* Posts by Richard Plinston

2608 publicly visible posts • joined 27 Apr 2009

Hands on with Windows Server 2016 Containers

Richard Plinston

Re: Just another..

> we'd never end up with any kind of standardization.

We certainly won't wind up with standardization from Microsoft. Docker images for Windows won't run on any current (non-Windows) implementations.

> computers would still be based upon 8 bit processors,

8-bit computers were rather late to the mix, and were not originally intended to be computers anyway.

Google robo-car suffers brain freeze after seeing hipster cyclist

Richard Plinston

Re: Maybe you "Entitled" cyclists....

> The roads are designed for Autos.

Roads existed well before automobiles. Bicycles existed well before automobiles. Where do you get your silly ideas from? Arrogance?

> They pay the taxes that provide upkeep for the roadways

Motor vehicles do the most damage to roads, bicycles do no damage (except when squashed into the road by a car). That is why cars and trucks pay for the maintenance.

> your little toy has no chance when being struck by a car so you should yield to the larger vehicle,

There are rules of the road, such as when you can overtake another vehicle, following distance, giving way. Bicycles are vehicles too, obey the rules and stop bullying smaller vehicles.

> Try using some common sense instead of your "entitled" arrogance and "righteous indignation" (puke voluminously) and you may cause less grief and survive longer.

The only lack of common sense, entitled arrogance and righteousness that I see is from you.

First pics of flagship Lumias for 18 months released … or maybe not

Richard Plinston

> OS/2 3.0 did run Win 3.x applications. But it couldn't run Win32 applications,

OS/2 could run Win32s applications because it could load that add-on -- until Microsoft added a completely spurious memory access to beyond the OS/2 virtual memory space in a new version specifically to stop OS/2 running it.

Richard Plinston

Re: except

> when was the last time hardware accounted for a more than a tiny percentage of their profits?

It has recently accounted for a not insignificant percentage of their losses. 900million write off for Surface RT (and maybe more to come), 7billion write off for phones, and XBox is likely to still be a loss in total (though it may show a quarterly profit it may not have made up on accumulated losses).

Richard Plinston

Re: except

> Hardware is just not in Microsoft's DNA long term.

Before it was called Microsoft Bill's and Paul's company (Traf-o-data) sold traffic monitoring hardware. In 1980 the majority of MS's revenue was from hardware (Z80 Softcard). They sold mice and keyboards since the late 80s, XBox, Surface, and now phones. They also sell large touch screen devices.

Windows 10 now on 75 million devices, says Microsoft

Richard Plinston

Re: Small Survey.

> The 92% figure is from launch day

The 'survey' appears to be done by searching blogs and social media looking for posts that include the words 'windows 10' and either 'love' or 'hate'. There is no indication of the number of messages searched. It maybe that 99% were completely indifferent or expressed views that were milder, such as 'don't care', 'dislike', or such. In which case a true analysis would be: '0.9% love Win10'.

Also I dispute that any sensible opinion can be formed on launch day. They may 'love' just the fact that it is free because they won't be wasting their money when they revert to previous version.

Richard Plinston

Re: Small Survey.

> brandwatch says 92% of the internet is happy with windows 10

That is not true. It isn't "92% of the internet', it is a small _self_selected_ sample posting their opinions on facebook or other social media.

https://www.brandwatch.com/2015/08/react-why-thousands-of-people-love-and-hate-windows-10/

"""Unprompted, thousands of people post their opinions of Window 10 online every day."""

The most interesting is that the most number of 'loves' were before it was released and the number has been dropping since. This could indicate a marketing campaign rather than actual users.

https://www.infopackets.com/news/9661/92-percent-love-windows-10-study-suggests

"""However, the methodology of the study is shaky to say the least."""

Richard Plinston

Re: pushing a free upgrade

> How many copies of Windows for Raspberry PI did they sell?

None. 1) it is free. 2) it is not yet finished. 3) It is not the Windows 10 you are thinking of.

Ha! Win 10 preview for Raspberry Pi 2 pops out of the Microsoft oven

Richard Plinston

Re: I could

> Yeah...but I'm pretty sure IoT Core will be free.

MS have said that IoT will be free to 'makers'. Whether it is free to makers' clients on production devices is yet to be seen.

Also IoT is designed to connect to the Internet via Azure. MS will probably require a subscription or access charges for that.

