jrichert@krefcom.UUCP (Jan Richert) (01/02/90)
I've heard about a replacement for COMMAND.COM called 4DOS. Could anyone describe the features of 4DOS and tell me where 4DOS can be obtained from? -- Jan Richert | BTX: 02151399843-0002 Zur Hainbuche 33 | MagicNET: IMABOX:JRichert 4150 Krefeld | UUCP: jrichert%krefcom@impch.imp.com Fed. Rep. of Germany | ----------------------+--------------------------------------------------- VOICE: +49 2151 399843 or +358 57 383125 DATA: +49 2151 313124 (18-23H MET only, CCITT V21/V22/V22bis; 8N1)
hollen@eta.megatek.uucp (Dion Hollenbeck) (01/05/90)
From article <9001021637.AA00268@krefcom.UUCP>, by jrichert@krefcom.UUCP (Jan Richert): > I've heard about a replacement for COMMAND.COM called 4DOS. > Could anyone describe the features of 4DOS and tell me where > 4DOS can be obtained from? > Features : Smaller and faster. Swaps itself out to EMS or disk as directed. More options on all built-in commands. Better batch file processing (more logic, CALL, more parameters) "alias" command Easily settable environment size. Command line recall and editing. UNIX-like regexp parsing and wildcarding Can be obtained from: J.P. Software P.O. Box 1470 East Arlington, Ma. 02174 Demo versions are available on lots of BBS, but since I am not a BBS nut, I am sorry I cannot tell you what ones. This is a fantastic product. I have no connection with JP other than as a satisfied user. Dion Hollenbeck (619) 455-5590 x2814 Megatek Corporation, 9645 Scranton Road, San Diego, CA 92121 uunet!megatek!hollen or hollen@megatek.uucp
granoff@vaxwrk.enet.dec.com (Mark H. Granoff) (01/06/90)
> Features : > > Smaller and faster. > Swaps itself out to EMS or disk as directed. > More options on all built-in commands. > Better batch file processing (more logic, CALL, more parameters) > "alias" command > Easily settable environment size. > Command line recall and editing. > UNIX-like regexp parsing and wildcarding Sounds really good. And, since memory is usually a premium, "smaller and faster" is quite appealing. > Can be obtained from: > > J.P. Software > P.O. Box 1470 > East Arlington, Ma. 02174 I gave them a call (617-646-3975). The software is ShareWare. You can use it free for 21 days (to test drive it), then you have to register. > Demo versions are available on lots of BBS, but since I am not a BBS > nut, I am sorry I cannot tell you what ones. I don't think it a demo; its the real thing. Two places to get it (I'm sure there are more): CompuServ, forums CONSULT (or is it CONSULTS, or something else close), or IBMSYS. Future Technologies BBS, 617-720-4095, 2400bps (they said) Files are called 4DOS.ARC and 4DDOC.ARC and total 270Kb. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Mark H. Granoff | Software Services/Engineering VAXworks Digital Equipment Corporation | ARPAnet: granoff@vaxwrk.dec.com 129 Parker Street | EASYnet: VAXWRK::GRANOFF PKO2-1/M21 | Usenet : ...!decwrl!vaxwrk!granoff Maynard, MA 01754 | AT&T : (508) 493-4512 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Disclaimer: Views expressed herein are my own and do not necessarily reflect those of my employer. ----------------------------------------------------------------------
LC.YRS@forsythe.stanford.edu (Richard Stanton) (01/06/90)
In article <7247@shlump.nac.dec.com>, granoff@vaxwrk.enet.dec.com (Mark H. Granoff) writes: > >I don't think it a demo; its the real thing. Two places to get it (I'm sure >there are more): > > CompuServ, forums CONSULT (or is it CONSULTS, or something else > close), or IBMSYS. > > Future Technologies BBS, 617-720-4095, 2400bps (they said) > It is also available as file 4dos221.arc, and a few other files beginning with the digit 4 from directory pd:<msdos.sysutl> on WSMR-SIMTEL20.army.mil via anonymous FTP Richard Stanton
2011_552@uwovax.uwo.ca (01/06/90)
