If you are currently running Portals 3.1 (or Portals 3.11 for Soul Groups), you are about to experience the single largest improvement in soul computing history. We do not say this lightly. Well, Marketing says it lightly. Engineering says it with appropriate caveats.
Portals 95 is not an update. It is not a patch. It is a completely new operating system built from the ground up with 32-bit architecture, a graphical desktop, and the revolutionary Start Menu. Everything you knew about soul computing is about to change.
A:\SETUP.EXE| Feature | Portals 3.1 | Portals 95 |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | 16-bit | 32-bit |
| Start Menu | No | Yes |
| Desktop Icons | No (Program Manager only) | Yes (real desktop!) |
| Wallpaper | Tiled patterns only | Full BMP wallpapers (12 included) |
| Multitasking | Cooperative (programs must share nicely) | Pre-emptive (the OS decides) |
| Simultaneous Souls | 1 | 2 |
| File Names | 8.3 format (SOULFL~1.DAT) | Up to 255 characters |
| Plug and Play | No (manual IRQ configuration) | Yes (73% detection rate) |
| Right-Click Menus | No | Yes (on everything) |
| Taskbar | No | Yes (with clock!) |
| Dial-Up Networking | Third-party required | Built-in |
| Recycle Bin | No (delete is forever) | Yes (second chances exist) |
| Requires DOS | Yes (runs on top of DOS) | No (is the OS) |
| Excitement Level | Moderate | Unprecedented |
Your Program Manager groups are automatically converted to Start Menu folders during installation. All your shortcuts will be right where you left them, just in a much better place.
All soul files on your hard disk are preserved during the upgrade. They will now appear with long file names in Portals Explorer instead of the 8.3 DOS names. SOULFL~1.DAT becomes Soul File - March Report.dat. This alone justifies the upgrade, in our opinion.
Most Portals 3.1 screen savers are compatible. However, Portals 95 ships with a set of new screen savers that take full advantage of 32-bit rendering, including "Flying Through Souls" (a field of stars, but with souls), "Soul Maze" (a 3D maze rendered in real time), and "Blank" (a blank screen, for purists).
Portals 95 includes built-in Dial-Up Networking, eliminating the need for third-party networking software. Your existing modem will be detected by Plug and Play (probably on the first try, definitely by the third).
Why would you want to go back? We genuinely do not understand this question. But yes, the uninstall option exists. It is in the Control Panel under "Regrets."
Portals 95 is just the beginning. The MicroSoul Corp engineering team is already working on the next generation of soul computing. While we cannot share specifics, we can tell you this:
The future of soul computing is bright. It is 32-bit. It is graphical. And it starts with Portals 95.
| Version | Year | Milestone |
|---|---|---|
| Portals 1.0 | 1985 | First graphical shell for MicroSoul DOS. Mostly a proof of concept. Will Bates described it as "a beginning." |
| Portals 2.0 | 1987 | Overlapping windows introduced. File Manager added. Still running on top of DOS, but now with more windows. |
| Portals 3.0 | 1990 | Program Manager and File Manager redesigned. 16-color support. The first version that people actually used. |
| Portals 3.1 | 1992 | TrueType fonts. OLE support. Drag and drop. The version that made MicroSoul Corp a household name (in households that have terminals). |
| Portals 3.11 for Soul Groups | 1993 | Networking support added. Multiple terminals could share soul files over a local network. Collaboration was born. |
| Portals 95 | 1995 | The future. 32-bit architecture, Start Menu, graphical desktop, Plug and Play. You are here. |
MicroSoul Corp was founded in 1985 by Will Bates in a garage. The garage had a terminal in it. The terminal ran MicroSoul DOS 1.0. Everything since then has been an improvement.