Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sun-barr!decwrl!shlump.nac.dec.com!vaxwrk.enet.dec.com!granoff
From: granoff@vaxwrk.enet.dec.com (Mark H. Granoff)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: What is 4DOS?
Message-ID: <7322@shlump.nac.dec.com>
Date: 9 Jan 90 18:03:48 GMT
References: <25a9370e:7947.1comp.ibmpc;1@ddsw1.MCS.COM> <111700191@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu>
Sender: newsdaemon@shlump.nac.dec.com
Reply-To: granoff@vaxwrk.enet.dec.com (Mark H. Granoff)
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation, Maynard MA
Lines: 48

Inspired by this thread, I searched out the 4DOS package, found it, and
installed it on my system last night.  I played with it for a little
while, and well, I'm addicted.  I intend to register post haste.

A little detail.  My system configuration is as follows:

	AT&T 6300, Sota 286i Accelerator Card, NEC V30 8086 replacement
		(my "XT clone" screams! :-)
	AT&T Monochrome CGA monitor (if it matters)
	Seagate 20M ST-225 & Western Digital FileCard 30 (hard disks)
	640k memory
	Lots-o-other devices (mouse, modem, tape drive)0

I installed 4DOS to swap using drive D.  I feared that this would be
painfully slow, but I was pleasantly surprised.  Sure, the drive gets
accessed a lot more, particularly if I mis-type something and it tries
to look it up as a command.  But, I can live with it.

The online help is really nice, although it'd be nice to be able to
leave up a half sized help window, so you could type your command while
looking at an example.  Of course, the extra/enhanced commands are
wonderful, as is command line editing.

Now that I don't have umpteen TSR's installed (to do command line
editing and such), I have a tad more memory at my disposal.

I tried out some of my favorite programs (WP 5.1, Turbo Pascal 5.5, etc)
and they
all work fine.

One nit- since I don't have EMS memory (but I might someday), I
installed 4DOS to install itself in what it calls "best way"  which
means it looks for EMS and uses it if it finds it, otherwise it swaps to
disk.  When I issue the internal command "memory," it tells me that I
have 32+ MB of EMS available!  I suppose its a little bug...

I'm still impressed though, and would recommend it on what I've seen so far.

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Mark H. Granoff               | Software Services/Engineering VAXworks
Digital Equipment Corporation | ARPAnet: granoff@vaxwrk.dec.com
129 Parker Street             | EASYnet: VAXWRK::GRANOFF
PKO2-1/M21                    | Usenet : ...!decwrl!vaxwrk!granoff
Maynard, MA 01754             | AT&T   : (508) 493-4512
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Disclaimer: Views expressed herein are my own and do not necessarily
            reflect those of my employer.
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