Yes IoT Core is a grab by MS for a piece of the action, but the grab is in the wrong direction. 'Home Automation' and similar does not need to go via servers in another state or country, it should be localised and go via a gateway if necessary.

Twenty years since Windows 95, and we still love our Start buttons

Richard Plinston

> At the time, Microsoft was everybody's friend, not a creepy monopoly, and their strange policy of ignoring the Internet had not yet done any damage.

You just weren't paying attention.

Before Windows 95 Microsoft had used 'AARD code', 'per box pricing' and 'bundling' to drive DR-DOS out of the market. They had damaged Novell with 'the next release may not support Novell' and selling 'Advanced Server concentrator' which could support 100 client to a 10 client Novell Server (and thus kill Novell's revenue). They had given away IE for free to kill Mozilla (and deny Spyglass their revenue). They had broken Lotus 123, they changed to API so WordPerfect for Windows had to be delayed, they had secret APIs so that Word and Excell ran faster than others ever could.

They were nobody's friend, except the shareholders.

It wasn't so much that they ignored the Internet, they wanted to replace it with their own MSN that they would have full control over. The original retail Win95 release only had access to MSN, it required Plus pack or 3rd party to get to the Internet.

Richard Plinston

Re: Witless Complainers, Ingrates and Thieves

> You put in the CD or DVD or whatever media and it just installs

That (and similar with USB sticks) is one of the main security flaws in Windows. Put in a CD and Windows will automatically install whatever malware is on the disk*.

> and it just installs without considerable user intervention

Get a Linux Format DVD, or indeed almost any, and a couple of mouse clicks will have it running in 'live DVD mode' to try out. A couple more clicks will have the install starting. A few questions later and it will be dual booting. It is only your FUD, or ignorance, that gets in the way.

* eventually fixed by turning the 'feature' off.

Richard Plinston

Re: Witless Complainers, Ingrates and Thieves

> You ungrateful idiots made your living off Windows for years or you didn't make a living.

In my 47 years of working with computers, Windows was a short blip. I made a good living without Windows.

> I have no pity for self inflicted wounds, you learn best by screwing up. How many Windows pc's have you serviced versus those running a Unix variant? Maybe 10,000 to 1 is a good ratio and that is being generous to Linux.

You are correct that each Windows PC requires a lot more servicing than other systems. I have client's machines that have more than 2 years 'uptime', ie without a reboot.

Richard Plinston

Re: Ted's Toy

> Let's not forget about Atari TOS which had DEC's GEM GUI slapped on top!

GEM was a product of Digital Research Inc (DRI), not Digital Equipment Corp (DEC).

Swiss watch: Cuckoo-clock cops threaten Win 10 whup-ass can pop

Richard Plinston

Re: Obfuscation is the name of the game

> Make a batch file with these commands and run it :-

How many times an hour does it need to be run ?

Windows 10 market share growth slows to just ten per cent

Richard Plinston

> Android runs on a PC ? That's news to me.

I suspect that there are many things that are news to you.

> Compaq, Dell, HP and IBM make PCs, 99% of which run Windows.

Compaq became part of HP in 2001 - I am surprised that you didn't put Gateway in that list.

Another piece of 'news': IBM sold is P business to Lenovo. I say 'news' but it was a decade ago - do try and keep up.

> Apple also makes PCs, but restricts the components to run its own OS exclusively.

Complete nonsense. Windows runs under Boot Camp, Linux has been running on Apple since the PowerPC days, and sill does with several distros.

> Commodore may have given you fond souvenirs, but it never was part of a business network.

The Commodore Pet was one of the first personal computers to be found in businesses - running Visicalc. Through the 1980 Commodore PCs were one of the first to be IBM compatible and were often found in enterprises. In fact the company name was "Commodore Business Machines". That seems to be news to you, too.

Richard Plinston

Re: We must obviously agree to disagree

> tell me why Linux is not on 99% of PCs.

It is on 76% (data as of 30 June 2015) of phones and tablets with another 20% of those being BSD based. These are the new 'Personal Computers'. 96% is Linux or BSD.

Linux is on 97% of supercomputers.

If Windows is so great why is it less than 3% of those markets ?

Richard Plinston

Re: How delightful

> Talk to anyone in the street about the Apple II. I'll bet a hundred bucks they'll just look at you with a blank stare.

