Ventura Publisher integrates files from a large number of different programs including word processors, graphics programs, spreadsheets, and databases. Many people would like to be able to run these other programs at the same time as Ventura Publisher in order to be able to have every tool from each program available at all times. Unfortunately, DOS does not provide any capabilities to run multiple programs. However, by using special multi-tasking software, you can run Ventura Publisher and other programs at the same time.
Even the simplest multi-tasking software provides a significant productivity improvement over the single program at a time which DOS allows. For instance, multi-tasking eliminates the time lost quitting and reloading programs, and keeps you from spending several minutes each time you need to find your way back to same point in another program. The best multi-tasking software gives you true concurrent operation, and even allows you to run Ventura Publisher from two different windows, thus giving you background printing, multiple document editing, and more.
This application note describes how to use the following four programs to multi-task Ventura Publisher:
@BULLET 1 = Software Carousel
@BULLET 1 = Double DOS
@BULLET 1 = DESQview
@BULLET 1 = Windows 386
Company addresses are provided at the end of this note.
While none of these provide even a fraction of the capabilities that you will have with a true OS/2 version of Ventura Publisher, they do give you a remarkable productivity improvement for a very small investment. None of these programs are difficult to set up or use, but the configuration parameters must be set exactly, or things won't work correctly. One of the main purposes of this note is to provide the hardware and software information you need to make these programs run correctly.
While both the base Ventura Publisher program as well as the Professional Extension can be multi-tasked in a computer which has EMS memory, the advanced memory management capabilities of the Professional Extension allow it to run in less conventional memory than the base product. If you do not have the Professional Extension, you will still be able to multi-task, but only on an AT (or 386) computer with both EMS memory as well as 64K of extended memory.
Each program reviewed in this note takes a different approach to multi-tasking. All four install on top of DOS. This is different than, say, Digital Research's Concurrent DOS 386 which completely replaces DOS. While several DOS replacement programs exist, and while these programs can theoretically provide better multi-tasking, they also inevitably produce compatibility problems since they aren't <169>true<170> DOS. Since you are probably running on a non-IBM computer which already has a non-IBM BIOS, and you run many programs which directly use some of the undocumented features in DOS (Ventura Publisher is not one of these, by the way), using a non-DOS operating system on top of all this just compounds the potential compatibility problems. Since the incremental benefit of these programs compared to the best of the multi-tasking systems reviewed here is minimal, and since a true concurrent, multi-tasking operating system is now available and will shortly be widely supported (i.e., OS/2), investing in one of these operating system replacements probably doesn't make a lot of sense.
@HEAD 1 = Summary of products
The simplest of the four programs described here is ¥Software Carousel£. To switch between programs, it simply swaps everything in the 640K memory space into unused conventional memory, into extended memory, expanded memory, or onto hard disk. It then retrieves the next program from this collective memory space and you can then resume with the next program. It is a simple, yet effective approach to switching between programs. It can switch between lots of programs (up to 12), limited only by the size of your extra memory and <197> if you want to use disk space <197> the space on your hard disk. Only one task executes at once (i.e., Software Carousel does not provide concurrent operation).
The next simplest is ¥Double DOS£. This program runs concurrently (i.e., the program in the background continues to execute) any two programs that will fit into 640K DOS memory or EEMS memory. In theory this program should have few problems since memory is not being swapped. In testing done for this application note it had problems switching to/from Ventura Publisher on computers using graphics boards other than EGA. Therefore only a brief review is provided here.
¥DESQview£ provides a true concurrent multi-tasking add-on to DOS. This program is a power tool in the best sense of this phrase. It can be set up to provide benefits even in an 8088 environment, but as you add more hardware <197> 80286 or 80386 processor, extended memory, EMS memory, EEMS (i.e., EMS 4.0) memory <197> DESQview keeps giving you more and more capability. In an 80386 system with several megabytes of memory, or in an AST Premium 286, or in any 286 computer with the ¥All Chargecard£ installed, DESQview lets you run multiple copies of Ventura Publisher <MI>concurrently<D>, along with your wordprocessor, spreadsheet, database, etc. This lets you let print using one copy of Ventura Publisher, while you continue to work on another chapter (or on the same chapter, as long as you don't save it).
