Path: utzoo!utgpu!attcan!uunet!husc6!linus!philabs!ttidca!svirsky
From: svirsky@ttidca.TTI.COM (William Svirsky)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: Question about ALL Chargecard
Message-ID: <3065@ttidca.TTI.COM>
Date: 19 Aug 88 20:31:54 GMT
References: <8808171456.AA12331@explorer.dgp.toronto.edu>
Reply-To: svirsky@ttidcc.tti.com (William Svirsky)
Distribution: na
Organization: Citicorp/TTI, Santa Monica
Lines: 39

In article <8808171456.AA12331@explorer.dgp.toronto.edu> carsontr@dgp.toronto.edu ("Carson T. Schutze") writes:
+	There was a fair bit of discussion a while back about the ALL
+ChargeCard, especially since DesqView is now mentioning it in their ads.
+In case you missed it, it's a little module which plugs into the motherboard
+and which the CPU on an AT or higher plugs into, allowing + 640K for DOS,
+converting extended to expanded memory, etc. by remapping the RAM in your
+machine.

Does the ChargeCard actually fool DOS into thinking that it has > 640K
of contiguous memory?  Is DOS written so that it can use > 640K of
contiguous memory?  How are memory conflicts handled, such as when video
memory is accessed?  Are there any, or any other, products (hardware or
software) that can do the above?

I'm working on a project in which we want to have 2 applications loaded
simultaneously in memory on a 286 or 386.  One of the applications, a
3270 communications emulator, has a way of switching itself from
foreground (ie.  in control of the PC) to background and back with a
single keypress.  When it is in background, the other application, an
expert system, is in the foreground.  These applications are large
enough that together they suck up most of 640K.  We also need to have
the expert system, while it is in foreground, execute another program
under DOS.  It has this capability, but it does it via DOS/command.com. 
Currently, this works, barely.  The problem is the knowledge base of the
expert system can grow.  So we may exceed 640K in the near future.  I
want to find a solution now, if one exists, rather than wait until we
run out of memory.  Software solutions, such as Desqview, are fine, but
only if they allow an easy transition between applications, preferably a
single keystroke (or multiple simultaneous keystrokes).  This system
will be used by an operator who should be unaware of any software but
the 3270 emulator and the expert system.  So, having to open a menu,
choose from the menu, etc, is no good.  If I get sufficient response,
I'll summarize and post.  Thanks. 

--- Bill Svirsky
-- 
Bill Svirsky, Citicorp+TTI, 3100 Ocean Park Blvd., Santa Monica, CA 90405
Work phone: 213-450-9111 x2597
svirsky@ttidca.tti.com | ...!{csun,psivax,rdlvax,retix}!ttidca!svirsky