You owe me $100.00

Richard Plinston

Re: How delightful

> Microsoft is what made the PC into the multi-billion market it became.

Rubbish. Commodore, Compaq, Dell, HP, IBM, Apple, and dozens of others did. Microsoft would be nowhere without the hardware makers.

> the word "Linux" means nothing to 99% of the population.

Maybe not, but Android does.

Richard Plinston

Re: An how much ...

> since the beginning of personal computing

Personal computing began in the mid 70s. The most influential personal computer was the Apple II of 1978. The most numerous OS was CP/M - which also ran on Z80 add in cards*. IBM designed their 5150 'PC' (which wasn't the first 5100 series personal computer) to be just a bit better than the Apple II (eg 160Kb SSSD diskettes vs 120Kb) running a clone of CP/M**.

Windows was a few years later and followed several similar and better GUI systems. eg Windows 1 was a year after GEM and was not as good.

Nowadays the largest 'personal computer' system is Android (Linux).

* In 1980 Microsoft's largest revenue came from selling Z80 Softcards with CP/M to plug into Apple IIs.

** MS-DOS 1 had virtually identical API and commands to CP/M, had the same OS structure and ran the same .COM program structure (.EXE came with MS-DOS 2).

Richard Plinston

Re: Windows 10 Mobile ought to be a hoot

> The major cost of changing OS is that the users apps aren't compatible.

You appear to imagine that the apps and games that you paid for in Play Store for your Android will be free in Microsoft's store for Windows Phone.

You won't be getting them free from Google for WP.

Yet another Android app security bug: This time 'everything is affected'

Richard Plinston

> We're told the vulnerability can be exploited to show a spoofed user interface, controlled by an attacker, when someone starts an app: the owner will not be aware that they are typing into another program masquerading as a legit application.

So the alleged 'vulnerability' is:

User is running latest version of Android with multi-tasking

User uploads malware app from unknown sources.

User starts malware app

User starts another app

Malware app spoofs app's screen*

User is confused and types into the wrong app

* only if malware app knows how to spoof that particular app.

Android apps are flooding on to jailbroken Win10 phones

Richard Plinston

Re: Remember OS/2 Warp

> First version of NT, NT 3.1 (as MS OS/2 was sort of version 2.x)

The reason that the first NT was version 3.1 was that it used the UI from Windows 3.1 and Microsoft wanted to confuseassure users that it was a compatible system.

Richard Plinston

Re: If....

You forgot to click the 'AC' button this time.

> Not if it ensures Windows 10 is the most popular platform. There will be roughly 1 billion Windows 10 users soon

There are already 1.7 billion Linux/Android users

http://communities-dominate.blogs.com/

> if things go according to Microsoft's plans....

If things went by Microsoft plans there would be a huge crater in Mountain View.

> Developers tend to focus on the most popular platforms first.

And that would be for Android. If that works on other platforms then there is no need to do any port.

Richard Plinston

Re: Remember OS/2 Warp

> What I remember from the situation is that OS/2 shared origins with NT.

Only in the name. 'NT' was used for OS/2 but there is nothing else shared with Windows NT (except there was an OS/2 'personality' in NT).

>It supported the Win 16 api very well but only had partial support for the Win 32 api (60%?). IBM took the decision not to chase full compatibility with the Win 32 api.

Win32 compatibility in Windows 3.x and OS/2 was provided by Microsoft's Win32s, an add-on DLL. MS released a new version which deliberately failed on OS/2 and included additional APIs so that newer software could not run on OS/2.

Because IBM had the right to run released Microsoft software but did not have the right to recreate the API with a different implementation they could do nothing about the Microsoft dirty tricks.

Richard Plinston

Re: Remember OS/2 Warp

>- Launching without a TCP/IP stack just as the internet was beginning to get traction.

>- Trying to charge £95 for the TCP/IP stack when they made it available about a year later.

OS/2 3.0 Warp included TCP/IP and much else and launched in 1994. This was contemporary with Windows 3.x which did not include TCP/IP (though 3rd party were available, including from IBM).

Windows 95 launched over a year later. The retail version had no access to the internet, only to Microsoft's own network (MSN) which attempted to replace the internet. The Plus pack was required at a price to get internet access.

Your complaints are untrue.

Richard Plinston

Re: @Ken Hagan

> Not only that, but a new Lumia 640 without contract is about USD$80 - less than half the cost of most mid-range Android phones.