In article <7247@shlump.nac.dec.com>, granoff@vaxwrk.enet.dec.com (Mark H. Granoff) writes: >> Features : > [summary of some of the features of 4DOS] > >> Can be obtained from: >> >> J.P. Software >> P.O. Box 1470 >> East Arlington, Ma. 02174 > > I gave them a call (617-646-3975). The software is ShareWare. You can > use it free for 21 days (to test drive it), then you have to register. > >> Demo versions are available on lots of BBS, but since I am not a BBS >> nut, I am sorry I cannot tell you what ones. > > I don't think it a demo; its the real thing. Two places to get it (I'm sure > there are more): > > CompuServ, forums CONSULT (or is it CONSULTS, or something else > close), or IBMSYS. > > Future Technologies BBS, 617-720-4095, 2400bps (they said) > > Files are called 4DOS.ARC and 4DDOC.ARC and total 270Kb. It is also available by anonymous ftp from WSMR-SIMTEL20.ARMY.MIL as PD1:<MSDOS.SYSUTL> 4DOS22.ARC The arc contains both the program and the documentation. See also (in the same directory): 4DOSTIP.ARC -- some comments on 4DOS, and some tips on installing 4DOS. 4DNOTE1.ARC -- corrects the documentation for a feature of ALIAS; a patch to BEEP. I got a copy about a week ago and I have been trying it out. It is indeed the real thing. The major difference between the unregistered version and registered copies is apparently the startup notice: "The shareware version of 4DOS will pause briefly (1 - 2 seconds) and display a message reminding you of the registration requirement each time you boot your system. Neither the reminder nor the delay are present in the registered version." The documentation states explicitly that nothing dire happens at the end of the trial period: "The 21-day evaluation period is a legal requirement based on our license agreement, NOT a time bomb inserted in the program! 4DOS will not stop working or cause any damage to itself or to your system at the end of the 21-day period." The registration form lists the price as: disk, manual, next update free: $50/copy disk only, no free update: $35/copy (sales tax (MA only) and shipping are extra). The manual is 121 pages and seems to be reasonably thorough. I really like it so far; no problems with installation, and no incompatibilies noted to date. -- Terry Gaetz -- gaetz@uwovax.bitnet -- gaetz@uwovax.uwo.ca Astronomy Dept. -- "Deyr fe, deyja fraendr, deyr sjalfr it sama; U. Western Ontario -- ek veit einn, at aldri deyr; domr um dauthan hvern." Canada -- Havamal
lmhg0369@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (01/08/90)
Along with all this talk about 4DOS... I gave the docs a cursory look and installed it on my AT clone. One thing disconcerting is that the first time I do a 'dir' it takes at least a second or two just sitting there before it spits anything out to the screen. Subsequent dirs for the same directory occur at a speed I consider reasonable. I believe I did the installation correctly. I do have expanded memory that I've told it about, and I have PCTools' disk caching on. Is this performance normal? L. Haskins -- lmhg0369@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu
Ralf.Brown@B.GP.CS.CMU.EDU (01/08/90)
In article <111700191@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu>, lmhg0369@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu wrote: }I gave the docs a cursory look and installed it on my AT clone. One thing }disconcerting is that the first time I do a 'dir' it takes at least a second or }two just sitting there before it spits anything out to the screen. Subsequent }dirs for the same directory occur at a speed I consider reasonable. } }Is this performance normal? 4DOS reads the entire directory before displaying anything (so that it can sort on the names, or size, or whatever you tell it). The first time you look at a directory, MSDOS has to read the disk; subsequent times, the directory is (usually) still in the disk buffers, which speeds up the process considerably. Also note that the first directory taken on any given disk requires that MSDOS read the entire FAT to determine the disk free space; COMMAND.COM will show the entire directory and then pause while MSDOS scans the FAT to count up the free space. 4DOS probably asks for the free space before displaying anything. -- UUCP: {ucbvax,harvard}!cs.cmu.edu!ralf -=- 412-268-3053 (school) -=- FAX: ask ARPA: ralf@cs.cmu.edu BIT: ralf%cs.cmu.edu@CMUCCVMA FIDO: Ralf Brown 1:129/46 "How to Prove It" by Dana Angluin Disclaimer? I claimed something? 17. proof by mutual reference: In reference A, Theorem 5 is said to follow from Theorem 3 in reference B, which is shown to follow from Corollary 6.2 in reference C, which is an easy consequence of Theorem 5 in reference A.
