[comp.os.msdos.desqview] Whither QEMM?

ferris@gradient.cis.upenn.edu (Richard T. Ferris) (06/10/91)

>MS-DOS 5.0 FEATURE/BENEFIT SUMMARY
>
>* Memory Saving Features
>
> DOS LoadHigh - DOS loads most of itself into the HMA on 286/386 machines
> UMB Support - Lets you move device drivers and TSRs up above 640k

I am getting a 486 and am considering buying QEMM-386.  I am wondering
whether these new DOS5 features eliminate most of QEMM's usefulness.

--RF
Richard Ferris
ferris@grad1.cis.upenn.edu

thoger@solan.unit.no (Terje Th|gersen) (06/10/91)

In article <44396@netnews.upenn.edu> ferris@gradient.cis.upenn.edu (Richard T. Ferris) writes:


   >MS-DOS 5.0 FEATURE/BENEFIT SUMMARY
   >
   >* Memory Saving Features
   >
   > DOS LoadHigh - DOS loads most of itself into the HMA on 286/386 machines
   > UMB Support - Lets you move device drivers and TSRs up above 640k

   I am getting a 486 and am considering buying QEMM-386.  I am wondering
   whether these new DOS5 features eliminate most of QEMM's usefulness.

   --RF
   Richard Ferris
   ferris@grad1.cis.upenn.edu

Even if you're not running DesqView, the loadhi procedures of QEMM
surpass the loadhigh and devicehigh commands of DOS 5.0 in utility.
(i.e. DOS 5.0 doesn't have a loadhi /h or /s etc..)

Also, I think DOS 5.0 puts files + lastdrive etc in low mem, whereas
QEMM's companions lets you loadhi these memory-munchers..

(And, if you're curious about something about your computers use of
memory, MFT is *slightly* better than "mem /program" :-))

Regards,
  -Terje

--
____________________________________________________________________________
thoger@solan.unit.no       |                 Institute of Physical Chemistry
THOGER AT NORUNIT.BITNET   | Div. of Computer Assisted Instrumental Analysis
                           |               Norwegian Institute of Technology

johnl@gssc.UUCP (John Light) (06/12/91)

Even though DOS 5.0 includes many features of QEMM, they didn't quite
get it all right.  For example:

If you want to load drivers high, you will load the DOS 5.0 expanded
memory manager.  Then Lotus and other protected mode programs won't run
because the memory manager won't have any expanded memory to allocate.
To give it expanded memory to manage, you must turn on EMS support.
If you turn on EMS support, the DOS 5.0 expanded memory manager will
put a 64K EMS page frame in your upper memory, severely reducing the
space to load drivers.

Mature DOS memory managers like QEMM can manage expanded memory (allowing
Lotus and other protected mode programs to run) without requiring the
placement of a 64K page frame, which protected mode Lotus doesn't need.

I'm sure Microsoft will get it right eventually.

John Light

valley@gsbsun.uchicago.edu (Doug Dougherty) (06/12/91)

johnl@gssc.UUCP (John Light) writes:

>If you want to load drivers high, you will load the DOS 5.0 expanded
>memory manager.  Then Lotus and other protected mode programs won't run
>because the memory manager won't have any expanded memory to allocate.
>To give it expanded memory to manage, you must turn on EMS support.
>If you turn on EMS support, the DOS 5.0 expanded memory manager will
>put a 64K EMS page frame in your upper memory, severely reducing the
>space to load drivers.

>Mature DOS memory managers like QEMM can manage expanded memory (allowing
>Lotus and other protected mode programs to run) without requiring the
>placement of a 64K page frame, which protected mode Lotus doesn't need.

Out of curiosity, under what conditions can you get away with not having
a page frame?  I assume that if you use the NOFRAME option, you get 64K
more memory to load stuff high, but that some programs that expect a
page frame won't be able to access expanded mem.  How can you tell which
programs are in this category?  (Aside, how do programs such as you
alluded to access expanded mem w/o a page frame?  Or did you mean to say
that they use the memory manager to allocate eXtended mem from the
general mem pool?)

Note:  These are all tech type questions that I would appreciate answers
to from anyone who knows.  TIA.
--

	(Another fine mess brought to you by valley@gsbsun.uchicago.edu)