Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!hplabs!pyramid!infmx!aland From: aland@infmx.UUCP (Dr. Scump) Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc Subject: Re: DesqView-386 and "DOS 16M" Summary: current versions are VCPI-compliant Message-ID: <2122@infmx.UUCP> Date: 16 Aug 89 02:04:28 GMT References: <1989Aug14.220448.29522@tapa.uucp> Reply-To: aland@infmx.UUCP (alan denney) Organization: INFORMIX Professional Services ("Peace thru Normalization") Lines: 54 In article <1989Aug14.220448.29522@tapa.uucp> larry@tapa.uucp (Larry Pajakowski) writes: >We currently use DesqView and QEMM heavily. Our database vendor (ZiM) now >offers a large DOS version of their development system which uses >"DOS 16m" from Relation Systems (??) out of Boston. That's Rational Systems in Natick, MA. The product is DOS/16M. They can be reached at (508) 653-6006. >Anybody have any idea if DesqView-386 is compatible with this beast? I >suspect it is not Phar-Lap compatible since it is refuted to run on 286 >machines. Phar Lap's 386 DOS Extender is 386-dependent. As for your compatibility question: it depends on the DOS/16M version. Current versions of DOS/16M are VCPI (Virtual Control Program Interface) compliant, so DOS/16M will work with DESQView 386, 386-to-the-Max, etc. You should be safe if the version is 3.16 or higher (in fact, most 3.0+ versions are OK except for a few glitches). Background: DOS/16M is a DOS extender that performs switching to and from protected mode transparently to the user. As a result, you can take advantage of the 16 MB address space of the 286 (and 386 in 286 protected mode). You can even have multiple DOS/16M programs running at once, even as TSRs. On 286s, it's sensitive to BIOS compatibility; older clones may not run properly in protected mode without a BIOS replacement. (Case study: my Zenith 286 gagged using DOS/16M with the original BIOS ROMS. I bought update ROMs for ~$20, replaced them in the machine, and it runs protected mode like a champ!) Each DOS/16M program will take 30-70K of conventional memory in addition to whatever extended memory is needed (for DOS buffers, startup code, etc.) DOS/16M is a great product. Informix's DOS products have optional protected-mode versions of the engine and the database tools which use DOS/16M. Ours was the first major database system to use DOS/16M, I believe (and is still the best :-]). Lotus is using DOS/16M for 1-2-3 version 3.0. I've talked with most of the tech people there, including a VP, and found them universally bright and helpful. >Again thanks to all who help. >Larry Pajakowski You're welcome. -- Alan S. Denney @ Informix Software, Inc. {pyramid|uunet}!infmx!aland "I want to live! -------------------------------------------- as an honest man, Disclaimer: These opinions are mine alone. to get all I deserve If I am caught or killed, the secretary and to give all I can." will disavow any knowledge of my actions. - S. Vega