edm@hpfcmdd.hp.com (Ed Moore) (02/28/91)
First, some references, all from PC Magazine. 2/28/89 Desqview, VM/386 5/30/89 Desqview 10/16/90 Desqview, VM/386 Now for my limited experience. I began using Software Carousel three years ago. It does task switching, not multitasking. A year or so ago, after I got a 386, I acquired Desqview/386. After trying it for a couple of days I went back to Carousel. You may really need multitasking, but all I really need is task switching. The mental overhead of implementing Carousel is trivial; it isn't for Desqview. I keep four Carousel ports (or windows) up all day, every day. Two keystrokes snaps instantly to another port. I don't even have the latest version of Carousel. The latest implements two sort-of multitasking features: print spooling and background communications.
sking@nowhere.uucp (Steven King) (03/03/91)
In article <1991Feb25.071747.28916@news.stolaf.edu> fritchie@acc.stolaf.edu (Scott Fritchie) writes: >I'm looking for suggestions on MS-DOS multitasking packages. The >environment I'll be using it in is: > * 386 clones (mostly Compaq and Telex) > * Novell 386 (v.3.10 rev A) > * Thomas-Conrad token ring interface cards (TC4035) > >I've been hacking on Win3 for quite a while now, but I cannot get it to >run in 386 enhanced mode and use the network. [See posting to >comp.windows.ms for details on the fun I've been having with Windows & >Novell 386.] Rather than buy a second machine, I'd prefer to multitask. > >I don't need nifty graphics stuff. I don't need windows, graphical or >character based. Just dependable MS-DOS multitasking with a (Novell) >network. You know, something that Microsoft should have given the IBM PC >world years ago. :-| [I guess I'm especially curious about Desqview and >VM/386.] I've used VM/386 for a couple years; Its adiquate if you have enough core; They dont support paging ( atleast, not of the last upgrade we recieved about a year ago ) but you can tailor each task's memory allocation. Even tho' they use the VM capability ( or maybe because of it ) you can still crash the whole box - I've had remarkable success doing that with certain "386 aware" software published by that company in Redmond, Wa. Software that uses a dos extender will not function under VM/386. The disk caching is abismally slow. While I still use it whenever I NEED to multitask, I nolonger try to compile under it ( or do anything else thats disk intensive ). -- Look Ma! No .sig! ..!cs.utexas.edu!ut-emx!nowhere!sking