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Borland PowerPack for DOS
Questions and Answers
What is the Borland PowerPack for DOS?
The Borland PowerPack for DOS is a complete suite of DOS development
tools and libraries designed to work with Borland C++ 4.0. The product
features 16- and 32-bit DOS Extenders, and also includes 16- and 32-bit
protected mode versions of both the Borland Graphics Interface (BGI) and
the Turbo Vision 2.0 application framework.
What are the benefits of the Borland PowerPack for DOS?
The Borland PowerPack for DOS offers many benefits to developers who
write or maintain DOS applications and those who are moving their
applications from DOS to Windows, including:
16- and 32-bit DOS DPMI Extenders that break through the 640K DOS memory
barrier dramatically increasing the amount of addressable memory within
an application.
Borland's DOS DLL technology allows developers to interchange DOS and
Windows application code without recompiling. Applications written with
Borland C++ 4.0 and the DOS PowerPack will be instantly portable to
Windows without any recoding or retesting.
Virtual Memory Manager stores data invisibly to disk when memory is
full. Software developers can rely on memory availability for their
applications regardless of hardware configurations.
Royalty-Free Distribution means that the Borland PowerPack for DOS
provides all of this added functionality with no royalty or run-time
fees, making its power easily accessible to anyone who develops or
maintains DOS applications.
Other features include: Compatibility with the Borland Paradox Engine;
32-bit BGI; Seamless integration with Borland C++ 4.02 IDE; and Turbo
debugger support.
Who is the Borland PowerPack for DOS intended for?
The Borland PowerPack for DOS will appeal to both DOS and Windows
developers. Anyone who writes or maintains DOS applications can benefit
from the Borland PowerPack for DOS.
Why is Borland releasing this product?
Research shows that over 80% of PC developers are developing and
maintaining DOS applications. At Borland, we are committed to meeting
developers needs. There is clearly an need for the increased application
speed and capacity in DOS applications. The PowerPack delivers this and
more to the large community of DOS developers.
What exactly is a DOS Extender?
First, a little background. DOS relies on the 16-bit segmented memory
architecture used by the Intel 8086 microprocessor. This memory
addressing scheme is known as real mode. Newer microprocessors such as
the 80386 and 80486 must emulate this addressing scheme to run DOS.
Real mode limits the range of addressable memory to 1 MB. Even worse,
by default DOS applications can access only the first 640K bytes of this
memory. The remaining 384K is used by the system for video memory, the
BIOS, and as ROM for expansion cards. In the 80286 and newer
microprocessors there is an additional addressing mode known as
protected mode. When running in protected mode, the microprocessor
makes all machine memory available to the application. Further, the
processor protects regions of memory from unauthorized access. When an
illegal memory reference is detected, the microprocessor generates a
protection fault and reports the error. This protection mechanism is
where protected mode gets its name. A DOS Extender binds code to a DOS
application to switch the microprocessor into and out of protected mode.
While in protected mode, the DOS Extender helps manage the interaction
between the application and the operating system.
Do I have to pay a run time royalty for using the DOS Extenders included
in the PowerPack for DOS?
No. Unlike most other extender packages, the extenders included in the
Borland PowerPack for DOS are completely royalty free. There are no
licensing or distribution fees. This brings this benefits of 16- and 32-
bit DOS within reach of many more software developers.
What version of DPMI do the DOS Extenders included in the PowerPack for
DOS support?
Applications written using the DOS Extenders included in the PowerPack
will work with any DPMI server that provides 0.9 DPMI services or
better. The PowerPack also provides a DPMI server that developers can
distribute royalty-free.
How much memory can be accessed by using a DOS Extender?
The 16-bit DOS Extender allows access to up to 16 MB of physical memory.
The 32-bit DOS Extender allows access to up to 4 GB of physical memory.
Both extenders offer support for virtual memory so the amount of
addressable memory can even be greater than the amount of physical
memory.
Can I use virtual memory?
Yes. Both the 16- and 32-bit DOS Extenders fully support the use of
virtual memory. This allows you to take advantage of more memory than is
physically available on the PC.
Do the DOS Extenders included in the PowerPack provide a flat address
space?
Yes. The 32-bit DOS Extender provides a flat address space. This allows
developers to break the segmented architecture of 16-bit DOS, enabling
amongst other things, arrays greater than 64K
Can I make DOS and BIOS calls?
Yes. Many of the DOS and BIOS calls are available to protected mode
applications.
Do applications written using a DOS Extender show increased performance?
Yes. Because both the 16- and 32-bit DOS Extenders allow greater memory
access, data manipulation can now be performed in RAM rather than
recording results to disk. Since memory access is much faster than disk
access, applications will tend to run faster. Performance of 16-bit
overlay applications can be dramatically increased. Further, the 32-bit
DOS Extender runs applications in a native 32-bit environment which will
also improve application performance.
Can I share the same code between my DOS and Windows applications with
the Borland PowerPack for DOS?
Yes. The DOS PowerPack includes Borland's DOS DLL technology which
allows you to share DLLs between 16-bit DOS and Windows and 32-bit DOS
and Windows NT and Chicago without recompiling.