¥Windows 386£ provides a multi-tasking graphic environment under which to run multiple programs. It provides some, but not all, of DESQview's features. This environment begins to give you a feel for the graphic interface included with OS/2 (called Presentation Manager), although of course none of the OS/2 features are available since Windows 386 runs under DOS.
@HEAD 1 = Multi-tasking hardware configuration
This section describes the general hardware requirements for multi-tasking with Ventura Publisher. Note: Please remember than ¥expanded£ memory and ¥extended£ memory are two different types of memory. Expanded memory is also called LIM or EMS memory. The most advanced form of EMS memory, EMS 4.0, is also called EEMS. EMS or EEMS is the memory that Ventura Publisher uses. By contrast, extended memory cannot be used directly by Ventura Publisher except for 64K which <MI>can<D> be used if you install an XMS driver such as HIMEM.SYS from Microsoft.
The <MI>ideal<D> system for multi-tasking is a 286 or 386 computer.
A 386 computer should contain at least 2 megabytes total memory.
A 286 computer should contain:
@BULLET 1 = 640K conventional memory
@BULLET 1 = 64K extended memory with HIMEM.SYS installed
The AST EMS boards are all EMS 4.0. Most other boards are EMS 3.2. Note to Intel Above Board users: the Intel Above Board is EMS 3.2. The Intel Above Board ¥Plus£ is EMS 4.0. You can upgrade an Intel Above Board to an Above Board Plus by purchasing an upgrade kit from Intel for $100.
@HEAD 2 = All Chargecard
If you have a 286 computer with EMS 4.0 memory you can get significantly more performance and larger amounts of space for your programs using a hardware product called the ¥Chargecard£ from All Computer. This product plugs into your processor socket (it does not require an expansion slot) and effectively expands the conventional memory available to applications to the maximum that DOS allows. To use this product, you configure all extra (greater than 640K) memory to be ¥extended£ memory, install the Chargecard, and then install the appropriate device drivers in CONFIG.SYS. The benefits of this product are:
@BULLET 1 = You get all the memory mapping benefits of a product like 386max, but you get these on a 286 computer. This is not possible with anything other than the Chargecard.
@BULLET 1 = All device drivers, TSRs, etc. can be loaded into <169>high memory,<170> effectively freeing DOS conventional memory.
@BULLET 1 = Any memory board capable of being configured for extended memory (and almost all can be so configured) can be converted into true EMS 4.0 memory. This give EMS memory benefits to many computers which have extra memory which can't be configured as EMS. It also lets users of EMS 3.X boards upgrade to 4.0. EMS 4.0 is very important to get the maximum benefits from Windows and DESQview.
@BULLET 1 = When using EMS 4.0 and DESQview, you don't have to <169>disable<170> all your conventional memory. This effectively increases the total (non-conventional) memory available in your system by 384K.
The Chargecard costs $399 for the PS/2 models 50 & 60. Most other systems require an adapter which costs either $100 or $200.
@TITLE = PROGRAM REVIEWS
@HEAD 1 = Software Carousel
This program is sold by SoftLogic Solutions.
Their manual describes Software Carousel as <169>a software tool which can be used to smooth your normal workflow. This is accomplished by permitting you to instantly shift from one program to another, and back again without the need to stop and start programs, or to save and load files. You can also switch between multiple different views of the same program, which you have started with different files.<170> Up to twelve programs can be loaded simultaneously.
This program is very simple and works very well, with a few caveats noted at the end of this review. The version tested for this application note is version 3.00. It was tested on CGA, EGA, VGA, and ATT 6300.
