Windows OS on PCs

• Other x86 based Operating systems are plentiful
• Novell NetWare, IBM OS/2, and SCO Unix
• SCO Unix itself is running on about two million x86-based servers
• So the question arises : Why are MIS managers choosing NT ?
• Easier to integrate Windows NT with their existing hardware and software
• A large application base for Microsoft products :
  Microsoft Office commands an overwhelming 85 to 90 percent share of the market for application suites
• Unix considered to be a more technically demanding environment - in terms of productivity and connectivity
• People moving away from Banyan Vines to NT also, as it provides TCP/IP support, Ethernet routing support, and Mac OS support (all as part of the same package)
• Macintosh creates a well-known problem for network operating systems like Vines and NetWare: It supports long filenames
• NT provides long-filename support for Macs natively. NT also supports AppleTalk networking protocols.
• NT provides support for OLE (Object Linking and Embedding) allowing integration of applications with Microsoft Office and BackOffice
• Possible to build with NT custom solutions to IT problems using OLE objects and an expanding array of rapid application development (RAD) tools - these include Microsoft's Visual Basic, PowerSoft's PowerBuilder, and Borland's Delphi
• This is particularly useful for applications on the internet
• Unix does not support such a wide choice of popular RAD tools.
• Although MIS managers express reservations about Microsoft's industry dominance, they also crave the stability of industry standard
• Microsoft is making the standards !!!