Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!samsung!umich!umeecs!shim
From: shim@zip.eecs.umich.edu (Sam Shim)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: Mutlitasking/ task switching
Keywords: multitasking switching, desqview, software carousel, VM386
Message-ID: <2630@zipeecs.umich.edu>
Date: 13 Jun 90 18:54:30 GMT
References: <4632@mit-caf.MIT.EDU>
Reply-To: shim@eecs.umich.edu (Sam Shim)
Distribution: na
Organization: University of Michigan EECS Dept., Ann Arbor, MI
Lines: 51

In article <4632@mit-caf.MIT.EDU> gavin@mit-caf.UUCP (Gavin C. H. Zau) writes:
>
>	I recently posted a request for information on softwarer for
>switching between application/ multitasking on 286 and 386 PCs.  The 
>current forerunners are :
>	Desqview 386 (+ QEMM 386 ?)
>	Windows 3.0
>	VM/386
>and
>	Software Carousel for 286.
>Can anyone who has used these software please comment on the ease of 
>use, hardware requirement, compatibility with a network drive (PCNFS)
>and speed.   Windowing capabilities are not critical but are nice to
>have.

No offense, but I think you should not have posted this also to
comp.binaries.ibm.pc.d.  It is not the proper place for this message.
Now, answering your question.

I use both Desqview 386 (which is Desqview 2.26 & Qemm 5.0) nad Windows 3.0.
In some ways, they are very similar (such as their multi-tasking abilities)
but in other ways they are not.  Windows 3.0 is not only a multi-tasker but
a graphical interface similar to the Mac interface.  Very nice, but you can't
really take much advantage of it unless you are using Windows applications.
Desqview is basically a multi-tasker and it does that much better than
Windows 3.0.  It doesn't crash as often, and it can run graphic DOS
applications in the background.  Because of its power Desqview (in my
opinion) is not very easy to set up.  Windows is a bit easier but still
not easy enough (IMHO).  Another advantage of Desqview 386 is that QEMM
can map extended memory into high memory, so you can load tsrs, drivers, 
etc... into high memory and not lose any of the 640K memory.  Because of
this my Desqview windows are a bit bigger than my Windows windows (about
585K to 525K with the same tsrs and drivers loaded).  Also, Windows is
a memory hog compared to Desqview.  You can open more windows with Desqview
than Windows for the same amount of memory.  Windows requires 1 Meg on a
286, 2 Megs on a 386.  Desqview requires only 640K, but at least 1 Meg
is recommended.

I haven't heard much about VM/386 so I can't help you there.  But I've heard
it is not fully DOS compatible.  And I don't use Software Carousel so
I can't help you out there either.  I believe all it does is tash switch
tsrs.


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|  Sam Shim                                   | "I didn't do it...            |
|  EECS Departmental Computing Organization   |  It wasn't me...              |
|  University of Michigan                     |  Nobody saw me do it...       |
|  Ann Arbor, MI 48109                        |  Nobody can prove a thing..." |
|  internet: shim@eecs.umich.edu              |  - Bart Simpson               |
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