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From: eric@cs.fau.edu (Eric Thav)
Newsgroups: comp.os.msdos.apps
Subject: Re: DO$ 5.0 features
Message-ID: <1991Jun09.001707.1890@cs.fau.edu>
Date: 9 Jun 91 00:17:07 GMT
References: <1991Jun5.013944.15998@serval.net.wsu.edu>
Organization: Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton
Lines: 66

In article <1991Jun5.013944.15998@serval.net.wsu.edu> msmith@proton.tricity.wsu.edu (Mark Smith) writes:
>Ok I've heard all the stuff about 5.0 coming out in June. 

Since its June already, we can start by saying Wednesday is the release date,
June 12th.

>The question is "What are the features like?  Does it have any new features
>at all?"

Yes, it does.  It has online help for all of the commands (available by
typing HELP DIR or DIR /?), on 286/386/+ systems, DOS 5.0 will now be able
to stuff most of its kernal into either the HMA (High Memory Area - made
available by HIMEM.SYS or an appropriate memory manager) or into the UMB
(Upper Memory Block a/k/a "high memory" - available, again, with an 
appropriate memory manager or the included EMM386.SYS memory manager), DOS
5.0 will also allow you to load memory-resident programs into high memory
with the LOADHIGH command, or device drivers with the DEVICEHIGH= command,
BASICA has been replaced with the new QBASIC interpreter which is essentially
the Microsoft QuickBASIC compiler with out the compiling functions, EDLIN
has been made obsolete (though it is still included, unlike BASICA) with the
new Microsoft Editor (which is essentially QBASIC called with the /EDIT
parameter - which really just leaves out the programming stuff), for
programs that require specific (read: older) versions of DOS, there is a
new SETVER command that allows you to fool the program into thinking it
is that version of DOS (e.g., SETVER NET3.EXE 3.3 will fool a network driver
into thinking it is running under DOS 3.3.  NOTE: NET5.EXE is included
with DOS 5.0 along with the DOS 5.0 REDIRector).  The DOS Shell has been
revamped into something quite usable, though still not along the lines of
PC Shell or Norton Commander, and the DOS Shell now has a task switcher
so that you can run multiple applications AT THE SAME TIME, though each
application is in a paused state when you switch to one another.  Included
with DOS 5.0 are several utilities licensed from Central Point Software.
MIRROR, REBUILD, and UNDELETE are those utilities, and I believe the FORMAT
program is written by Microsoft, but works with those utilities, I do not
believe that it is Central Point's PCFORMAT program, though I could be wrong.

>Can I use 8 Meg directly with it?

You could use 8 megs directly with DOS 3.3, but not as CONVENTIONAL MEMORY,
and no you can't use it as conventional memory with DOS 5.0 either, try
OS/2 instead.  DOS 5.0, though, (as mentioned above) includes its own
memory manager, EMM386.SYS, which allows for the use of the LOADHIGH and
DEVICEHIGH= commands, but QEMM and 386^MAX are not obsoleted by this, trust
me.

>Can I quit using EMM? 

Which EMM are you using?  A hardware specific one or something like QEMM?
If you are using QEMM or 386^MAX, you may want to continue using them, even
though the included EMM386.SYS will function quite nicely.  

>Will it multitask?

Task switch, yes, multi-task no.  Try Microsoft Windows 3.0 or OS/2.  DOS 5.0
is not intended to replace either one and is only to supplement Windows.

As stated at the top, wait until after Wednesday (check your Wednesday
newspaper business section or wait until Thursday) and you'll hear nothing
but DOS 5.0 for weeks.


-- 
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Eric L. Thav                Florida Atlantic University - Boca Raton, FL
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