Can I use Window's DLLs in my protected mode DOS applications?
Yes. As long as the DLL does not make any Windows graphics or user-
interface calls, it should be able to be used with a DOS protected mode
application. The Borland Paradox Engine DLL is an example of a Window's
DLL that can be used with protected mode applications.
Why use DOS DLLs?
There are two key benefits of using DOS DLLs. First, by placing groups
of related functions into DLLs developers can optimize memory usage.
During runtime, a program can load a DLL containing specific
functionality and later free it when that functionality is no longer
necessary. This leaves more RAM memory for the application. The second
benefit is that creating DOS DLLs provides an easy transition to Windows
development.
What files need to be redistributed with a protected mode application?
When creating 16-bit protected mode applications you must include
RTM.EXE, DPMI16BI.OVL, and BGI16.DLL(for BGI applications). When
creating 32-bit protected mode applications you must included 32RTM.EXE,
DPMI32VM.OVL, and BGI32.DLL(for BGI applications).
What is the Borland Graphics Interface (BGI)?
The Borland Graphics Interface (BGI) library provides of 70 graphics
functions, ranging from high-level calls (such as setviewport, bar3d,
and drawpoly) to bit-oriented functions (such as getimage and putimage).
The graphics library supports numerous fill and line styles, and
provides several text fonts that you can size, justify, and orient
horizontally or vertically.
Does the BGI library contain any new functionality?
Yes. In addition to providing both 16- and 32-bit protected mode
versions of the BGI library, the 32-bit BGI library provides support for
a number of new Super VGA video cards and video resolutions.
What are the performance benefits of the 32-bit BGI library?
The 32-bit BGI library performs about twice as fast as the 16-bit
graphics library.
What is Turbo Vision?
Turbo Vision is Borland's application framework for DOS. It
encapsulates the behavior of a text-mode application that conforms to
the IBM Common User Access (CUA) user interface specification. With
Turbo Vision, you can inherit an application that has pull-down menus,
overlapping windows, dialog boxes, and mouse support. Turbo Vision
gives the DOS developer a head start in creating great looking text-mode
applications.
Does the Turbo Vision framework contain any new functionality?
Yes. The Turbo Vision framework has been enabled for both 16- and 32-
bit protected mode development. The framework also includes new classes
for data validation, a multi-state checkbox, and an outline viewer that
presents a hierarchical view of data.
What is the version number of the Turbo Vision framework?
The Turbo Vision framework included in the PowerPack is version 2.0.
Can I build protected mode applications from within the Borland C++ 4.0
IDE?
Yes. The Borland PowerPack for DOS integrates directly into the Borland
C++ environment, so there's no switching between different tools. Using
the TargetExpert, a developer can select from between Windows, Windows
NT, DOS real mode, and DOS 16- or DOS 32-bit protected mode development
with a click of the mouse.
Can I build protected mode applications from the command line?
Yes. There are command line switches that allow targeting of 16- and
32- bit protected mode applications.
Does the product include a DOS hosted IDE?
No. The Borland PowerPack for DOS does not include a DOS hosted
environment. Protected mode applications can either be created from
within the Windows hosted environment, or from the command line.
If I only program for DOS, should I upgrade to the Borland PowerPack for
DOS?
Absolutely. Anyone who creates or maintains DOS applications can benefit
from the Borland PowerPack for DOS.
What version of Borland C++ do I need for the PowerPack?
Borland C++ 4.0 is required to use the PowerPack.
Does the PowerPack work with other compilers?
The PowerPack for DOS was designed for use with the Borland C++ 4.0
compiler.
Will the PowerPack be supported by Third Party Vendors?
Yes. There are several companies using the PowerPack. These include
Mewel, Innovative Data Concepts, and Turbo Power Software.
Do any Borland products use the PowerPack?
Yes. Many of the command line tools found in the Borland C++ and Pascal
compilers use this extender technology. Borland applications such as
Paradox for DOS and Quattro Pro for DOS also use this technology.
What is the price of the PowerPack?
It is available for a special price of $99.95.
How does this compare to the price other DOS Extenders?
No other tools suite can offer all the benefits of the PowerPack, but
piecing together a subset of the individual tools from different vendors
would cost in excess of $1000, not including royalty payments
When is the DOS PowerPack available?
The DOS PowerPack will be shipping at the end of June.
How does the PowerPack compare to other DOS extenders?
The DOS extenders in the PowerPack are every bit as powerful as products
offered by other companies. However, while those companies charge
substantial run-time royalties, the extenders included in the power pack
are completely royalty free. In addition, the PowerPack includes
graphics libraries for both 16- and 32-bit protected mode development.
What is the support policy on the PowerPack?
Installation and configuration support is offered free of charge through
Borland's Technical Support Department. Consulting support is provided
through the Advisor Line.
Will my DOS DLLs work with Borland Pascal?
16-bit DLLs written using the PowerPack should work fine with protected
mode applications developed in Borland Pascal.
Will the Paradox Engine DLL work with the PowerPack?
Yes. The Paradox Engine DLL will work with the protected mode
applications created using the PowerPack for DOS.