richard@calvin.spp.cornell.edu (Richard Brittain) (01/09/90)
In article <111700191@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu> lmhg0369@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu writes: > >disconcerting is that the first time I do a 'dir' it takes at least a second or >two just sitting there before it spits anything out to the screen. Subsequent >dirs for the same directory occur at a speed I consider reasonable. > 4DOS is loading it's transient part (~60k) the first time you time DIR. On my 12 MHz AT clone, it takes < 1 sec (definitely never 2 sec) to do this from RAM disk in extended memory. I'd have thought it would be similar or faster from expanded memory. It actually seems only a tad slower if I swap from the hard disc. Richard Brittain, School of Elect. Eng., Upson Hall Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853 ARPA: richard@calvin.spp.cornell.edu UUCP: {uunet,uw-beaver,rochester,cmcl2}!cornell!calvin!richard
andyross@ddsw1.MCS.COM (Andrew Rossmann) (01/09/90)
>Item: 7947 by lmhg0369 at uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (0 responses) >Author: [<No Identification>] > Subj: Re: What is 4DOS? > Keyw: > Date: Mon Jan 08 1990 17:24 >Along with all this talk about 4DOS... > >I gave the docs a cursory look and installed it on my AT clone. One thing >disconcerting is that the first time I do a 'dir' it takes at least a second >or >two just sitting there before it spits anything out to the screen. Subsequent >dirs for the same directory occur at a speed I consider reasonable. > >Is this performance normal? This is normal. 4DOS reads the entire directory before displaying it. This is so it can sort it! It goes faster the second time around because it is probably already in the buffers, not to mention that the disk free space has already been determined (Under COMMAND.COM, the first directory read will pause at the end before telling you the amount of free space.) >L. Haskins -- lmhg0369@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu Andrew Rossmann andyross@ddsw1.MCS.COM
granoff@vaxwrk.enet.dec.com (Mark H. Granoff) (01/10/90)
Inspired by this thread, I searched out the 4DOS package, found it, and
installed it on my system last night. I played with it for a little
while, and well, I'm addicted. I intend to register post haste.
A little detail. My system configuration is as follows:
AT&T 6300, Sota 286i Accelerator Card, NEC V30 8086 replacement
(my "XT clone" screams! :-)
AT&T Monochrome CGA monitor (if it matters)
Seagate 20M ST-225 & Western Digital FileCard 30 (hard disks)
640k memory
Lots-o-other devices (mouse, modem, tape drive)0
I installed 4DOS to swap using drive D. I feared that this would be
painfully slow, but I was pleasantly surprised. Sure, the drive gets
accessed a lot more, particularly if I mis-type something and it tries
to look it up as a command. But, I can live with it.
The online help is really nice, although it'd be nice to be able to
leave up a half sized help window, so you could type your command while
looking at an example. Of course, the extra/enhanced commands are
wonderful, as is command line editing.
Now that I don't have umpteen TSR's installed (to do command line
editing and such), I have a tad more memory at my disposal.
I tried out some of my favorite programs (WP 5.1, Turbo Pascal 5.5, etc)
and they
all work fine.
One nit- since I don't have EMS memory (but I might someday), I
installed 4DOS to install itself in what it calls "best way" which
means it looks for EMS and uses it if it finds it, otherwise it swaps to
disk. When I issue the internal command "memory," it tells me that I
have 32+ MB of EMS available! I suppose its a little bug...
I'm still impressed though, and would recommend it on what I've seen so far.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Mark H. Granoff | Software Services/Engineering VAXworks
Digital Equipment Corporation | ARPAnet: granoff@vaxwrk.dec.com
129 Parker Street | EASYnet: VAXWRK::GRANOFF
PKO2-1/M21 | Usenet : ...!decwrl!vaxwrk!granoff
Maynard, MA 01754 | AT&T : (508) 493-4512
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Disclaimer: Views expressed herein are my own and do not necessarily
reflect those of my employer.
----------------------------------------------------------------------leonard@bucket.UUCP (Leonard Erickson) (01/10/90)
lmhg0369@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu writes: >I gave the docs a cursory look and installed it on my AT clone. One thing >disconcerting is that the first time I do a 'dir' it takes at least a second or >two just sitting there before it spits anything out to the screen. Subsequent >dirs for the same directory occur at a speed I consider reasonable. If you look closely, you'll note that 4dos *sorts* the directory. Thus it takes a hair longer than DOS would to display the directory. Also, even DOS has an annoying pause before displaying a directory if you have done *any* kind of file activity since the last dir (I think it has to re- figure the free space). -- Leonard Erickson ...!tektronix!reed!percival!bucket!leonard CIS: [70465,203] "I'm all in favor of keeping dangerous weapons out of the hands of fools. Let's start with typewriters." -- Solomon Short