Description: In Windows 98, Microsoft moves the basic graphic user interface closer to that first premiered in its successful Explorer web browser. These changes will be evident every time someone looks at a computer -- prompting even knowledgeable computer users to turn to books and magazines to upgrade their skills.

However the changes are more than a skin-deep makeover; new drivers and behind-the-scenes utilities will enable greater system optimization than ever before. A new automated backup utility should prove essential in today's era of multiple gigabyte hard drives. Windows 98's Active Desktop, which allows users to embed web pages into their basic desktop, will be the enabling technology that turns the Web-based Push technology into a true mass media application. And of course, built-in Internet Explorer software support will attract millions to upgrade for that reason alone.

However, the biggest reason for Windows 98's success is not technology, but marketing. On the surface, Microsoft is holding itself back from the hyperbolic excesses of the Win95 launch. But their announcement that they are stopping sales of Win 3.x to PC vendors belies a laid back approach. By denying corporations the ability to acquire pre-configured Win 3.x machines, they are forcing the market to choose either Windows NT or Windows 98. More than any technology feature, this channel-driven decision will be responsible for impelling Windows 98 into the marketplace.

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