Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!usc!jarthur!nntp-server.caltech.edu!josephc
From: josephc@nntp-server.caltech.edu (Joseph I. Chiu)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc
Subject: Re: Multitaskers
Message-ID: <1990Dec11.172423.5673@nntp-server.caltech.edu>
Date: 11 Dec 90 17:24:23 GMT
References: <67NZT1w163w@isishq.fidonet.org>
Organization: California Institute of Technology, Pasadena
Lines: 28

evanc@isishq.fidonet.org (Evan Champion) writes:

>I was looking into multitaskers and Desqview and Windows came up.  I have 
>heard a lot of negative feedback on Windows, but I still consider it an 
>option.  Can anyone give me some advice on this topic?  It would be running 
>on a 386 with 2-4MB of Ram.

One of the possibilities that are still viable are multi-tasking multi-user
PC-DOS emulating operating systems.  I personally have Concurrent DOS running
on my 386-PC, and I had 2 megabytes of memory - it was good enough for a 
4-task multi-tasking single-user use.

The nice thing about Councurrent DOS (and this may not be what you are
looking for, but...) is that it also has a multi-user support.  With 8 megs
of memory and two Wyse-60 terminals hooked up, my 386 system now acts as three
virtual computers.  And the thing is relatively stable.  Except for a few
slight problems, Concurrent works just as well (and even better) than PC-DOS.
Even Turbo Debugger runs in Concurrent DOS, allowing me to switch from
window to window (or even console to console) and reduce my cycle time.

There also is a product called PC-MOS that supposedly does the same thing.

(BTW, you mileage may vary depending on what you need the multi-tasking for.)

>Evan

--
JosephC@Coil.Caltech.Edu