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From: backman@interlan.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: MS-DOS 5.0 and PC/OS2
Message-ID: <133@interlan.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 15-Jun-87 08:27:29 EDT
Article-I.D.: interlan.133
Posted: Mon Jun 15 08:27:29 1987
Date-Received: Wed, 17-Jun-87 00:53:31 EDT
References: <1534@megatest.UUCP> <243@grinch.grinch.UUCP>
Reply-To: backman@interlan.UUCP (1014-Larry Backman)
Organization: MICOM-Interlan, Boxborough, MA
Lines: 86
Keywords: OS/2


[]

	This response is not meant as a flame, nor is it meant to be picky.
	Luis got IBM marketing information, I have the Microsoft techincal
	manuals.

In article <243@grinch.grinch.UUCP> luis@grinch.UUCP (Luis Chanu) writes:
>In article <1534@megatest.UUCP> msodos@megatest.UUCP (Marty Sodos) writes:
>>
>>I trying to sort out the rumors pertaining to the capabilities of the
>>next release of MS-DOS, and the first release of PC/OS2.
>>
>
>       - NO more .BAT files (Now called .CMD files)
>         - although they still exist in PC-DOS Compatibility mode.
>
	
	Yes there are! In fact they fixed the DOS .bat nonsense, where you
	had to say <command /c blahblah> before invoking a second batch file
	from within a batch file.  They also allow a new batch command: <detach>
	that allows you to run a background process!
>       - OS/2 has a new prompt.. It's   A]   , but if you do a ALT-ESC (I
>         think that's the hot keys), you get   A>   which means you are
>         in PC-DOS Compatiblility mode.
>
	Nope - Alt-ESC brings you back to the session manager from which you
	can switch between active processes.  Yes Alt-ESC is kind of a hot
	key, but it has nothing to do with compatablity mode.

       - OS/2 can run multi-tasking, but NOT PC-DOS compatible.  While in
>         PC-DOS Compatible though, OS/2 tasks STILL keep running.

	Conversely, when a progarm running in Compatablity mode is in the
	OS/2 background it is stopped.  No timeslice, no CPU time, nada! Thus
	ou can kiss all of the bacground clocks and calaenders goodbe unless
	they are rewritten to OS/2.
>       - Currently, you can NOT kill a process.  

	Yes you can!!! The following pertinent tasking calls are provided:
		DOSCreateThread - start another execution thread
		DOSExecPgm - start another program
		DOSKillProcess - terminate another program
		DOSCWait - wait for child process termination
		DOSSuspendThread - suspend another threads executions

	There are more but you get the point!
>       - Communications PROBABLY will not work due to time slices.

	correct! All drivers will have to be rewritten for OS/2!
>       - OS/2 is compatible with PC-DOS file structure, so it can read/write
>         to PC-DOS.

	Probably one of its biggest limitations will come from the archaic
	DOS file structure.  8 Character names, 3 charatcer extensions, 32
	Meg. volumes don't cut it these days!
>       - OS/2 will NOT allow drivers.  You _MUST_ go through function calls.

	Yes it will, but not drivers as we know it.  Theres a 400 page manual
	telling how to write OS 2 drivers.  Looks complicated, but also looks
	like fun
>       - In PC-DOS compatible mode, it is emulating PC-DOS 3.3.  So, if it
>         will run under PC-DOS 3.3, 'chances' are that it will run under
>        PC-DOS compatible mode.  (Notice chances in quotes... Not everything!)

	I quote  " The following rules pertain to old programs in the MS OS/2
	environemnt.
	
		*  run in compatability mode
		*  cannot execute in the background
		*  must use the old-style DOS INT 21 interface
		*  do not rely on undocumented MS-DOS interfaces
		*  have IOPL (I/O privilege level)
>       - LAN's are _NOT_ supported by OS/2.  (You heard it right....)

	Microsoft will release the LAN manager as an add-on to OS/2.  Features
	are: virtual circuits
             datagrams
	     protected mode NETBIOS
	     interprocess communication
	     distributed processing environemnt	
	


			Larry Backman
			Micom - Interlan