WHAT PERSONAL COMPUTER OPERATING SYSTEM TO USE- ITS DOS AND WINDOWS By WILLIAM T. SUNLEY, Engineer of Local Roads and Streets

DOS (disk operating system) was originally written for personal computers with 640 K of RAM (random access memory) floppy drives and small hard drives. It was all command oriented. Originally the command had to be typed in with the exact syntax or it would not run. Then DOS 5.0 came out with a shell that does the syntax for you. DOS 6.0 has the shell, along with other features that add to its usefulness. These features include: a disk compression program that doubles the hard disk compacity, a virus scanner, and a memory manager.

Windows is a shell program that runs from DOS. Most of its commands are found at the top of the screen. You move your mouse (required) to the command, click, and the command is activated. If you buy software that is made for Windows (Word for Windows, Lotus for Windows, etc.) that software will run the exact same way. Macintoshes have been using a Windows like environment for years. The ease of learning where to find your commands (user friendliness ) is the big reason for its success. So Microsoft (the company that develops MS-DOS) has taken that environment and moved it to DOS compatible machines. One of the main problems with Windows is that it takes a bigger computer. It should be at least a 386 based machine with 4 MB of RAM and a large hard disk.

ADVANTAGES
DOS
1. Easy to set up
2. Need to have DOS to use Windows
3. Can custom make menus and bat files
4. Doesn't take a lot of RAM memory

WINDOWS
1. Can run two programs at once
2. All programs run the same
3. User friendly — run with a mouse
4. Exchange information between programs

DISADVANTAGES
DOS
1. Can only run one program at a time
2. Have to learn the DOS commands
3. Each program has its own commands
4. Hard to exchange information

WINDOWS
1. Takes computer knowledge to set up
2. Takes a lot (4 MB) of RAM
3. Better to buy programs for Windows
4. Must have an idea how DOS works

It is not a matter of using one or the other. The computer industry is moving to a Windows like environment. If you are an end or new user. Windows is going to make using a computer easier. Once you learn a program, all other programs are going to run similarly. There are also no commands to memorize. Experienced DOS users are going to find Windows slow and cumbersome until they find the ease in which multitasking and data sharing is executed. Ultimately there are too many Window's applications for the experienced DOS user to ignore.

If you are buying a new computer, make sure it is at least a 386DX, has plenty of RAM (4-6-MB) and a large (240 MB) hard drive. Choose DOS 6.0 which will double your hard disk (480MB), and Windows. These are all needed because Windows (DOS 7.0 - is said to be coming out with a Windows like environment) is the operating system of the future. •

May 1993 / Illinois Municipal Review / Page 7