NT is not the only powerful operating system for Intel-based PCs on the market these days. IBM's OS/2 2.1, probably NT's most serious competitor, features robust performance, excellent multi-tasking capabilities and flawless execution of MS-DOS programs. But its installation is a pain--you have to deal with 25 disks!--and it lacks a great many device drivers to support a wide class of peripherals.

There is also Steve Jobs' NeXTStep 486. Requiring even more computer power to run than NT, NeXTStep brings the much-acclaimed object-oriented interface of the now-defunct NeXT computer to PCs. While it probably features the best user environment of any computer, its hefty demands on the underlying hardware have kept the PC masses away.

Last but not least, SunSoft, the software unit of Sun Microsystems, has developed Solaris, a well-designed system built on the famed UNIX operating system. It's likely to appeal to some UNIX diehards but may not attract a large following.

While NT may not be the best operating system for the PC--I would recommend OS/2 2.1 if your computer can run it--it has Microsoft's marketing muscles behind it and stands a very good chance of becoming the next standard of personal computer operating system.

But the wide acceptance of NT may be hindered by its high demands on the hardware and the $499 price tag. For most PC users, MS-DOS is still the best environment available.

Haibin Jiu '94, associate photography chair of The Crimson, is the former president of the Harvard Computer Society. His column appears Tuesday.