The problem with that is they are selling at a loss. Nokia phone division made a loss every quarter with Windows Phone in spite of getting a billion dollars a year from Microsoft. Now Microsoft are also running phones at a loss. The only way to get WP to sell is to price them at half that of equivalent Android phones - at a loss. This overcomes the perceived lack of value from fewer apps. The choice for similar phones is lots of apps (Android) or less cost (WP).

With Android apps available Microsoft will try to raise the price in order to make a profit. Then the choice will be Android apps with Microsoft control or Android apps with freedom (ie Play Store or many others).

Richard Plinston

Re: Remember OS/2 Warp

> Same will eventually happen to WP10...

What happened next was that Microsoft promoted Win32s add-on and then issued a new version which would not run under OS/2*. Increasingly, applications failed to run on OS/2 and users replaced it with Windows 3.11 - and then Win95.

* The OS/2 environment only catered for 2Gb address space in virtual memory. Win32s made a completely pointless memory access outside that which caused a crash on OS/2 but was OK on Windows 3.x.

Richard Plinston

Re: Remember OS/2 Warp

> Ahhh, forgot you can run Word on it. Ahhh, forgot you can't...

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.microsoft.office.word&hl=en

Pirate MEP: Microsoft's walled garden is no consumer pleasure park

Richard Plinston

Re: Stop Panicking

> they wish to support steam on windows 10 to their fullest and have no plans of competing with them.

I am not sure how that contradicts my message. MS _could_ support Steam fuller by selling it through their Store and monitoring 'piracy' directly for them.

Of course if Steam don't want that 'support' then ...

Richard Plinston

Re: Stop Panicking

> how is Microsoft suppose to know if the games i bought from Steam are legal or not

The plan is that _all_ software for Windows machines will be sold through the store, with MS taking a 30% cut. Steam will be persuaded about how much better it will be for them because MS can eliminate piracy (or every Steam game if they don't agree).

Richard Plinston

Re: Earth to Microsoft

> Was it Munich that went Linux and then reverted

No, they did not 'revert'. They did have a normal 'review of computing services', just as any company does, with a few voices whining about a some things.

Microsoft drops rush Internet Explorer fix for remote code exec hole

Richard Plinston

Re: Pro Tip

> We now have sudo attempting to do much the same thing but all too often set up to simply use the user's own password rather than root's and to be as omnipotent as root in terms of privilege.

On a desktop machine owned and used by just one user, at home for example, then admin being done using sudo is appropriate - there is no administrator other than that user.

On other machines where there is a separate administrator then the sudo is easily controlled as to what each user can actually do (see /etc/sudoers file, if you are allowed to). They can also be given permission to do stuff or access stuff by making them members of a particular group and giving permission to the group.

> For instance a user logged in as the printer administrator could administer the printing sub-system to stop & start queues etc without having root access.

They don't have to login as a specific user (though it could be done that way), Access can be given to a specific group and particular users can be added to that group. (A user can be a member of several groups).

Ubuntu phone on sale to world+dog ... but will it work on your network?

Richard Plinston

> I'm guessing the limiting factor for most people will be apps, or the lack thereof.

My Nokia N800 with Maemo (Linux) runs real applications and not just 'apps'. For example Gnumeric and Abiword. I wrote applications for it in Python and Glade that ran unchanged on Linux desktops and Windows. The N850 would run OpenOffice.org. I would look forward to a replacement that would also run applications like this. I hoped that Ubuntu Phone would be that.

Patching a fragmented, Stagefrightened Android isn't easy

Richard Plinston

Re: Android is the new Windows

> Patches for windows are rolled out for 10+ years

Windows Phone 7 was supported for less than 4 years.

Windows Mobile 6.5 was supported for little more than 2 years.

IoT security is RUBBISH says IoT vendor collective

Richard Plinston

Re: Optional @VinceH

> Microsoft, that company that pretty much launched the careers of the majority of IT people today and to whom you owe most of your income to.

Maybe, but it wasn't because MS produced such a wonderful product, it was because MS products need a lot of IT people to keep it running and attempting to keep it safe. IT loves Windows and other stuff because it keeps their jobs safe, there is always something more to do, more to retrain users, more to buy, more licences to keep track of.

No, Microsoft: Your one-billion Windows 10 goal is just sad ... really sad

Richard Plinston

Re: Beg to differ

> The Internet was the game changer; you need an Internet capable device to use it. Back ~20 years ago that meant a PC.

