Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!wuarchive!brutus.cs.uiuc.edu!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!hplabs!hp-pcd!hplsla!davidr
From: davidr@hplsla.HP.COM (David M. Reed)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: DESQview, any opinions out there?
Message-ID: <5190037@hplsla.HP.COM>
Date: 24 Aug 89 19:02:33 GMT
References: <4808@ubc-cs.UUCP>
Organization: HP Lake Stevens, WA
Lines: 29

I LOVE DESQview, and use it all the time.  In my support position I install
and help many people with MSWindows, and I consider it a VERY poor environment.
Yes, there are some wonderful programs that run in that environment (like
Excel), but it is still a poor environment, and a very unfriendly piece of
code.  I have never found a reason to recommend someone buying MSWindows.

DESQview has true multi-tasking (even on a 286 system with EEMS), while
MSWindows can not do it properly even in Windows/386.  DESQview cares very
little about your hardware, and is easy to modify if the need arises, while
you have to re-install MSWindows if your change your mouse or video display.
DESQview allows a DOS window to behave very much as though DESQview were
not running, while MSWindows needs to have virtually every program you 
want to run in its DOS window defined in the WIN.INI file or with a .PIF
file.  DESQview does not care about things like psuedo drivers for printers,
while MSWindows MUST talk to the hardware, and even then may not work
properly.  DESQview is fast and easy in switching between programs, while
MSWindows is somewhat laborious (though almost tolerable on a fast 386).
DESQview will run most standard DOS programs (even a lot of "unfriendly"
programs like MSWindows), while MSWindows has a lot of problems running
some popular programs.  MSWindows has a slight advantage in cut and paste
between windows, but in DESQview it can be done even without a mouse.
(DESQview does not need a mouse, while MSWindows almost requires one.)

I love DESQview's macro capability; it saves a lot of time and effort.
We typically have our LAN cards defined as COM2, but MSWindows will mess
up the card (often requiring a hard reboot), even if you do not use any
program requiring access to COM2.

And I can go on, and on....