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From: dclemans.falcon@mntgfx.mentor.com (Dave Clemans)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Re: TOS 1.4 vs NEODESK and UIS-II
Message-ID: <1989Mar13.090524.11816@mntgfx.mentor.com>
Date: 13 Mar 89 17:05:22 GMT
References: <8903100344.AA03075@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU>
Organization: Mentor Graphics Corporation, Beaverton Oregon
Lines: 35

From article <8903100344.AA03075@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU>, by 01659@AECLCR.BITNET (Greg Csullog):
> I have read a mess of specs on TOS 1.4. I also own NeoDesk 2.0 and the UIS-II.
> Personally, with NeoDesk and the UIS I cannot see any reason to buy TOS 1.4.
> Can someone give me an honest opinion on what advantages 1.4 would provide?
> 
> FOLDXXX.PRG fixes the folder limit
> DISKFREE.PRG speeds up the slow FAT access
> STARTGEM.PRG allows GEM codes to autoexecute
> STARTUP.PRG allows system reconfig on boot (my start up screen says:
>             M=Mac       I=IBM        A=Atari
>             to run Spectre, PC_Ditto, GEM
> NITE.PRG gives me a screen save
> UIS_II.PRG has replaced my need for Crystal for DOS functions from in an appl.
> NEODESK.PRG for a hard disk system is essential in my opinion.
> 
> (awards of merit should be given to UIS and NEODESK authors)
> 
> Why, pray tell, would I want TOS 1.4; my Mega 2 with a Megafile 20 blows away
> 80286/80287 machines for DTP (average print time from Timeworks DTP to an
> SLM804 laser is 43 seconds; average print time from an AT to an HP laserjet
> is > 7 minutes for programs like GEM Draw with lots of hash patterns!)
> 
> What will I miss out on if I do not get TOS 1.4? Anything?

FOLDRXXX.PRG is a partial patch; it DOES NOT completely fix the underlying memory
allocation problems of TOS 1.0 or 1.2.  Also, rather than just tromping on memory,
TOS 1.4 checks for table exhaustion.

My experience with TOS 1.4 is that its FAT access speed is better than TOS 1.0 or 1.2
with the various public domain "patches".

TOS 1.4 gives you a cleaner auto-execute of GEM programs (for example, NEODESK comes
up much more naturally).

dgc