🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <41gseh$rdg@steel.interlog.com> daveacg@interlog.com (Dave Glue) writes:
>>Why the hell didn't MS create a separate VM for every DOS and Windows 
>>session?  They claim it was for compatibility reasons and to reduce memory 
>>footprint.  HAH!  Then how can OS/2 run every DOS window as a separate VDM 
>>and every Windows program the same way? 

>By chewing up memory, for one thing.  Try to run multiple VM's of
>Windows applications in OS/2 on a 8 meg system.  Prepare to grow old.

There is another reason: in Win3.x and Windows95 all DOS VDM and Windows 
itself share same copy of underlying DOS. Changing this would broke 
compatibility with old Windows programs (at least, Microsoft says so). 

Actually I think changing will broke all legacy code in system kernel, 
because NT provides similar level of compatibility with separate VDMs.
Cleaning out NT WOW subsystem and compromissing security by allowing VxDs
would bring NT to same or better compatibility level, so entire point
of Win95 adventure isn't clean to me.

Remember, Win95 (aka Chikago) was planned as quick and dirty hack
implemented in one year and having short lifespan. In '92 it was 
planned to release in '93 and die in '96, releasing marketplace 
for NT and/or Cairo. The main idea was to implement new API with
minimal architecture change, kinda of Win32s.DLL on steroids.

Later it appeared that it cannot be _quick_ hack, but it is still dirty :).
It is crippled for "compatability" reasons, but it isn't 100% compatible.
It uses old DOS configuration in order to simplify installation,
but it's installation still isn't flawless, according to c.o.m.w.setup.
From technical standpoint, Win95 is absolute failure: none of proclaimed 
goals were reached. It remains to be seen will hype compensate this or will 
Win95 fail on marketplace too.

>>Win95's!  And as for memory footprint, remember that MS has revised their 
>>"minimum" configuration for Win95 to increase the amount of memory required. 
>>Big surprise there.

>You want all that protection and pre-emptive multitasking?  Then get
>NT.

Isn't it funny: complains about OS/2 performance in 8Mb and advice to
get NT in same letter?

Cheers,
	Fat Brother.

Fatal Error: Couldn't enter Windows, use Doors.