ejb@think.ARPA (Erik Bailey) (10/07/85)
In article <6411@duke.UUCP> jds@duke.UUCP (Joe D. Sloan) writes: > > Can anyone give me any information of a product called >E-Z DOS-IT or an address/phone number for Hammer Computer Systems, >publishers of E-Z DOS-IT? The product is supposed to run programs >concurrently under DOS, using about 8K of memory for itself. Thats >all I know about the product. > > . . . > > Joe Sloan, > duke!jds > (919) 684-3754 First, the address of Hammer: Hammer Computer Systems, Inc. 900 Larkspur Landing Circle, Suite 250 Larkspur, CA 94939 (415) 461-7633 / (800) 228-9602 California: (800) 423-5592 Oper. #16 I have had no experience with this company, so cannot give you a reccomendation on this partuticular product. HOWEVER - I can give a roundup of a few multitaskers in general (which is why I posted this to the net). So, here goes... I personally have three: Double-Dos (I forget who makes it, I could post a short msg when I find out), MultiLink (The Software Link), and a brand new *freeware* DOS-shell/multitasker called DOSamatic (Marin Pacific something-or-other. I'll check this, too). Double-Dos is a very well-written multitasker if you only want 2 partitions [hence the name Double-Dos]. You load it up, and it asks you how much memory/partition (this can later be changed). It then sets up, and you happily work away, using ALT-ESC (a great key choice) to switch partitions. CTL-ALT-DEL (reset) brings you to a full-page menu with several options, dpending on what you are doing, including reset. I have found very few incompatibilities (aside from programs which trap keyboard input 100%, thus not letting the keystrokes get to the system). I think DOUBLEDOS goes for under $100. MultiLink is the Cadillac of multitaskers. It costs *gulp* $500, and gives a lot for it, but bnot enogh to warrant the cost. $200 tops, in my opinion. Anyway - using MLINK you can have up to 10 partitions, switching is done by ALT-Fn (n = partition # - 10 = foreground). The one MAJOR disadvantage with this is speed - VERY SLOW. It comes with a slew of utilities, though. To sum it up - MLINK sits on the shelf; I use DOUBLEDOS. And new - the newest entry (as of 10pm last night) - DOSamatic! This little gadget is almost too good to be true. It is a DOS shell (like 1DIR, but better-designed) & multitasker in one! It can handle up to 7 tasks, and appears to be very fast. The shell supports DOS extensively, and uses pleasing colors and layout. This has several inconsistencies in the multitasking, but none yet in the shell. But who cares??? The program is free! And the freeware cost is $39 (this is one I gotta do). And if someone register you paid-for copy, you get 10%! $3.90 for each person! Not bad... As if you haven't noticed - I like this program. I will gladly post it if there is a good way of doing binary files on net.sources. Give me some feedback on this! Oh, one more thing - it has context-sensitive help (al la SideKick). Ok Joe - I know you got more than you bargained for, but I hope this sheds some light on the subject. Disclaimer - I have NOTHING to do with any companies listed above. PS - followups have been directed to net.micro.pc... -- _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ -_ -_ -_ -_ -_ -_ -_ -_ -_ -_ -_ -_ -_ -_ -_ -_ -_ -_ -_ -_ -_ -_ -_ -_ Erik Bailey -- Spring Valley Software Co. (USENET courtesy of inhp4!godot!ejb 7 Oak Knoll Thinking Machines Corp. ejb@think.com.arpa Arlington, MA 02174 Cambridge, MA) (617) 643-0732 "What is the most enforced law in the world?" "Murphy's." ** FREEWARE FOREVER ** _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _- _- _- _- _- _- _- _- _- _- _- _- _- _- _- _- _- _- _- _- _- _- _- _-
ejb@think.ARPA (Erik Bailey) (10/08/85)
Ok. I got the companies that produce DOSamatic & DoubleDOS.
DOSamatic is by: Marin Pacific Software Co.
1001 Bridgeway, Suite 514
Sausalito, CA 94965
If you order this, it is $39, and for your money you get: the latest
version (obviously), you are on their mailing list for future software,
and you get 10% of all contributions. [The person I'm gonna list here
may be getting a LOT of money soon, esp. if I post to net.sources...].
Anyway - if you order, please say that the serial number you have is:
SN00135 (Judy Kollgaard).
DoubleDOS is by SoftLogic Solutions, Inc, in Manchester, NH. I couldn't
find an address, but you micght look in the advertiser's index of some
computer magazines... Well, good luck; followups engouraged; flames
dutifully read, printed, and burned; etc.
Remember - I ain't got nuttin' to do with these people!
--
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
-_ -_ -_ -_ -_ -_ -_ -_ -_ -_ -_ -_ -_ -_ -_ -_ -_ -_ -_ -_ -_ -_ -_ -_
Erik Bailey -- 7 Oak Knoll (USENET courtesy of
inhp4!godot!ejb Arlington, MA 02174 Thinking Machines Corp.
ejb@think.com.arpa (617) 643-0732 Cambridge, MA)
"What is the most enforced law in the world?"
"Murphy's."
** FREEWARE FOREVER **
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_- _- _- _- _- _- _- _- _- _- _- _- _- _- _- _- _- _- _- _- _- _- _- _-sdyer@bbncc5.UUCP (Steve Dyer) (10/08/85)
DoubleDOS hangs when run on a PC with EGA and ECD. That was my
configuration, and I couldn't get the thing to work at all. The customer
support people told me it would work if I set my EGA switches to emulate a
CGA display (for THIS I spent $1000 for the EGA and ECD???) There may be a
new version coming up to solve this, but SoftLogic wouldn't give me any
idea when it would be available. It is also copy-protected with the same
crap as "Golden Common LISP 1.01" and "DBASE III 1.1", the name of which
eludes me right now, but it allows you to "install" and "uninstall" the
software to/from a floppy or hard disk. Given the problems such methods
have when a disk is restored from a full backup, and given the relatively
low cost of the software, I was appalled that they used such a draconian
method, especially without saying so in their ads or, in my case, in person
at the recent Boston Computer Faire.
--
/Steve Dyer
{harvard,seismo}!bbnccv!bbncc5!sdyer
sdyer@bbncc5.ARPAgmv@cbuxc.UUCP (Mike Vrbanac) (10/14/85)
As a user of DoubleDos, I have one thing to add to the discussion. DoubleDos keeps an image of the video buffer in memory. Thus, as the background task writes to the screen via DOS calls, DD intercepts it and updates its own buffer instead. So far so good. The drawback to this approach is that each and every software package you run that writes to the video buffer *directly* must be modified in order to work under DoubleDos. Softlogic provides a bunch of debug zap batch files to fix 1-2-3, dBase-n, Framework, etc, etc to issue a DoubleDos INT instead of blasting away to the video buffer. I run Symphony 1.1, but Softlogic has not issued the zaps for it yet. One further point: you need not modify a package if you never run it as the invisible task. This obviously limits the effectiveness of the product. The above comments aside, I have found DoubleDos to be a solid product. -- +--------------+------------------------+-----------------+ | Mike Vrbanac | AT&T Bell Laboratories | Columbus, Ahiya | +--------------+------------------+-----------------------+ | Unix: {cbosgd|ihnp4}!cbuxc!gmv | CompuServ: 76054,113 | +---------------------------------+-----------------------+