Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!microsoft!steveha
From: steveha@microsoft.UUCP (Steve Hastings)
Newsgroups: comp.os.msdos.misc
Subject: Re: MS-DOS 4.01 vs. 3.3
Summary: DOS 4.01 is safe; DOS 5.00 will be great.  Long.
Message-ID: <56756@microsoft.UUCP>
Date: 20 Aug 90 19:51:36 GMT
References: <38144@shemp.CS.UCLA.EDU> <12725@hydra.gatech.EDU>
Reply-To: steveha@microsoft.UUCP (Steve Hastings)
Organization: Microsoft International Products Group
Lines: 82


Disclaimer:  I do work at Microsoft, but I got all the information in this
posting from the same places everyone else can, namely _PC Week_ and
_Infoworld_.  I do not work anywhere near the DOS folks and have no inside
track on this information.


The Story on DOS 4.01:
DOS 4.0 had some bugs that caused people to lose data.  DOS 4.01 is the
major bug fix that cures those bugs.  Many people don't like DOS 4.01
because it takes up too much memory -- it does take up much more than DOS
3.x versions.  It does reliably handle disk partitions >32MB, and if you
use DOS 4.01 instead of some third party solution you will be assured of
the best compatibility with other Microsoft products like Windows.  It also
has some minor enhancements like a REM command for CONFIG.SYS, and a toy
DOS shell (I have never heard of anyone who uses it).

IBM ships DOS 4.01 under the name of PC-DOS 4.0; they did *not* change the
name when they shipped the bug fix.

If you want a disk partition >32MB, you must load SHARE.EXE each time you
boot up or else risk losing data.  (The people I have asked about
NOSHARE.EXE, which is available on USENET, have all told me they think it
is a bad idea.  Use the real thing, SHARE.EXE.)

Bottom line:  if you want a large disk partition and you don't run huge
programs and/or lots of TSRs (i.e. you don't mind the extra RAM
requirements) feel free to run DOS 4.01.  If DOS 3.x makes you happy, keep
running it.


The Story on DOS 5.00:

In article <12725@hydra.gatech.EDU> gt3070b@prism.gatech.EDU (Jeff Watkins) writes:
>If you have not updated to Dos 4.01 don't bother.  Version 5 is in beta testing
>even as I type.  There are all sorts of rumors about it.  I even heard that it
>enters protected mode, had reentrant services, and more.
>
>NONE of this may be true, ALL of it may be true, OR (more likely) SOME of it
>is true.

Microsoft sells a protected mode OS with reentrant services.  It is called
OS/2, and it is very different from DOS.  There are not any quick hacks
that will make DOS a true multitasking OS.

DOS 5 is in beta test, and it supports partitions >32MB without loading
SHARE.EXE.  (You will still want to load SHARE.EXE if you use Windows or
other multitasking systems.)  It can load some of itself into the HMA (High
Memory Area) of extended memory if you have a 286 or above (and if you
don't have something else that needs to load itself there).  If it loads
into HMA you get a *lot* of free memory in your 640k region; even if it
doesn't load into HMA I believe it is smaller than DOS 4.01 is.  It comes
with a new version of BASIC that is a lot like Quick BASIC; it is called
QBASIC and it replaces GW BASIC.  It comes with a new editor, EDIT.COM,
that is a lot like the Quick BASIC editor.  It comes with a File Manager
that looks a lot like the Windows File Manager.

The _PC Week_ article said that the final version of DOS 5.00, when it
ships, may have task-switching features.  These would not provide
multitasking, but would allow you to switch from program to program without
exiting and restarting the programs.  Presumably this feature would require
expanded or extended memory.

The bottom line: everyone will want to upgrade to DOS 5.00, since it will
not cost more RAM than 3.x versions and it has more functionality than the
3.x versions.  The cautious people may decide to wait for 5.01, or at least
wait a month after the release of 5.00.  But remember that there is a
massive beta testing campaign going on; I suspect Microsoft doesn't want to
embarrass itself with a version as buggy as DOS 4.00 was.


The Rumor about DOS 4.01 and DOS 5.00:

(I cannot confirm this rumor, but I like it.  It's so... dramatic.  :-)

IBM engineers did DOS 4.00 and Microsoft engineers were embarrassed to have
the Microsoft name associated with such a product.  They are determined
that DOS 5.00 will be lean, mean, and bug-free.  It is a matter of honor
now!
-- 
Steve "I don't speak for Microsoft" Hastings    ===^=== :::::
uunet!microsoft!steveha  steveha@microsoft.uucp    ` \\==|