20 years ago (in two weeks time) retail Windows 95 was _NOT_ an "Internet capable device". It was released only capable of accessing the original MSN, an attempt by Microsoft to replace the Internet by its own network. Later, the Plus Pack gave proper Internet access as did OSR2.

Richard Plinston

Re: Phones and tablets are not PCs

> The PC is not dying,

No, but PC _sales_ are dying because they became 'good enough' 10 years ago. In the 90s new PCs were 10 times faster than the one they bought 3 years ago. New versions of Windows had to add more bloat to slow them down so that a new even faster machine was needed. Vista was the high point of that. Every machine since then has been fast enough to keep until it breaks completely (with iPads and smart phones supplementing usage).

Pi-eyed: Microsoft ships slimmed-down Windows 10 IoT Core for gizmos

Richard Plinston

Re: No thanks. Pi is lower spec. its already well supported Linux wise for building stuff.

> Actually; if it had the typical windows GUI

MS don't have a 'typical windows GUI" for ARM. They do have RT or WP 'Metro' touch GUI, but who would want that?

> it would be a good, cheap "media device",

It is a $40 device. Add a case, touch screen and the cost of the real price of Windows 10 and their media player then a cheap laptop would be cheaper.

> usable even by non-enthusiasts.

There are simple HDMI stick "media devices" that just plug into a TV. Windows not required.

> As it is, I'm not sure what use case it's supposed to cover.

The IoT development system _requires_ a full Windows 10 PC. The purpose is to sell Windows 10 and attempt to kill Linux in schools.

As only an IoT device the Pi2 is overkill, with various Linux systems the Pi2 is all that is needed for developing IoT programs that can later be deployed on cheaper Pi1A or compute modules.

Windows 10 climbs to 3.55 per cent market share, Win 8.1 dips

Richard Plinston

Re: A modest proposal...

> Er, did I just reinvent Linux?

No, ReactOS.

Richard Plinston

Re: Hard sell, hardly selling, selling hard

> You're not the product because you're still going to be buying Windows

Paying does not stop you being the product.

For example Sky TV still shows ads. They sell you viewing the channel to advertisers.

Even with Windows, if you pay for it or not, Microsoft will sell your searches or store purchases.

Richard Plinston

Re: Bringing Up The Rear

> I would have though lots more Windows users would be running advert and script blockers due to the much larger number of advert nasties and browser toolbars targeted at the more prevalent platform...

It may be true that they _should_ run ad, flash and script blockers because they are more likely to have security issues. But without actual statistics your "though" [sic] is not useful.

Richard Plinston

> so its representativity should be all the more valid.

You failed to notice that these are self-selected web sites and self-selected (by default) clients. Thus the representativity [sic] is invalid.

It may be that it has some useful data for many Windows users moving to different Windows versions as this is unlikely to change their browsing habits or configuration. However the original poster was attempting to show something about a completely different set of users with different operating systems. These are likely to visit different sites than Windows users visit and will use different browsers.

For example Linux users are far less likely to visit Microsoft servers or Windows news sites. They are far more likely to visit sites that do not use statcounter.

Richard Plinston

Re: Bringing Up The Rear

> Looking at Statcounter, I see Linux flat-lined as always as a desktop OS

"""StatCounter measures market share by counting the prevalence of operating systems hitting web servers"""

That is not quite true. Statcounter works by having Javascript built into web pages. This code sends data from the client to the statcounter servers.

Web servers that don't include the Javascript aren't counted. Clients that block Javascript, or have other security or privacy plug-ins, simply aren't recorded.

So the stats are skewed to those who are unconcerned about privacy and who mainly visit self-selected sites that collect data. Of course Windows users are over represented and Linux is under represented.

I suspect that XP is also under represented because XP users are likely to stay mostly offline due to scares about being unsupported and vulnerable.

Windows 10: Buy cheap, buy twice, right? Buy FREE ... buy FOREVER

Richard Plinston

Re: Free you say?

> FOR THE SUPPORTED LIFETIME OF THE DEVICE. WHICH MICROSOFT ALREADY EXPLAINED MEANS THE SAME 10 YEAR UPDATE MODEL AS WINDOWS 7 AND 8.

No, they have _NOT_ "already explained" this. If you think that they have then please provide an actual link.

