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From: btb@mtuxo.UUCP (Bruce Burger)
Newsgroups: net.micro.pc
Subject: Re: alternate sources for Simul-Task
Message-ID: <1931@mtuxo.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 26-Aug-86 04:05:32 EDT
Article-I.D.: mtuxo.1931
Posted: Tue Aug 26 04:05:32 1986
Date-Received: Wed, 27-Aug-86 10:53:24 EDT
References: <8800012@cdp>
Organization: AT&T Information Systems Labs, Holmdel NJ
Lines: 24

> Does anyone know if Simul-Task/OS-Merge is available
> from anyone besides AT&T (and will run on machines
> other than the 6300 Plus)?  I would really like to be
> able to run both MS-DOS and Unix, but I would like to
> have a choice of vendors.  Also, is it true that the
> software requires some special hardware assist that is
> not part of a "standard" AT-class machine?

Simul-Task does indeed take advantage of several pieces of hardware
built into the PC 6300 PLUS specifically for that purpose.  This
provides protection from "ill-behaved" programs like Flight
Simulator (and others that are more practical!) that try to take
over the machine.  My only general comment regarding this and other
products that combine DOS and UNIX is that there are many, many
ways in which DOS programs try to bypass DOS; make sure the OS
environment you're considering can run the DOS programs that you
want.  Simul-Task, although not perfect, does some neat tricks to
handle such programs.

Incidentally, "Simul-Task," at least by that name, is available
only from AT&T.

--Bruce Burger     AT&T Information Systems     Freehold, NJ
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