Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!wuarchive!udel!haven!boingo.med.jhu.edu!aplcen!simpson
From: simpson@aplcen.apl.jhu.edu (Simpson David Grant)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc
Subject: Re: 4DOS vs. COMMAND.COM (sigh)
Message-ID: <1991Feb14.041723.17461@aplcen.apl.jhu.edu>
Date: 14 Feb 91 04:17:23 GMT
References: <2uB8w1@moocow.uucp>
Reply-To: simpson@aplcen (Simpson David Grant)
Organization: Johns Hopkins University
Lines: 62

In article <2uB8w1@moocow.uucp> george@moocow.uucp (George Tirebiter) writes:
>I've been seeing a number of posts where a replacement for COMMAND.COM
>called 4DOS is mentioned.  Has anybody had any positive or negative
>experiences they'd like to share?  Is 4DOS more than a command-line
>recall and batch file enhancer?  What's the latest version?
>

Some friends of mine at work got a shareware copy of 4DOS, tried it
for a few days, and immediately sent in their registration fees!
I was skeptical, but tried it myself and I did the same thing --
I've been using 4DOS for several months now, and I really wouldn't
want to go back to using COMMAND.COM.
  4DOS is MUCH more than just a command-line recall and batch file
enhancer.  It enhances most of the internal DOS commands (while
using DOS for the external commands).  Several of the features I
haven't used much yet, but some of my favorite features are:

  * 4DOS can load most of itself into extended or expanded memory,
    so that I have more conventional memory available than with
    COMMAND.COM.
  * Built-in HELP command in case you forget the syntax of a 4DOS
    or DOS command (includes handy ASCII and ANSI tables).
  * Recalls many recent command lines instead of just one, like
    COMMAND.COM.
  * Built-in text file browser (LIST)
  * "Aliases" let you customize DOS commands by naming command lines
    or sets of command lines with alias names.  Aliases can even be
    like short programs.
  * VASTLY improved DIR command with MANY more switches to sort
    files according to date, file name, extension, etc.  DIR may
    be customized with an alias if desired (in case you want DIR
    to act like DIR/P, for example).
  * SELECT and EXCEPT commands are nice.  SELECT gives you a
    menu of file names when you type something like:
                  SELECT DEL (*.*)
    so that you can choose which files to delete from the menu.
    EXCEPT allows you to, for example, delete all files except
    your .PAS files with:
                  EXCEPT (*.PAS) DEL *.*
  * You can specify multiple file names on the command line, like
              DEL *.PAS *.C *.FOR

These are the features I use most, but it does a lot more (display
file descriptions with DIR listings, greatly enhanced COPY command,
command logging, PUSHing and POPing DOS directories on a directory
stack, UNIX-like Y and TEE I/O pipes, etc., etc.).  It works fine
with my MS-DOS 4.01 and 80 Mb hard disk, BTW.
  I don't work for these guys, but I HIGHLY recommend 4DOS, 
especially for DOS "power users" who need to do things like I
described above.  Shareware versions of 4DOS are available for 
$6 (US, $7 Canada, $10 others) from:

                   J.P. Software
                   P.O. Box 1470
                   E. Arlington, MA  02174
                   (800) 368-8777

The registered version is $50 plus $4, $5, or $10 shipping.
(I know all this stuff because my registered version (with manual)
just came today.)  Enjoy!

                                 David Simpson