Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!caen!ox.com!math.fu-berlin.de!uniol!unido!gmdzi!strobl From: strobl@gmdzi.gmd.de (Wolfgang Strobl) Newsgroups: comp.os.msdos.apps Subject: Re: Multi and background processing on a 286 Message-ID: <4528@gmdzi.gmd.de> Date: 13 Apr 91 20:49:59 GMT References: <1280@duteca.UUCP> Organization: GMD, St. Augustin, F.R. Germany Lines: 23 cornet@duteca (Jan-Pieter Cornet) writes: >I am following the discussion about MS-Windows and the comparision with >other multi-tasking programs, like DesqView. >Considering to purchase MS-Windows, I asked various colleagues if I will be >able to do background processing and/or multiprocessing using MS-Windows on >my IBM AT compatible with an 80286 processor. They all had 386 machines or >better and invariably said that it wasn't possible using Windows. Windows is able to do multiprocessing on any processor it is able to run on. It only does cooperative, non-premptive multitasking. Additionally, it allows timesliced multitasking of old DOS programs, on 386+ processors. But this is only a kludge, and not something Windows was built for. >Now I know that this is possible, as proven by UNIX-variants like XENIX and >MINIX which work reasonably well on 80286 machines. This is possible on every maching which is equivalent to a Turing machine. Wolfgang Strobl #include