isaacso@copper.ucs.indiana.edu (Eric J. Isaacson) (05/13/91)
Can anyone say authoritatively whether or not WP 5.1 will use a math coprocessor if one is present? I'm drafting some preliminary specifications for a new system and this will be very useful information. At present I'm editing a series of rather large documents that are heavily laden with graphics boxes using multiple fonts, and other things that makes WP really bog down as I scroll through them (especially on my 8 MHz 8088 at home!). I basically would like to know if a 386SX/16 with coprocessor will perform better in this context than a 386/25 without. Thanks in advance. -- Eric J. Isaacson (the other) Internet: isaacso@ucs.indiana.edu School of Music--Indiana Univ. NeXT Mail: isaacso@bartok.music.indiana.edu Bloomington, IN 47405 -- I am NOT the author of A86 and other -- (812) 855-7832(o)/333-1827(h) -- outstanding software...I wish I were... --
s64421@zeus.usq.EDU.AU (house ron) (05/14/91)
isaacso@copper.ucs.indiana.edu (Eric J. Isaacson) writes: >Can anyone say authoritatively whether or not WP 5.1 will use a math >coprocessor if one is present? I'm drafting some preliminary >specifications for a new system and this will be very useful >information. At present I'm editing a series of rather large >documents that are heavily laden with graphics boxes using multiple >fonts, and other things that makes WP really bog down as I scroll >through them (especially on my 8 MHz 8088 at home!). I basically >would like to know if a 386SX/16 with coprocessor will perform better >in this context than a 386/25 without. Sorry, I'm no authority, but I can't conceivably imagine what WP _could_ use a coprocessor for, even if its writers wanted to. I would be staggered if there is even one floating point calculation anywhere in the entire program. -- Regards, Ron House. (s64421@zeus.usq.edu.au) (By post: Info Tech, U.C.S.Q. Toowoomba. Australia. 4350)
s64421@zeus.usq.EDU.AU (house ron) (05/14/91)
s64421@zeus.usq.EDU.AU (house ron) writes: >isaacso@copper.ucs.indiana.edu (Eric J. Isaacson) writes: >>I basically >>would like to know if a 386SX/16 with coprocessor will perform better >>in this context than a 386/25 without. BTW, the single most important factor in getting WP to speed up is having extra memory. A suitably-configured EMS or RAM disk has a greater effect than processor speed. If cost is a factor, this point might be worth investigating. (WP slushes to disk a lot on large files.) My 25MHz PC took 4 secs to get through a 160K file, but with the EMS disabled, it took about 12 secs per page. -- Regards, Ron House. (s64421@zeus.usq.edu.au) (By post: Info Tech, U.C.S.Q. Toowoomba. Australia. 4350)
news@pasteur.Berkeley.EDU (Six o'clock News) (05/14/91)
>coprocessor if one is present? I'm drafting some preliminary >specifications for a new system and this will be very useful >information. From: ggurman@cory.Berkeley.EDU (Gail Gurman) Path: cory.Berkeley.EDU!ggurman Yes, it does. In fact I really wish I had one. It supposedly (since I don't have one I can't verify) increases the speed of various operations, including the snail-like "view document" feature. Gail Send mail to: ggurman@cory.Berkeley.EDU
wew@naucse.cse.nau.edu (Bill Wilson) (05/15/91)
> isaacso@copper.ucs.indiana.edu (Eric J. Isaacson) writes: > Sorry, I'm no authority, but I can't conceivably imagine what WP _could_ > use a coprocessor for,... > The most obvious use of a math coprocessor would be for graphics. Calculating the screen output could be sped up using a math chip. Determining point size for printing and printing any of the fancy fonts may also benefit? Who knows. Graphics though, can always benefit. -- Let sleeping dragons lie........ | The RoleMancer -------------------------------------------------------------------- Bill Wilson (wew@naucse.cse.nau.edu | ucc2wew@nauvm | wilson@nauvax) Northern AZ Univ Flagstaff, AZ 86011
pickles@ottsun1.uucp (Clive Pickles) (05/15/91)
In article <13596@pasteur.Berkeley.EDU> ggurman@cory.Berkeley.EDUIn article <isaacso.674093730@copper> isaacso@copper.ucs.indiana.edu (Eric J. Isaacson) writes: writes: >>coprocessor if one is present? I'm drafting some preliminary >>specifications for a new system and this will be very useful >>information. >From: ggurman@cory.Berkeley.EDU (Gail Gurman) >Path: cory.Berkeley.EDU!ggurman > >Yes, it does. In fact I really wish I had one. It supposedly (since I >don't have one I can't verify) increases the speed of various operations, >including the snail-like "view document" feature. > >Gail Sorry, no it doesn't. Just got off the phone with a WordPerfect support person, who confirmed this. We have a lot of 386 machines here, and the ones WITH a co-processor don't do anything faster than the ones without (in WP). Clive -- =================================================================== = Clive Pickles - Systems Administrator MPR Teltech Ltd. (Ottawa) = = Phone: (613) 787-4159 ------------------ E-mail: pickles@mpr.ca = ===================================================================
ong@d.cs.okstate.edu (ONG ENG TENG) (05/15/91)