@HEAD 2 = Installation
To install Software Carousel, follow the directions in their manual. For instance to install on a directory called CAROUSEL on your hard disk, you insert their distribution disk in the A drive and type:
@TABLE = INSTALL<~> A: <~>C:\CAROUSEL
Before running Carousel, run the SCCONFIG program. This program is automatically copied to your hard disk during installation. On the first screen of options, answer ¥N£ to the three questions which ask if you want to load part of Carousel into expanded, extended, or disk memory. The reason for this is that with certain EMS boards, Carousel freezes before it is finished loading if you answer Y to <169>Do you want to install in EMS?<170> After everything is configured correctly, you can change these back to¥Y.£
@HEAD 2 = Setup parameters
Once installed, switch to the directory on your hard disk which contains the program files and type:
@TABLE = CAROUSEL
A screen similar to the one shown in Figure <$R[F#,Frame 1]1> appears:<$&Frame 1[v]>
At the bottom of the screen where it asks if you want to make changes, answer ¥Y£. The amount of LOW RAM can't be altered. It is set by the amount of conventional memory left after DOS, device drivers, AUTO¼EXEC.BAT utilities, and Software Carousel itself have been loaded. (If the amount shown is less than the amount of memory needed to run Ventura Publisher or Ventura Publisher Professional Extension (see Ventura Publisher application note #2), then Ventura Publisher won't load. If this is the case, you will want to run SCCONFIG again and answer Y to the three questions about installing Carousel in extended, expanded, or disk memory.)
The amount of ¥expanded£ memory which you allocate to Carousel depends on the size of the document you plan to create in Ventura Publisher. To allocate expanded memory correctly, follow these steps:
@BULLET 1 = Before running Software Carousel, restrict the amount of EMS memory used by other programs, such as disk cache. In fact, until you get everything running smoothly, you should eliminate all EMS usage by other programs, if possible.
@BULLET 1 = After eliminating or restricting EMS usage by other programs, run Software Carousel by typing ¥CAROUSEL£. When the memory menu shown above appears, enter a value for expanded memory to be used which is 256K less than maximum shown. If you plan to create really large documents, you should enter a smaller number than this. The smaller the number you enter, the more EMS made available to Ventura Publisher, but the less made available Software Carousel. If you make the EMS number too small, Software Carousel will have to swap programs to disk rather than EMS or extended memory. This slows down the switching time between programs.
If you use HIMEM.SYS or any other XMS driver such as 386max (Qualitas Software) or QEMM-386 (Quarterdeck Office Systems), enter a value for ¥extended£ memory that is 64K less than the maximum shown. Otherwise enter the maximum shown.
If you don't think the combination of expanded, extended, and convention memory will be able to hold all of your programs, or if you previously ran Software Carousel and ran out of memory, (or if your computer only has 640K total memory) you should enter a number for disk storage. Obviously the switching time between applications slows down a lot if Carousel actually needs to switch programs to and from disk memory, but it does this only as a last resort after all the other memory is in use.
You should load any disk cache <MI>before<D> running Software Carousel. All other TSR programs should be loaded into each partition <MI>after<D> running Software Carousel.
After running Carousel and specifying memory, you will see a DOS prompt that indicates what partition you are in. For instance:
@TABLE = Memory Partition 2 - 512K<R>C:\
The memory number (in this case 512K) indicates the size of the total partition. The actual available to any program is about 20K less than this.
The first time you use Carousel, and before you run any program, you have one other setup that you need to perform. Press and hold ¥ALT£ and then press the space bar. When you let go of the ALT key and space bar, the menu in Figure <$R[F#,Frame 2]2> appears.<$&Frame 2[^]> Use the ¥C£ option in this menu to change the size of the memory partitions. You should configure the partition that you will use for Ventura Publisher (typically the first partition) for the largest memory available. You can make other partitions smaller. The advantage to smaller partitions is that you can have more programs open at the same time.
