Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!clarkson!news
From: ahd@kendra.kew.com (Drew Derbyshire)
Newsgroups: comp.mail.uucp
Subject: Getting MS-DOS to poll in backgroun (was FSUUCP execution)
Message-ID: <1990Sep13.113358.13864@news.clarkson.edu>
Date: 13 Sep 90 11:33:58 GMT
References: <200@srchtec.UUCP>
Sender: ahd@clutx.clarkson.edu (Drew Derbyshire)
Reply-To: ahd@kendra.kew.com (Drew Derbyshire)
Organization: Clarkson University, Potsdam, NY
Lines: 29
Nntp-Posting-Host: clutx.clarkson.edu

From article <200@srchtec.UUCP>, by mra@srchtec.uucp (Michael Almond):
> 	However, due to MSDOS's inability to run multiple processes, how
> or what is a good way to pool a site or have your site polled.
> 
> 	I've located some software that will execute a command at a given
> time (runtime3).  It is similar to cron under Unix.  But, the program
> runs the programs it executes in the foreground.  I haven't run into a 
> case where I'm running something else and it tries to run callout, but
> I imagine the results will not be good.
> 
> 	How are other people handling this?

Unless you run something like Desqview or Windows, there really isn't a
good background way to this.  Nor do a lot of boxes have the horsepower
to run a timing dependent application like a UUCICO program in
background even with the multitasking shell.

UUPC/extended, for example, has an auto-poll program, but takes the
easy way out: it runs foreground.  Persoanlly, I run kendra in poll
mode whenever I am not using it (her?); this is enough for my needs.

Note: FSUUCP is not my package, I am only commenting because it is a
general problem with DOS applications that run all the time.  Chris may
have additional insight, so listen to him.  

Drew Derbyshire

Internet:  ahd@kendra.kew.com            Snail mail:  108 Decatur St, Apt 9
Voice:     617-641-3739                               Arlington, MA 02174