Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!mips!atha!aunro!ersys!bking From: bking@ersys.edmonton.ab.ca (Barry King) Newsgroups: comp.os.os2.misc Subject: Re: Floppies Message-ID: Date: 12 Jun 91 12:24:37 GMT References: <1991Jun11.001319.15018@qualcomm.com> Organization: Edmonton Remote Systems, Edmonton, AB, Canada Lines: 29 rdippold@cancun.qualcomm.com (Ron Dippold) writes: > Here's a question about OS/2 2.0 that I'd really like the answer to... > > Currently whenever I multitask DOS apps, accessing the floppy drives really > grinds the rest of the system down. With Windows 3 it's not too bad, you can > tell that something is going on and things move in little "jerks." With > DesqView 386 it's _really_ bad, I can hardly do anything in the other windows > until the disk access is finished. > > Luckily I don't need the floppies often, but when I need it it's a real pain. > How does OS/2 2.0 do with floppies? > If you are happy with the pathetic performance of Windows when it accesses the floppy drive then you should be extremely happy with the way floppy access is handled under OS/2. This includes OS/2 1.x BTW. You can fire up two (more if you want - whatever) OS/2 windows, perform say a diskcopy in one window and type a file in the other. The typed file displays smoothly without jerks and spasms and the floppy diskette copy proceeds as expected. Copying a floppy under OS/2 has zero effect on communications performance. You get a barely perceptable slow down of the system as one might expect. OS/2 is a preemptive multi-tasking operating system and handles things much differently than Windows or Desqview - these latter products are really just fancy DOS extenders and not true operating systems. Barry King bking@ersys.edmonton.ab.ca Edmonton Remote Systems: Serving Northern Alberta since 1982