To support the needs of the market, Chicago needs to run on a base platform of an Intel 80386DX-based computer with 4MB of RAM, to provide access to the new features and functionality provided, without requiring an upgrade of existing hardware or the addition of more RAM.
WINDOWS 3.1 EMULATOR MAC OS X WINDOWS
While many newer computer purchases are Intel 80486-based computers with 4MB or 8MB (or more) of memory, there are still a high percentage of 80386DX-based computers with 4MB of memory in use running Windows 3.1 today. Chicago extends the Windows 3.1 architecture in areas that have little or no impact on compatibility, as well as enhances the architecture to deliver a faster, more powerful 32-bit operating system. This is extremely important to existing customers that want to take advantage of new functionality offered in Chicago such as 32-bit networking, but don’t want to have to wait until new Chicago-enabled applications are available on the market.Ĭhicago builds upon the Windows 3.1 platform to provide support for running existing Win16–based applications and using existing Windows–based device drivers, while providing support for the next generation of 32-bit applications and components. The following discussion will provide some insight as to the architecture design of Chicago for running Win16–based applications in a fast, stable, and reliable way.įirst and foremost, Chicago needs to run existing Win16–based applications without modification. Functionality such as running Win16–based applications together in the Win16 subsystem preemptively or running Win16–based applications in separate VMs was examined, however each option examined failed to meet the design goals set forth. When Win16–based application support was examined by the Chicago development team, three goals drove the architectural design based on customer needs, resource needs, and market needs: compatibility, size, and performance. Win16–based applications benefit from the preemptive multitasking of other system components including the 32-bit print and communications subsystem, and the improvements made in system robustness and protection from the Chicago system kernel. Taken from MS's review of Chicago (Win95) design choices:ġ6-bit Windows–based applications (Win16) run together within a unified address space, and are run in a cooperatively multitasking fashion as they do under Windows 3.1.
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