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> In article <2841@sumax.seattleu.edu>, young@sumax.seattleu.edu (Barb Young)
> writes:
> 
>  Hi, my boss and I are trying to find a multi-tasking program with which she
> can do printing and data entry at the same time.  We work for the Admissions
> office here at Seattle University.  She is the Student Inquiry Secretary and
> I am one of her work-study students.
> 
>         Say, on Monday we enter about 500 student inquiries, then on Tuesday
> morning she must print the 500 inquiry letters to get the students the
> information they ask for.  All the time she is printing her terminal is as
> good as dead because she can't do anything else.   I was told by one of our
> computer lab monitors that the newest addition of Windows allows for
> multi-tasking--Is this correct information and if so how do I find out about
> it so that we can present it to the director of Admissions so that we can
> order a copy?


    There are several considerations re: Windows. First of all, Windows primary
objective is a GUI (Graphical User Interface). Windows does multitask -- and
not a bad job of it, but because of its GUI features, Windows is used most
comfortably with a mouse, and is running in graphics mode. Not all offices are
equipped with a mouse or a good graphics monitor, and it sounds like your
office may be one of those if you're using WP50.


    Secondly, to see an application work at its optimum, it should be written
for the operating system. For this reason, word processors for Windows have
been written. These word processors have prices that tend to be inflated rather
much.

    Thirdly, for Windows to multitask with DOS applications, the computer has
to be a 386 (or higher). Windows has not been written to take advantage of the
limited multitasking capabilities of the 286. Consider also that Windows has
what could be called binary diarrhea (but of course so does WP) and to run it
properly, the computer should run at 25Mhz or higher, and you would need at
least 2 megs of RAM, with Windows running better on 4 megs.


    So, you say, what shall be my answer? Personally I would suggest that your
office check out Desqview. If you have a 286, then you should be able to run
the output to the printer from a diskswap (I'm not totally sure of this), and
run WP50 in the foreground. If you're more comfortable keeping everything in
RAM -- for speed -- then the regular 1 meg of RAM, plus 1 meg of enhanced
expanded memory will do all of this quite comfortably. If per chance your
office has a 386, then Desqview will multitask using the extended memory
already on board. I'm not totally sure of the current prices on Desqview, QEMM,
and expanded memory, but feel that the functionality would be the first topic
in a business office, and this program definitely does this.

    Before everybody jumps down my back for putting Windows down, let me say
that I like Windows for what it is designed ... ease of use and cosmetic
reasons, but I prefer Desqview when I'm trying to get some work done.


-- bart (not simpson)
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