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From: ward@chinet.UUCP (Ward Christensen)
Newsgroups: net.micro.pc
Subject: Future of PC-DOS ??
Message-ID: <354@chinet.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 20-Feb-86 23:03:53 EST
Article-I.D.: chinet.354
Posted: Thu Feb 20 23:03:53 1986
Date-Received: Sat, 22-Feb-86 09:11:33 EST
Distribution: na
Organization: chinet, Public Access UN*X, Chicago, IL
Lines: 17
Keywords: IBM PC DOS SOFTWARE INTEL

I'm not looking for any 'product disclosures', but rather just trying to
open a discussion about the 'possibilities' of the future of PC-DOS.  For
example, we all complain about not having enough memory.  I have a 640K PC,
couple external hard disks, etc.  But I have RAM disk, print buffer, etc,
and have for example only 10K after Reflex loads!
  SO, what's the future got to offer?  Lets say dos 4.0 (or whatever) will
somehow efficiently use more memory.  Does that mean it MUST be built upon
say an 80286, i.e. something with more addressing?  If so, can ANY programs
be able to run in 'protected' mode?  Or might the future of PC-DOS be based
upon expansion into multi-tasking, but using, say, low memory bank switching
to swap various users in and out?  (For example, leave the first 128 or 256K,
but swap out the next 256 or 384K?) (make above ..any EXISTING programs...)
  I suppose another possibility (especially with Microsoft's involvement
in LIM mem std.) that programs will be divided up into little chunks, and
will do the appropriate LIM memory swaps?
  Thanks in advance for any 'creative' ideas.  Maybe IBM/M'soft will be
listening!  (P.S. does the '386 offer anything to help - compatibility, etc?)