New Windows on the world.

After spending more than three years and $100 million to develop Windows 95, Microsoft Corp. formally introduced its updated product with a huge marketing bang last August. Without question, Windows 95 is an improvement over Windows 3.1, but does that mean lawyers should rush to the store and buy it? I think a stroll should suffice.

First, a little background. Windows is based on a graphical user interface (GUI) format that has been used with IBM-type computers for some years. Windows 3.0, the first adequate version of the Windows operating system, was introduced several years after Apple Computer's Macintosh showed us how a GUI-based system should look and operate.

Microsoft Corp., vendor of MS-DOS and Windows, had worked for a long time to come up with a new version of Windows with a Mac-like interface. Windows 95 was the answer.

The most significant Windows improvements occurred in these areas:

* Power. Windows 95 offers a more powerful "32-bit" operating system, prompting developers to rush software products to market that take advantage of this newfound strength. Accordingly, applications software, such as word processing and case management, will become more versatile and easy to use.

* File names. MS-DOS users are limited to an eight-character primary file name descriptor and three more characters to the right of the "dot," as in PBVBUS95.CP1. This moniker may have meant something to you when you first saved the file, but does it still? With Windows 95 you can create easily identifiable names like "first version of complaint in Paul Bernstein v. XYZ Bus Co."

* Folders. Directories and subdirectories, so prominent in MS-DOS and previous versions of Windows, have created confusion for many users. Even more confusing are the differences between the "forward slash" (/) and the "back slash" (\), the latter being required to designate subdirectories in MS-DOS and previous Windows versions.

Now, Windows 95 emphasizes folders for document organizations. You can create folders within folders, and you can have long folder names. Thus, my client folder for my new case might be labeled "Paul Bernstein v. XYZ Bus Co., No. 95 L 987654," and inside that folder there may be subfolders labeled "Correspondence," "Pleadings," "Discovery," "Research," "Motions in Limine," "Costs Advanced," and "Jury Instructions."

Rather than trying to decipher short, nondescriptive subdirectory and file names, you will have more than enough information to locate a client matter and documents without help from your paralegal or secretary.

* Files and programs. Let's say you want to open a file. With Windows 3.1, you have to click on the applications program - such as WordPerfect or Microsoft Word - start that program, locate the file you want to read or edit, and open it. Now, as with the Macintosh, all you have to do is click on the file you want to open and the applications program that created that file automatically starts and loads the document.

* Program manager. It's nowhere to be found in Windows 95. A "start" button has replaced the program manager, which in the older version is a menu displaying icons that allow you to call up any of the software programs installed in your computer.

With Windows 95, click on the new start button once, and you will see a simpler menu of programs and documents that are in your computer. The program manager in Windows 3.1 is supposedly easy to use, but I never liked it very much, especially because it disappears the moment you start a program. With Windows 95, the start button is always visible - a nice touch.

* Multitasking. This allows you to run several programs on your computer simultaneously. In Windows 95, the process is much improved and more reliable. Thus, when you send a lengthy file to the printer, you can create a new one while the first is printing - without fear of losing either file.

* Installation. This is no job for amateurs. Installation itself is simple enough, but some reports of problems have surfaced. It seems that program files of Windows 95 may render some existing programs on your system inoperable. You may save time and anguish if you ask an expert to install Windows 95 for you.

* The Internet. Among the more fascinating new features of Windows 95 are the Internet and Microsoft Network icons on the "desktop," or first screen you see. Microsoft is providing immediate access to the Internet and the World Wide Web via its own online service. That's got folks at America Online, Compuserve, Prodigy, and the U.S. Justice Department a bit concerned. The Justice Department's interest is piqued by possible monopoly issues, and the commercial services fear obsolescence if Microsoft provides its own online connection through packaged software.

At this writing it is reported that Microsoft will limit access to the Microsoft Network (MSN) to 500,000 people - the total number company leaders think they can serve initially.

Computer industry experts agree generally that Windows 95 is better than its predecessor. To its credit, Microsoft kept its promise to create a new system that operates most existing software. Still, the speed enhancements offered by Windows 95 will only be realized when updated software programs come to market.

How Much Is Enough?

Microsoft says that Windows 95 will run on a 386DX computer with four megabytes of memory. For more optimal performance, Microsoft recommends a 486 processor with eight megabytes of memory.

However, to work with the more powerful case-management, litigation support, graphics, and voice technology software, you'll be happier with a Pentium-based processor running at 100 mhz or better, with 20 megabytes of memory.

As the power requirement of software has increased, so too has the size of the programs. Windows-based suites of programs, such as Microsoft Office or Word-Perfect Office, can take up to 100 megs or more of hard-disk space. Windows 95 will take about 25 megs.

So, to get the most out of Windows 95, you will needs lots of additional memory, a fast processor, and a good-sized hard-disk drive - I recommend one gigabyte as a minimum for stand-alone computers.

Need you run out and buy a new computer if yours doesn't make the mark? No, not by a long shot. In the first place, if your system is running well and you know how to use it, why upgrade? Second, many industry pundits counsel against buying the first version of new software or an updated operating system until the technical folks work out the bugs. This usually takes about six months after the product is released.

However, I can think of a few reasons to justify buying a computer that will handle Windows 95:

* You are a first-time buyer;

* Your law firm is due for a computer equipment update and you want to ensure the firm will have adequate technology resources for the future; or

* You just can't stand the thought of not being able to use the new software programs designed for Windows 95.

Warning: Lawyers should not attempt to install new software on their own - particularly operating system software like Windows 95. The techies know how to configure your computer system for the upgrade. Unless you are a true computer whiz or a patent attorney with an electrical engineering degree, hire a technical expert to install Windows 95 for you. Regardless of who does the work, make sure you back up your present system before installing a new one.

Windows 95 will be so dominant an operating system that software vendors will now be developing only products that are compatible with Windows 95 rather than earlier versions of Windows. The increased power and speed of Windows 95 will lead to the creation of easier-to-use applications programs with more law-related features.

If your computer is powerful enough to run Windows 95 and you have an earlier version of Windows, the upgrade package costs about $90. If you do not have an earlier version, the complete Windows 95 package costs about $190.

Windows 95 is bound to be successful. Industry experts estimate that 30 million computer users will have upgraded to Windows 95 by the end of 1995 and another 50 million will upgrade in 1996, making Windows 95 the biggest mass upgrade in history.

I suspect we will all be using this product very soon. Windows 95 is too important to be ignored.

Paul Bernstein is a CPA, practicing attorney, and law office automation consultant in Chicago. He can be reached on the Internet at [e-mail]. Opinions expressed in this column are the author's and do not reflect an endorsement of any product by TRIAL or ATLA.