From article <s64421.674226743@zeus>, by s64421@zeus.usq.EDU.AU (house ron): > s64421@zeus.usq.EDU.AU (house ron) writes: > BTW, the single most important factor in getting WP to speed up is > having extra memory. A suitably-configured EMS or RAM disk has a > greater effect than processor speed. If cost is a factor, this point > might be worth investigating. (WP slushes to disk a lot on large files.) > > My 25MHz PC took 4 secs to get through a 160K file, but with the EMS > disabled, it took about 12 secs per page. You bet yours... If you edit large files (like 0.5meg with "images on disk") and have some extended memory to spare, use the VDISK.SYS program that comes with the DOS (ver 3.3) as in CONFIG.SYS: c:\dos\vdisk.sys e=1024 which will give you 1meg of ram disk. If you have two (logical) hard drives (C: and D: drives), then your ram disk should be E: drive. To make the ram disk work for you in WP5.1, execute WP with the following parameter: WP /d-E:\ This will cause the temporary buffer files to go into the ram disk, causing very fast editing. > > -- > Regards, > > Ron House. (s64421@zeus.usq.edu.au) > (By post: Info Tech, U.C.S.Q. Toowoomba. Australia. 4350)
bchs1b@jetson.uh.edu (05/15/91)
In article <isaacso.674093730@copper>, isaacso@copper.ucs.indiana.edu (Eric J. Isaacson) writes: > Can anyone say authoritatively whether or not WP 5.1 will use a math > coprocessor if one is present? I'm drafting some preliminary > specifications for a new system and this will be very useful > information. At present I'm editing a series of rather large > documents that are heavily laden with graphics boxes using multiple > fonts, and other things that makes WP really bog down as I scroll > through them (especially on my 8 MHz 8088 at home!). I basically > would like to know if a 386SX/16 with coprocessor will perform better > in this context than a 386/25 without. > > Thanks in advance. > -- > Eric J. Isaacson (the other) Internet: isaacso@ucs.indiana.edu > School of Music--Indiana Univ. NeXT Mail: isaacso@bartok.music.indiana.edu > Bloomington, IN 47405 -- I am NOT the author of A86 and other -- > (812) 855-7832(o)/333-1827(h) -- outstanding software...I wish I were... -- I just called Wordperfect support (got through in 30 seconds) and asked them since I was also curious. They said it can have an effect on View Document mode, but the effect is pretty minor. It would not speed anything else up. they said the effect was pretty insignificant. I also agree with others that diskcaching really helps as does a ram disk if you configure WP to use it. mike benedik dept. biochemistry university of houston benedik@uh.edu
ong@d.cs.okstate.edu (ONG ENG TENG) (05/16/91)
From article <3736@naucse.cse.nau.edu>, by wew@naucse.cse.nau.edu (Bill Wilson): >> isaacso@copper.ucs.indiana.edu (Eric J. Isaacson) writes: >> Sorry, I'm no authority, but I can't conceivably imagine what WP _could_ >> use a coprocessor for,... >> > > The most obvious use of a math coprocessor would be for graphics. > Calculating the screen output could be sped up using a math chip. > Determining point size for printing and printing any of the fancy > fonts may also benefit? Who knows. Graphics though, can always > benefit. Hhhmmm... do you mean only vector graphics, or both vector and raster. I use a lot of raster graphics (scanned or otherwise) but virtually no vector graphics, partly because I don't have the spec to create vector files to feed into WP51 (could anyone give a simple description? by email, I know there is way to get from WP but it is too much work for a file spec). Do you have the speedup ratio (i.e. is it worth the money?).
kooijman@duteca (kooijman) (05/16/91)
You all have it wrong. The WP documentation clearly says that a coprocessor will not be used by WP. For the operations that could use floating point math they use fixed point math, i.e. integers, to make the program as fast as possible for all machines with or without coprocessor. Richard.
dahlstr@hus.chalmers.se (Gunnar Dahlstrom) (05/16/91)
In article <s64421.674224794@zeus> s64421@zeus.usq.EDU.AU (house ron) writes: >isaacso@copper.ucs.indiana.edu (Eric J. Isaacson) writes: > >>Can anyone say authoritatively whether or not WP 5.1 will use a math >>coprocessor if one is present? I'm drafting some preliminary >>specifications for a new system and this will be very useful >>information. At present I'm editing a series of rather large >>documents that are heavily laden with graphics boxes using multiple >>fonts, and other things that makes WP really bog down as I scroll >>through them (especially on my 8 MHz 8088 at home!). I basically >>would like to know if a 386SX/16 with coprocessor will perform better >>in this context than a 386/25 without. > >Sorry, I'm no authority, but I can't conceivably imagine what WP _could_ >use a coprocessor for, even if its writers wanted to. I would be >staggered if there is even one floating point calculation anywhere in >the entire program. Well, look at those graphics routines in WP 5.1 (rescaling, resiszing and rotating) can you do stuff like this whitout floating point? // Gunnar =============================================================================== Gunnar Dahlstrom Chalmers University of Technology Div. Building Technology 412 96 Gothenburg, Sweden E-Mail: dahlstr@hus.chalmers.se ===============================================================================