Review: The Microsoft Network- by Andy Satori

The Microsoft Network, currently available only to Windows 95 users, but soon to be available for Windows NT, and sometime in late 1996 or early 1997, Macintosh users, is another quickly growing on-line service. Being owned and operated by Microsoft presents some concerns of anti-trust and anti-competitive practices but those aren't really what we want to look at here. What we want to consider is, can Microsoft once again do it last, and not necessarily best, and still succeed?

What You Get

At first glance the Microsoft Network, or MSN as it is more often called, has a lot going against it as far as OS/2 users are concerned. First of all the network itself is still relatively young and has few access numbers, notably for the 28.8 users out there. Second is the graphical nature of the content, which makes for very poor performance over a 14.4 modem. Third, the lack of client software for non-Windows 95 platforms means you are forced to use Microsoft's OS. And of course, fourth, the paranoid suspicion some OS/2 users have of Microsoft and Microsoft products may keep OS/2 users away.

On the other hand it does have some things that really make it look good. The biggest is probably ease of use. In many ways MSN would look more at home in OS/2's Workplace Shell than it does as a Windows application. It is tightly integrated into the Windows 95 Explorer Shell and yet it has a feel that is Object Oriented and straight forward. In many ways this client is what any of the on-line services could have done a couple of years ago by taking advantage of the OS/2 Workplace Shell. Unfortunately for OS/2 users there are currently no plans for an OS/2 Client or even a Windows 3.1 client. Once again Microsoft leaves the door open for a third party developer to write a better product.

Looking beyond the surface of MSN is rather surprising. For a new service, it has quite a bit of good quality content mixed in with its near seamless Worldwide Web integration. In addition to the Worldwide Web, the Microsoft Network also integrates Internet News and e-mail into the standard content at no extra cost to the user. At the moment all other Internet access is provided through outside applications via a PPP connection that the Microsoft Network Dial-Up offers to users of Microsoft Plus!. The Microsoft Network has also recently begun to open up access to users that have other Internet sources, via PPP or a LAN connection.

OS/2 Resources

One thing that comes as a shock to many is that the MSN OS/2 Forum is probably one of the most complete OS/2 sources available. The OS/2 Forum has almost everything an OS/2 user could ask for: links directly to Internet based Worldwide Web and News sites, a software library that is well organized and almost as complete as Walnut Creek's OS/2 section (though Hobbes remains the best Internet resource for OS/2 files), weekly chat sessions about OS/2, and a Bulletin Board system that is easier to read than anything most on-line services offer.

Like most on-line services, MSN contracts out to get a manager for their forums. That means that the OS/2 Forum Manager, Jeff Elkins, can be expected to be impartial in the OS wars and responsive to communication and suggestion. Jeff, in particular, is very open minded as he is a heavy user of both Windows and OS/2.

What Else?

The rest of MSN is an eclectic collection of the usual on-line service offerings. Very little of the other content is directed at OS/2 users but there is very good information about Windows 3.1 and DOS Software that may interest many OS/2 users. Obviously MSN is a very good resource for Microsoft information regarding both operating systems and applications. Several other software and hardware vendors already have good support forums on the Microsoft Network, though even those that do support OS/2 don't always post OS/2 files there until requested. Some of the standouts that are worth visiting are: The Windows NT Knowledge Base, The Shareware Forum, and one of the better Software Developer's Forums that I have encountered anywhere on-line.

The fact that Microsoft even has an OS/2 Forum is something of a shock but it is by far one of the best resources I have found yet for OS/2 information, software, and communicating with other OS/2 users. CompuServe still has better user support but the OS/2 Forum on MSN is more than worth the $5.95/month fee on the Microsoft Network. MSN has a billing structure that closely resembles that of America Online; the base fee covers most areas for the base hourly allotment and then charges of about $2.95/hour apply. Vendors can bill fees on downloads of software but these are always clearly marked with the costs. There aren't any fees based on time of day or the network used. At the time this was written, access via the Internet had no hourly access fee at all, only the monthly fee, but this is apparently under review.

Conclusions

If you're a Windows 95 and OS/2 user or if you are a Windows 95 user who wants to learn more about OS/2, the MSN OS/2 Forum might be just the source of information for you. For more information on the Microsoft Network visit http://www.msn.com or if you have a copy of Windows 95 laying around, dial in to MSN and visit the OS/2 Forum.
* Microsoft Network
Andy Satori is the WebMaster for the Web Wide Classifieds and an Operating System Orphan. He uses OS/2's Boot Manager to handle Windows 95, Windows NT, OS/2 Warp, and LINUX. He does development work in his free time from The Web Wide Classifieds.

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