashes alot, wouldn't you hate to be on Windows 98? Exactly.

Networking Issues - The multiuser features of Windows 98 flat out stunk. You could bypass the logon screen by pressing CANCEL! Ironic, I'd say. "Would you please enter a password so you can logon to this computer.", says Windows. "NO!", shouts the user. "Ok, just press cancel and you can go on without one", says the computer. Crazy, heh?

Conclusion - Windows 98 was a semi-important release for Microsoft. While it did add some features, most could be emulated in the far more stable Windows 95, or even in NT 4.0. Microsoft didn't learn its lesson with Windows 98, however. It went on to release Windows ME, which was the worst version of Windows that has been released. (It was so bad, some have called it Windows Mistake Edition). Yet, it did pick up the pace and release Windows XP, the best OS from Microsoft period.

If you are still using Windows 98, I'd majorly consider upgrading to XP or even Vista. However, if you are considering purchasing Windows 98 for an old computer, why don't you give Ubuntu, PCLinuxOS, or, for old computers, Puppy Linux a try. They run better, are FAR more stable, and are still being updated with security patches.