Before you leave this menu, <MI>make sure you leave 256K of Free Memory.<D> This is shown in the lower right corner of the menu and is the memory left after all other memory has been assigned. This memory is used to swap out the graphics screen when switching from Ventura Publisher into some other program. If you don't leave 256K free, Software Carousel cannot save the graphics display and therefore cannot successfully switch to/from Ventura Publisher. 256K is required for VGA. Less memory is required for EGA and CGA.
Once everything is installed, and Software Carousel is running, switch to partition number 1 by pressing ALT F1. Then run Ventura Publisher. At any time you should then be able to switch to partition number two by pressing ALT F2. You can run any other program in this partition. To switch back to Ventura Publisher, press ALT F1. The SCCONFIG program lets you re-define these hotkey combinations if they conflict with your application programs (e.g., ALT F2 is the search and replace key in Wordperfect). ALT F3 switches to the third partition, and so on.
@HEAD 2 = Multi-mode video card problems
If you have a multi-mode video card (i.e., a card which supports some combination of EGA, VGA, CGA, and Hercules modes), you must configure that board, either with hardware settings or software commands, to <MI>lock<D> the mode into EGA or VGA. With multi-mode cards, such as the AST VGA Plus, the screen comes up in reverse video when returning to Ventura Publisher from another partition. This problem is due to the fact that while running, Ventura Publisher temporarily resets the video register to CGA mode in order to make the mouse function smoothly. Software Carousel reads the current state of the video register and attempts to reset the video card to CGA upon returning to Ventura Publisher. For certain hardware configurations, even locking the video mode does not help. Software Carousel is not usable with these configurations.
@HEAD 2 = Professional Extension EMS usage
The Ventura Publisher Professional Extension takes all remaining EMS memory when it runs. If you wish to leave EMS memory for applications which you want to run in other partitions, you must restrict the Professional Extension's EMS usage. To do this, add the <F1>/E=<F255> switch to the VPPROF.BAT file at the end of the line which begins with <F1>DRVRMRGR<F255>. For instance, to restrict EMS usage to 384K, the DRVRMRGR line in the VPPROF.BAT file would look like this (this is shown on two lines below):
Software Carousel works as advertised, except for the two problems noted:
@BULLET 1 = It does not always successfully load itself into EMS memory with boards other than the Intel Above Board. Change the EMS load option to ¥N£ in the SCCONFIG program, and this problem goes away.
@BULLET 1 = It does not always properly restore video mode when running on computers equipped with multi-mode graphics boards, even when the mode is locked prior to running Carousel.
The advantages of Software Carousel are:
@BULLET 1 = It works on any type of PC.
@BULLET 1 = It is the one solution that can work in a 640K XT with no EMS memory (swapping only from disk memory).
@BULLET 1 = Each program operates with no performance degradation. This is especially important for XTs and slow AT computers.
@BULLET 1 = It is inexpensive.
@BULLET 1 = It can use any kind of memory, including EMS, extended memory, RAM disk, hard disk, or any combination of these. (The other three approaches require very specific memory configurations.)
The disadvantages of Software Carousel are:
@BULLET 1 = Only one program is running at one time. Therefore, you cannot run your communication program or run Ventura Publisher's multi-chapter or print operations in the background.
@BULLET 1 = Programs cannot be placed in windows. Therefore you cannot see two programs on the screen at once in order to visually compare the data in both programs.
@BULLET 1 = You cannot cut, copy and paste between different programs.
@BULLET 1 = Partition size is limited to 640K minus the space for DOS, device drivers, and Software Carousel itself. By contrast, DESQview can actually provide <MI>more than 640K<D> to the application in some configurations.
@HEAD 1 = Double DOS
Double DOS lets you run two programs concurrently. It is available from SoftLogic Solutions, the same company which makes Software Carousel. The word <MI>concurrently<D> means that both programs can actually be actively running at the same time. Thus one program can print or sort in the background while you interact with another program through the keyboard. By contrast, with Software Carousel, only the program that you currently see on the screen can be doing anything. The other programs are suspended while in background.
