Windows-Based Applications

Windows 95/98 supports 16-bit applications written for Windows version 3.x as well as 32-bit applications that use the Win32 or Microsoft® Win32s® API. For 16-bit applications, Windows 95/98 preserves the cooperative multitasking model used in Windows version 3.x; that is, all 16-bit applications share the same virtual address space, the same message queue, and the same thread of execution. By contrast, each 32-bit Windows-based application has its own address space, a private message queue, and one or more threads of execution. In addition, each 32-bit thread is preemptively multitasked.

All new applications should be 32-bit applications developed using the Win32 API. For information about porting a 16-bit application to Win32, see Subsystem Version Numbers.