[comp.windows.ms] Math Co-Processor Support; also W3.0 vs. PM

mherman@alias.uucp (Michael Herman) (08/24/90)

1. Can Windows 3.0 safely use the math co-processor version of the
   MS C 5.1 version of the floating point libraries?  In some of the
   first versions of Windows (version 0.989), you could only use the
   floating point emulator - something about being unable to save and
   restore the extact state of the co-processor during context switches.

   What's the current scoop on this?

2. What is the MFLOPS rating of a 387 in, say, a 25M Hz model 70?
   What is the MIPS rating of a 25M Hz model 70?

3. I haven't seen much discussion here or in the press about the
   pros and cons of using Windows 3.0 or Presentation Manager.  Are
   they any good books that cover both W3.0 and PM that go into
   this?  I guess I can understand IBM and MS not wanting to position
   one against the other - perhaps that is why there hasn't been much
   of this type of discussion.

Michael Herman
uunet!utcsri!alias!mherman

mherman@alias.UUCP (Michael Herman) (08/24/90)

In the following query, I am asking from a application developer's
point of view and not (necessarily) from that of an end user.

In article <1990Aug24.033749.18829@alias.uucp> mherman@alias.uucp (Michael Herman) writes:

>3. I haven't seen much discussion here or in the press about the
>   pros and cons of using Windows 3.0 or Presentation Manager.  Are
>   they any good books that cover both W3.0 and PM that go into
>   this?  I guess I can understand IBM and MS not wanting to position
>   one against the other - perhaps that is why there hasn't been much
>   of this type of discussion.

Michael Herman
uunet!utcsri!alias!mherman

larry@csccat.UUCP (Larry Spence) (08/30/90)

In article <1990Aug24.033749.18829@alias.uucp> mherman@alias.uucp (Michael Herman) writes:
>1. Can Windows 3.0 safely use the math co-processor version of the
>   MS C 5.1 version of the floating point libraries?  In some of the
>   first versions of Windows (version 0.989), you could only use the
>   floating point emulator - something about being unable to save and
>   restore the extact state of the co-processor during context switches.
>
>   What's the current scoop on this?

We provide (on request from registered users) a version of our app that uses 
in-line 80X87 code (a "coprocessor version") exclusively (i.e., gotta have an 
80X87 to run).  No problem (using Win 2.X or 3.X and C5.1 libraries).

>2. What is the MFLOPS rating of a 387 in, say, a 25M Hz model 70?
>   What is the MIPS rating of a 25M Hz model 70?

Rough estimate from memory: in the range of 0.25-0.4 MFLOPS, around 4-5 MIPS.

>3. I haven't seen much discussion here or in the press about the
>   pros and cons of using Windows 3.0 or Presentation Manager.  Are
>   they any good books that cover both W3.0 and PM that go into
>   this?  I guess I can understand IBM and MS not wanting to position
>   one against the other - perhaps that is why there hasn't been much
>   of this type of discussion.

No books that I know of.  I would be glad to discuss this, but for political
reasons, I can't do so publicly.  Send me email if you want to go into this
in more detail.

-- 
Larry Spence
larry@csccat
...{uunet,texsun,cs.utexas.edu,decwrl}!csccat!larry