Ham Radio 2000/Ham Radio 2000.iso/ham2000/packet/aprs75c/windoz.txt

Text File | 1995-11-02 | 5KB | 95 lines

WINDOZ.txt       COMMENTS FROM STATIONS USING APRS UNDER WINDOZ

From: [e-mail]
With Windows for Work Groups (3.11) I could run in background if I
selected VGA 64 color. With Windows 95 I can run it in the foreground
OK, but when in the background, or windowed, it suspends operation
when I'm using 64 or 256 color VGA modes!

From: [e-mail]
I was able to use APRS in WIN95 in forground, but not background.
I tried both 16 color and 64 color VGA.  Before, with Windows for
Workgroups, I could run it fine in the background if I used 16 color
mode (display setup), but only full screen with 256 colors.

From: Jeff Liebermann <[e-mail]>
I'm not having much luck with APRS66 and Windoze 95.
1.  When APRS is in full screen mode, everything works perfectly.
    I do not have an msdos mouse driver loaded, so no mouse.
2.  When APRS is running in a window ( alt-Enter ), aprs is apparently
    running.  All the letter and number keys work fine, but not the
    cursor pad or PgUp/PgDn.  The display is a perfect 640x350 dot box
    on my 1024x768 screen.
3.  When APRS is running in a window, the priority is apparently low
    enough that the usual beeps are sometimes extended to extra long
    tones.  This seems to be controlled by whether the APRS window is
    the "active" (mouse inside) window.
4.  The Windoze 95 "System Monitor" shows that APRS probably has a
    "spin loop" that consumes CPU cycles waiting for input.  Kernel
    processor usage runs 100% with ARPS active.
5.  Shoving APRS from full screen to the "Task Bar" ( alt-Esc ) results
    in APRS going comatose.  Input is apparently buffered in the TNC as
    switching to the foreground results in a buffer flush.

From: Don Smith <[e-mail]>
Been using it for about 4 months with no problems.
Don KD4KSV >==---

From: [e-mail]
Bob, APRS works fine in the background under Windows and OS/2, if you
are willing to accept certain restrictions.  If you will accept 16 or
64 color modes, APRS can run in the background. If no task makes use
of the high-resolution VGA (256 color), APRS will run when in the
background.  Under OS/2, since the Presentation Manager
(aka the "desktop") is always running, and is set to the high resolution,
APRS stops when in background, unless you limit it to CGA graphics (looks
ugly!).  In Windows 256 color mode, if you run two DOS tasks (APRS being
one of them), APRS will run when the second DOS task is running full
screen in the foreground, but it will stop if you try to run it in a
window, with Program Manager or some other GUI program running.  This has
been my experience - the last item (APRS running in background with
another DOS task in the foreground) actually surprised me; I hadn't tried
just switching between the DOS tasks during the first test.

From: Dan Reilly <[e-mail]>
Bob,  I've never had any trouble running any version of APRS in the
background with either Windows 3.1, 3.11 or 95.  I can't understand all
the trouble others are having.  Dan W4NMK

From: [e-mail]
The problem is that, once you select the video mode, until you select
a different one, Windows and OS/2 will consider it in conflict, and not
doing the updates wouldn't help. If you can sense the switch to background
and go to a text or lower-res video mode, that would do it, and come back
to normal when in the foreground.

From: Bob Baltz <[e-mail]>
I ran 73b in the background of WFW3.1 at 50% opening it via a PIF.  It
worked fine as long as you sent it to the background while in the map
mode.  It returned in the show via (D page) not a problem.  It sent and
rcvd packets fine.  The only noticable difference was that at 50% priority
the audio signals for new pos etc were longer than normal.  I did not use
DOZ.  This basically lets APRS do its thing as you go off and use the
machine for other things. It also ran in a <100% window but REAL SLOW.

From: [e-mail]
Am running APRS 73B in windows in a 50% window. Works fine. Equipment
is old 386 /8meg ram/ 640x480x16 colors vga/ refurb IBM color monitor.
Runs slow if trying  to use another graphics app. Also run APRS on 486/
66dx-16meg ram 1024x780vga runs acceptable speed. Have been doing that
for past year or so.

From: Jack Anderson <[e-mail]>
The default PIF should work fine, provided you have background
execution enabled, and you are running APRS in a full screen and
not a window.  APRS should also work in a window, but it might be
slower and there may be problems with the graphics.  You can play
with the font setting to get different window sizes.

From: Jack Anderson <[e-mail]>
I have run it in a full screen session and noticed no problems
in the background or foreground.  Of course, it does not release
timeslices, so the effect of having it running in the background is
quite noticable on a 386.  It flies on a 486 though.  I have not tried
73b or the DOZE mode.