Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!usc!samsung!munnari.oz.au!goanna!minyos.xx.rmit.oz.au!s907396
From: s907396@minyos.xx.rmit.oz.au (Eugene Mok (Miramar))
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc
Subject: Re: LOOKING-----For a good multi-tasker
Message-ID: <1991Apr13.134328.4223@minyos.xx.rmit.oz.au>
Date: 13 Apr 91 13:43:28 GMT
References: <10505@hub.ucsb.edu>
Distribution: comp
Organization: RMIT Computer Centre, Melbourne Australia.
Lines: 49

6600arac@ucsbuxa.ucsb.edu (Wolf) writes:

>I'm looking for a good multi-tasker to run on 386 series machines.

I would have to recommend Desqview 386 from Quarterdeck Office Systems.
It's fast and doesn't take too much memory. It can multitask almost any
DOS application. I usually run Telix downloading in a window, Turbo Pascal
in another and a DOS shell window on standby. It's really good and well
worth the money. Of course the number of programs you can open at a time
will depend on the amount of memory you have. Before I had 4megs of RAM
I used to run Telix and Qedit in another window with no probs at all.
It doesn't have a fancy GUI like some other multitaskers. In fact the windows
are all ASCII graphic character based but it's functional and practical
and doesn't burden your CPU which enhances its multitasking capabilities.
And if you use Windows 3 applications Desqview can run Windows 3 in real
mode in a window.(ummm that's Windows 3 in a Desqview window :) Personally
I haven't tried this since my Win 3 is now sitting on my bookshelf quietly
waiting for the next time I play solitaire. 

Unless you use mostly Windows 3 applications then I'd have to say Desqview 
is for you. 

>I'm using my PC for Word Processing, and also for programming.  I'd
>like to be able to print my 8-9 page reports in the background
>while I go back to my program.  Any Ideas?

I haven't tried printing stuff in the background, I don't have a printer :),
but I don't see any probs in it. There are a couple of shareware print
spoolers around, which are desqview aware. I guess you could run, say,
Wordstar in the background printing out your reports while you grapple
with your C program in another window.

>Also, I'd like to be able to download files in the background.  If I
>have to, I'll download to floppy, but I want to download while I
>have a solution to my program typed in.  Tks.

No probs in that at all. Downloading to HD is better cause when the floppies
are accessed on my 386, everything tends to freeze for a few moments. Having
a disk cache program will improve performance tremendously. I use Hyperdisk
in a 1 meg cache with write cache enabled. (yes dangerous but so far so good)

Well, mail me if you want more details/info. I've got heaps to talk about 
Desqview. 

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     | o o |    Eugene Mok  s907396@minyos.xx.rmit.oz.au  (Melbourne OZ)
     \  ^  /                 eugene@pogo.ai.mit.edu       (USA)
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