Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!cwjcc!gatech!psuvax1!psuvm!odx
From: ODX@PSUVM.BITNET (Tim Larson)
Newsgroups: comp.binaries.ibm.pc.d
Subject: Re: Good GUI needed: advise PLEASE
Message-ID: <89243.071312ODX@PSUVM>
Date: 31 Aug 89 11:13:12 GMT
References: <89241.171717DLV101@PSUVM>
Organization: Penn State University
Lines: 44


In article <89241.171717DLV101@PSUVM>, <DLV101@PSUVM.BITNET> says:
>
>=========================================================================
>
>I am looking for a Graphical User Interface that will allow me to have multiple
>concurrent DOS sessions, each running in its own window.  My intent is to run
>a PC version of TeX.  I would like to be able to simultaneously view my .DVI
>file and the .TEX file being edited.  In addition, I'd like to be able to
>edit or preview a file while another is being processed by TeX in the
>background.  I'd also like to have CED resident: a utility that spools your
>keyboard commands, and allows you to recall and edit them with the uparrow and
>downarrow - much like VAX/VMS.  Is there a GUI that operates under DOS or
>otherwise that will allow this?  Will OS/2 permit it?  I believe TeX will
>"behave" nicely when run in a window, however, it requires 640K.  Will
>Windows/386 permit me to do this if I've got the memory?  Thanks in advance.
>
>
>                                                  -Dwaine
>
I use DESQview to do just what you describe.  I looked at DESQview and
Windows/386 and decided against Windows/386 for two reasons.  One was that
I *only* have 2 megabytes in my system and that is Windows/386s MINIMUM!  The
other was that I set up Windows/286 (or whatever that version is called) for
someone else and it took two 8-hour days of frustration to simply get the
major programs on that system running (including Ventura Publisher, which is
designed for Windows).  Now to be fair, there was some odd hardware in this
system and we were pushing it to its limit, but I thought setup could have
been easier.  When Windows was running, it did the job, however, and if you
have the memory for it, it is a viable alternative and might provide an
upgrade path to Presentation Mangager, (whenever that becomes available).
Returning to DESQview, however, I currently run WordStar and PCTeX in 2 Meg
with several device drivers loaded, history (a command line buffer and editor
like CED), and a mouse driver, and I can still manage to squeeze in another
small program.  Furthermore, DESQview was relatively easy to install (about
2-3 hours to get the setup above running) and they provided at least one
extra utility that made this possible, a program to load TSRs in the upper
384Kb of the first Meg of DOS memory.  DESQview is not a GUI, just a
multitasking executive, but it will run nearly all programs flawlessly (I
have only seen it fail on some games).  Hope this helps.

-Tim
odx@psuvm.bitnet
BTW: I was able to push the window that holds PCTeX down to about 512Kb.