Path: utzoo!utgpu!utstat!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!iuvax!bsu-cs!null
From: null@bsu-cs.UUCP (Patrick Bennett)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: cache software
Summary: PC Mag *messed up*
Keywords: Replies from the net
Message-ID: <5748@bsu-cs.UUCP>
Date: 16 Feb 89 23:13:22 GMT
References: <1081@unm-la.UUCP> <6374@saturn.ucsc.edu>
Organization: CS Dept, Ball St U, Muncie, Indiana
Lines: 53

In article <6374@saturn.ucsc.edu>, wwang@ucscb.UCSC.EDU (60026000) writes:
> On the best Cache program, I have heard that PC-KWIK is the fastest, in
> standard memory, extended and expanded.  I have not had any experience
> with this program, but PC Magazine gave it top honors.

What's interesting is that the authors of Flash and Pc-Kwik can't figure out
how they got their results.  Being a VERY satisfied user of Flash, I was
a little curious about the results, so I called the publishers of Flash
(Software Masters) and spoke with the author (Davie Reed).  It seems he
was a little irked about the results and called up the Kwik people to see
if they knew anything he didn't.  They agreed with him that Flash was just
as fast as Kwik (and in some instances, faster).


Davie is working on getting a correction published - I hope they print one
soon, as he's losing money on one heckuva product.

Software Masters tech # is (317)253-8088 if you're interested in finding
out more about the "screwup".


Just wanted to point it out....

> 
> Any one have any ideas/recomendations/sugestions on how to get a CACHE
> and a RAM DISK in memory that is not EMS?  I heard that PC_KWIK has a
> program that will do it, but I have not seen much on it.

Flash can use any combination of Conventional, Extended, Expanded, memory
used by ram-disk drivers, and specific segments (For computers with strange
memory configurations (extra memory, etc.)

For eg. you could set up a 1M cache (Flash supports 32M caches by the way)
with 128k of it from conventional (Fastest memory), 512k from extended,
and 384k from expanded.

Flash comes with the "flash ram-disk" which dynamically takes away/returns
space from flash's cache to store files.

You can also buy a separate print spooler which also dynamically takes
space away from flash's cache and returns it when the buffer is clear.
This is definitely the best print spooler I've used.  You can control it
with keyboard hot keys: clearing the print buffer, inserting form feeds,
taking the spooler on/off line, sending printer output to a file, changing
the speed of the spooler, etc.   VERY nice...

> From what I am told, there is a problem with puting a RAMDISK and a DISK
> CACHE program in the memory above the 640K.  There is no standard as to
> what to do, so they don't run over each other.  Any one have any ideas
> as to what to use?

Flash conforms to the ibm vdisk standard and explain various methods of
co-existing with other extended memory programs if any problems arise.