MORE Windows 10 bugs! Too many Start menu apps BREAK it

Richard Plinston

Re: I have 600

> Which is right up their with the famous IBM prognosis that went somewhat like "There is a market for may be 50 to 100 so-called personal computers, so we won't invest in that.."

Completely untrue. IBM had 'personal computers' before the 'IBM 5150 PC': The 5120 and 5130. They also had the System 23 Displaywriter on which the IBM PC was based. They developed the PC because they noticed Apple II* in their mainframe sites running Visicalc and CP/M (on Z80 Softcards) with Wordstar and other software. They designed their PC to be just a bit better than the Apple II: same cassette interface, 160Kb diskettes instead of 120Kb, same BASIC in ROM, CP/M clone PC-DOS, Wordstar, Visicalc, Peach, etc.

They also added terminal facilities (which is why the serial ports are DTE instead of DCE*) and there were versions with mainframe emulation borads.

The intended market was mainframe sites to keep Apple (and others) out. The market there was seen as 20,000 to 50,000. It may be true that initially they did not intend to broaden their customer base by selling 5150s outside existing IBM sites, but dealers and resellers did.

* DTE is Data Terminal Equipment. Most mini and micro computers at the type had their serial ports configured as DCE - Data Communications Equipment, to which serial terminals were connected (eg ADM-3a). Hence the IBM PC was configured to _be_ a terminal.

* The Apple II was advertised as 'Personal Computer' in 1978.

Richard Plinston

Re: what's the point in having it available if it's not a good idea to use it?

> Because deadline!

Bill is alleged to to said: "Windows 95 _will_ be out by Christmas, but we may have to delay December for a couple of months."

Richard Plinston

Re: the 640k quote

> it is well-known that he just said "yes" to IBM and *then* had just a week or two to actually come up with an OS.)

Both MS and SCP were full DRI OEMs. SCP with their Zebra range of Z80 machines and MS with the Z80 Softcard (for Applle II). They were close and worked together. Bill was quite aware of QDOS/86-DOS/SCP-DOS that was running at SCP. SCP even used the Microsoft languages: BASIC, COBOL, Pascal, with sales of computers.

Richard Plinston

Re: the 640k quote

> Ironically enough, Bill's company went on to produce a real-mode memory manager for Windows that blew the 640K limit away

Microsoft may well have written one but it was by no means the first to do this, nor the best. The mechanisms had been used for years with 8085, Z80 and 6502 CPUs. For example I have a machine here with an 8085AH2 '8bit' CPU with 512Kb RAM - 256Kb for OS and programs, 256Kb for a RAM disk running MP/M II.

Richard Plinston

Re: That would be because...

> Base memory was limited to 640K due to processor design.

Not true. The 8086 and 8088 could access the full 1 megabyte (plus nearly 64K if memory management supported that). Many 8086 and 8088 machines could use almost all that 1 megabyte address space, I have several here*. It was the IBM PC that reserved address space for hardware and limited OS and Programs to 640Kb (or slightly more if one used an MDA Monochrome Display Adaptor).

* The ICL PC2 and Quattro 8086 computers used Concurrent-CP/M-86 which was muliuser on serial terminals. Around 980Kb was available to OS and programs.

Ballmer's billion-dollar blunders: When he gambled Microsoft's money and lost

Richard Plinston

Re: Sigh

> I don't remember writing that Microsoft invented stuff.

My point was that Microsoft didn't get market share because they had better products, they didn't.

> MS-Dos was beautiful after CP/M

MS-DOS 1 was complete crap: no hard disk support (CP/M did), corrupted diskettes if you swapped them (CP/M checked), EDLIN. MS-DOS 2 was not much better.

CP/M had been around for 6 years by the time MS-DOS came out and DRI had brought out MP/M - multi-user and pre-emptive multi-tasking (1978), MP/M II (1980) MP/M-86 (1980) and was demonstrating Concurrent-CP/M - pre-emptive multi-tasking with virtual screens.

MS-DOS was always behind the curve, limited to 32Mbyte partitions until MS-DOS 4 (though Compaq and others implemented patches to avoid the limit), MS-DOS 5 was nearly 2 years behind DR-DOS 5 and then DR-DOS 6 went to another level.

> Win 3.1x was very good for its time.

Yes, it took 3 versions plus a subversion to be better than GEM which preceded Windows 1 by a year and a half.