cornet@duteca (Jan-Pieter Cornet) (04/11/91)
I am following the discussion about MS-Windows and the comparision with other multi-tasking programs, like DesqView. Considering to purchase MS-Windows, I asked various colleagues if I will be able to do background processing and/or multiprocessing using MS-Windows on my IBM AT compatible with an 80286 processor. They all had 386 machines or better and invariably said that it wasn't possible using Windows. Now I know that this is possible, as proven by UNIX-variants like XENIX and MINIX which work reasonably well on 80286 machines. Could anyone help me out on this, and, if possible, state a produkt which IS capable of turning the 80286 into a multitasking DOS-based machine? Thanks in advance, -- Jan-Pieter Cornet cornet@duteca.et.tudelft.nl
zampetti@eniac.seas.upenn.edu (Marc Zampetti ) (04/12/91)
Multitasking on a 286 using DOS is possible, but you only can do it in the 640k conventional memory. Desqview will multitask on a 286, but only if there is enough memory for the programs. But, if you have an ExPanded memory board, not emulation, then Desqview can use that also, and run programs on that. It gets kinda tricky though, because you have to set up the board to backfill as much conventional mempory as possible, the ideal being all of your memory is on the exPanded board, not the main board. Still, if you want to multitask Non-Windows programs, that is the best way to do it on a 286. Windows will multitask Windows programs on a 286 just fine, but not Non-windows programs. For Windows, you need eXtended memory.
mcc@WLV.IMSD.CONTEL.COM (Merton Campbell Crockett) (04/12/91)
One suggestion derived from your comments is to run a real multi-user oper- ating system and use a product such as SoftPC to provide the DOS environment for those programs that require it. Merton
strobl@gmdzi.gmd.de (Wolfgang Strobl) (04/14/91)
cornet@duteca (Jan-Pieter Cornet) writes: >I am following the discussion about MS-Windows and the comparision with >other multi-tasking programs, like DesqView. >Considering to purchase MS-Windows, I asked various colleagues if I will be >able to do background processing and/or multiprocessing using MS-Windows on >my IBM AT compatible with an 80286 processor. They all had 386 machines or >better and invariably said that it wasn't possible using Windows. Windows is able to do multiprocessing on any processor it is able to run on. It only does cooperative, non-premptive multitasking. Additionally, it allows timesliced multitasking of old DOS programs, on 386+ processors. But this is only a kludge, and not something Windows was built for. >Now I know that this is possible, as proven by UNIX-variants like XENIX and >MINIX which work reasonably well on 80286 machines. This is possible on every maching which is equivalent to a Turing machine. Wolfgang Strobl #include <std.disclaimer.hpp>
buddington-paul@cs.yale.edu (Paul Buddington) (04/15/91)
In article <1280@duteca.UUCP> cornet@duteca.et.tudelft.nl "Jan-Pieter Cornet" writes: > >Considering to purchase MS-Windows, I asked various colleagues if I will be >able to do background processing and/or multiprocessing using MS-Windows on >my IBM AT compatible with an 80286 processor. They all had 386 machines or >better and invariably said that it wasn't possible using Windows. > >Now I know that this is possible, as proven by UNIX-variants like XENIX and >MINIX which work reasonably well on 80286 machines. I'm not sure if it's possible - you're comparing XENIX and MINIX to MS-DOS, which is a VERY unfair comparison. Programs written for DOS are (in general) much more hardware-dependant. >Could anyone help me out on this, and, if possible, state a produkt which IS >capable of turning the 80286 into a multitasking DOS-based machine? You're problem here is that you're looking to multitask DOS programs. The best way to do this is to buy a 386 - I don't even know if it's possible with a 286. The basic problem is that the only way to prevent programs from "breaking the rules" in a multitasking environment is to run in protected mode. However, DOS only runs in real mode, so you must switch back into real mode to use any DOS functions. Unfortunately, the 286 is somewhat brain-damaged and its protected mode is clumsy. It is difficult and slow to switch back into real mode, and this makes multitasking very tricky. -- ======================================================================== Paul Buddington Yale University Buddington-Paul@CS.Yale.Edu or YaleCS.bitnet QuickMail: Paul_Buddington.CIS@YCCATSMTP.YCC.Yale.Edu
raj@netcom.COM (Roger Lee) (04/22/91)
buddington-paul@cs.yale.edu (Paul Buddington) writes: >>Could anyone help me out on this, and, if possible, state a produkt which IS >>capable of turning the 80286 into a multitasking DOS-based machine? >You're problem here is that you're looking to multitask DOS programs. The >best way to do this is to buy a 386 - I don't even know if it's possible with >a 286. The basic problem is that the only way to prevent programs from It is possible, but on a limited scale. About the only way to do it is to be running a program (such as Desqview) that does time slicing. This works fine on some programs, but if you attempt to do any comm programs, disk I/O (such as formatting a disk) intensive or other 'REAL-TIME' processing, I'm afraid that you'd be better off with a 386. Comm programs will work, but unless you are running at low baud rates, you *WILL* get data overruns, and basically defeat the whole purpose of multitasking. just my $.02 worth... -- /=========================================================================\ || I'm not under the alkafluence of inkahol that some thinkle peep I am. || || It's just the drunker I sit here, the longer I get. || \=========================================================================/