A major new piece of software from Microsoft always gets the media’s attention, as well as that of a large segment of the computer user community. Windows NT is no exception and, indeed, is getting about as much coverage as it is possible for a new operating system to get. Although Windows NT is the newest of new kids on the block, it is already seen as being in the same competitive arena as UNIX and OS/2.

Books on Windows NT have begun to flow off the printing presses. A few that discuss the internals of Windows NT are already available, and quite a few provide guidance on how to use it, for both applications programmers and end users. But little in the way of a comprehensive overview of Windows NT, including its architecture, use, and place in the operating systems market, has been available. Varhol’s book fills that niche.

This clearly written, well-organized book provides a broad survey of Windows NT topics. The book begins with a survey of “the crowded operating systems market.” After an examination of the history and current status of DOS, the chapter discusses Windows, Windows NT, OS/2, UNIX, and Novell Netware. The strengths and weaknesses of NT compared to the other systems are detailed.

Next, the book presents a concise but informative overview of the internals of NT, discussing network and security support, end-user functionality, and the overall system design. Two chapters that describe the use of NT from both the end-user and application programmer perspectives follow.

The next chapter deals with applications software for NT. The author argues that the make-or-break area for NT is client/server computing and that NT is poised to exploit the growth of this computing paradigm as a means of surpassing OS/2 and UNIX. This material is followed by a chapter that discusses the relationship between NT and the advanced computing environment (ACE) initiative.

The final chapter is a mixture of forecast and speculation that attempts to define possible paths to the future for NT and the direction it is likely to take. The author concludes that NT will not achieve the overriding popularity of its predecessors, but will be a success because it is central to Microsoft’s strategy of providing a comprehensive solution that integrates individual users and small workgroups with the concept of enterprise computing.

The book does an excellent job of covering these various topics and tying them together. The level of discussion is, in most places, relatively nontechnical and oriented toward a management audience.