What was wrong with windows 98 - The name ?

The question is, why is everyone confusing the names of operating system names. Androids, Win, Ios are all sharing build #'s. Why not BlackBerry 2014 and next year BlackBerry 2015, and so on...Builds could be 14.2.1 and 15.2.1 when it releases. They release every 12 or 18 months anyways. What's the secret reason for this madness?

Windows 98 is amazingly still in use and probably by as many computers around the world as BlackBerry owners. Most people don't care about when it was built. If it's still working they use it , whether or not there are even updates.

A BB14 this year would impress the average person more then a B10.2, I would think

Posted by a leaky CB10.1

I really, REALLY don't think anyone still uses Windows 98 at this point. I think the farthest back still in use is XP, and I think Windows recently just pulled support for XP.

You haven't met my parents, they use xp. I meant those Os's 98, 2000, XP. Still a lot of computers still running that in the background. OK 98 is stretching it, but the name worked.

Posted by a leaky CB10.1

Originally Posted by pantlesspenguin

I really, REALLY don't think anyone still uses Windows 98 at this point. I think the farthest back still in use is XP, and I think Windows recently just pulled support for XP.

...and you'd be wrong. I've seen several machines chugging along with Win98 SE here at a major research university in the USA

Originally Posted by pantlesspenguin

I really, REALLY don't think anyone still uses Windows 98 at this point. I think the farthest back still in use is XP, and I think Windows recently just pulled support for XP.

Many business' still use it sadly enough. The ones who won't update simply for the fact that it still works for them and they can't justify the cost. I've worked in a few places.

That's crazy to think about. I know wikipedia isn't always reliable, but it says it hasn't been supported since 2006! Windows 98 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Originally Posted by pantlesspenguin

That's crazy to think about. I know wikipedia isn't always reliable, but it says it hasn't been supported since 2006! Windows 98 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Well that doesn't necessarily mean people are going to stop using it.

My company (a billion dollar worldwide company) uses 98 on a limited number of machines, at least here in Ontario. Unfortunately, it's the only thing compatible with some remote sensing software we need to use with some old systems. Not cost effective to replace a $50,000 system or even a $2,500 PLC just to use Windows 7. At least, not until the last of the 98 machines bites it :)

Posted from my Z10 via CB10

I think some companies still use it. It was more reliable than XP although XP was beautiful. But I never had a computer that crash so much and given me sleepless night for redoing presentations and programs when I was a student. After graduation I swear to save money and buy a macbook. True enough I never had problem with my macbook.



Posted via Q10

support for XP ends in April 2014

Nobody wants the next OS to be called 'Bla 14' ?

Posted via CB10 on a Z10

First of all, Windows 98 is obsolete. Any business that still manages to get by on it is greatly missing out on the benefits that come with updating to a modern platform in their day to day operations.

Secondly, do you really think there are as many Windows 98 users as BlackBerry users globally? Frankly that's a little insulting. I believe that less than 1% of all Microsoft Windows users are using Windows 98 based on articles I have read over the years. There is a case for Windows XP being used widely but even that build will lose its support soon.

Thirdly, what is the point of this thread? Are you unhappy because of the names given to the OS versions because it's too 'Apple' for you? I'm sorry I'm really confused as to what your point is.

SQN100-3; 10.2.1.1925

There's something very different between a version number and year. The problem with years is the perception that they become obsolete when the year ends. Ie, office 2010 is still perfectly usable, but is four years old - therefore the perception is that it's obsolete.

Posted via CB10

It works better for sport games.
Then again some sport games only seem to really only update roster.

Build numbers really aren't a big deal.

Look at 10.2.1 that was a big update.

Just so you know, Win98SE and WinME have a physical RAM limit of 1GB, and Win98 (non-SE) has a limit of 512 MB. Thus, these OSs wouldn't even run on modern computers.

The relatively few people who are using Win98 are using them for things like machine-control tasks and other non-user-facing duties, not connected to the Internet, and are doing so to utilize software that was (foolishly) written specifically for that OS and not following MS programming guidelines, making it difficult to move to newer OS versions. You'd be surprised how often custom apps are hacked together in this fashion - by doing this, it helps to ensure long-term support contracts being awarded to the original programmers.

So you are suggesting that BlackBerry names its OSes based on year, because Microsoft used to, but doesn't anymore?

I don't use 98 anymore, but I liked it a lot better than the crap that came after. Because Win98 didn't have much underlying complexity, you couldn't easily make malware that took a crippling hold on your computer.

When XP came along, they had the ability for applications to run as "services" instead of being out in the daylight where you could close it if you didn't like it. The result was that modern machines get so bogged down with useless crap that you either don't know about or can't control its existence.

I personally had a lot more problems (as in a few vs. almost none) with Windows 98 (work computer 2000-2004) than I did with Windows XP (work computer 2004-2008, 2008-2011, home computer 2004-2010), but that's just my user experience. Both operating systems were solid for their time, but I wouldn't want to go back to them from Windows 7 or Windows 8 (when the "right" mode is used with the appropriate device in the latter case).


Sent from my iPhone using CB Forums mobile app

Originally Posted by arlene_t

I think some companies still use it. It was more reliable than XP although XP was beautiful. But I never had a computer that crash so much and given me sleepless night for redoing presentations and programs when I was a student. After graduation I swear to save money and buy a macbook. True enough I never had problem with my macbook.



Posted via Q10

I was a network administrator at the time and I say you've got it backwards. All of the NT versions were way more stable than the does based ones... Including Vista.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using CB Forums mobile app

Originally Posted by pantlesspenguin

I really, REALLY don't think anyone still uses Windows 98 at this point. I think the farthest back still in use is XP, and I think Windows recently just pulled support for XP.

Most of the Smog machines in California actually still run Win95. The software was certified for use at the start of the Bar97 program that brought dynos into use, and since it's the only OS certified, we are forced to continue using it. No updates or anything and the only form of communications from it is a dedicated phone line using a 28.8 modem that can only dial the state server.

Posted via CB10

I don't care if Blackberry calls the latest update Elmer Fudd, if it is made available to everyone everywhere at the same time.

Posted via my Q10, SQN100-2, 10.1.0.4189

Naming an OS has become a major part of marketing so I think we won't see a change until they are ready to market the entire thing differently. I don't mind the current scheme. To me it is not bad but they should have stayed away from a major release at 10.2.1 and just had it as 10.3. Maybe we'll see that when the OS is mature and doesn't need so many releases.

Posted via CB10

Ya'll missed the point... How did this thread turn into a win98 chat?

Car companies are smart by making you think your buying a 2015 model in 2014. It's perception.

I would be hard pressed to find 1 out of 5 people on the street that know the difference between OS7 and BB10. Not a good thing in my eyes...

Anyways, looks like I've been told. I'll keep my good ideas to myself :#

Posted by a leaky CB10.1