Like Software Carousel, Double DOS takes a very simple approach: conventional memory is divided into two sections, and each program is given its own section to work with. Since DOS only addresses 640K of conventional memory, and since the Professional Extension requires at least 420K of conventional memory, even when run in a machine with both EMS and extended memory (see the section on the ideal hardware setup for multi-tasking), after subtracting 60K for DOS, only about 160K is left for a second application. This is less than is needed for most other applications. If your machine contains EMS 4.0 memory, Double DOS can use up to 384K of this memory. This gives you two partitions, one of 500K and the other 400K. Thus, Double DOS is only useful for multi-tasking Ventura Publisher in those computer which contain EMS 4.0 memory.
Double DOS (version 5.00) does not work very well with most graphic configurations in the testing done for this article. Therefore, since the only hardware configuration with which it should even be considered is an AT with EMS 4.0 memory, and since DESQview provides so much more capability in every respect, including providing more memory, adding windows, running lots of applications concurrently instead of just two, and no problems with graphics when properly configured, Double DOS is not recommended as a multi-tasking alternative.
@HEAD 1 = DESQview
DESQview is produced by Quarterdeck Office Systems.
To quote from the description from the outside of the DESQview package, <169>DESQview gives your PC the power of many PC's. It does windows. It lets your favorite programs (including graphics software) pop up when you need them. It multi-tasks. It transfers data. It dials your phone. It gives you menus for DOS. It remembers your keystrokes (macros). And lots more.<170>
Like Software Carousel, DESQview lets you run multiple applications at the same time. If you have EMS memory, the performance of Software Carousel and DESQview when switching between Ventura Publisher and other tasks is about the same (DESQview is a little faster).
However, the time it takes to switch between Ventura Publisher and other tasks is only part of the story. DESQview has lots of advantages compared to Software Carousel:
@BULLET 1 = It can run applications <MI>concurrently<D> if you have the proper hardware. This means you can run Ventura Publisher more than once in the same machine. This lets you print in the background using Ventura Publisher in one window, work on another document with Ventura Publisher in another window, while having your wordprocessor available to make major edits to your text.
@BULLET 1 = DESQview creates the proper partition size at the time you run a program rather than forcing you to decide in advance how big a partition should be.
@BULLET 1 = DESQview lets programs run in windows. 1-2-3 can be running in the top half of your screen, dBase in another part of the screen, and the basic DOS commands in a third portion of the screen. If you own a 386 computer, and purchase QEMM-386 from Quarterdeck, Ventura Publisher can also be run inside a window.
@HEAD 2 = Setting up DESQview
DESQview is a true power user's tool. This means that you don't run out of gas as soon as you get it installed and spend five minutes with it. It is the kind of product that when you say, <169>Gee, I'd like to be able to do this,<170> you look into the documentation and find out that it can be done.
You should use DESQview version 2.2 or above (version 2.24 was tested for this application note). Earlier versions will work, and will provide sufficient memory, but 2.2 is so much better than earlier versions, that if you already own DESQview and haven't upgraded, you should.
Installation is very straightforward, almost trivial. Insert the DESQview disk into the A drive and type ¥INSTALL£. Follow the directions that appear on the screen, and DESQview is installed. That's it.
Hercules EGA, VGA, and CGA screens are supported by DESQview. A few full screen monitors, including the Genius and Wyse 700 are supported through drivers which you purchase separately. Some 800 x 600 VGA modes are supported, but none were tested for this note. The AristoCAD SoftKicker runs under DESQview, but you cannot switch to any other application and return successfully. (All multi-tasking software tested has the same problem with SoftKicker.)
@HEAD 2 = Installing applications
Unlike the simpler multi-tasking approaches taken by Software Carousel and Double DOS, DESQview must know specific information about each application. For most popular applications, including Ventura Publisher, this information is provided by DESQview. In fact, during installation, DESQview automatically scans your hard disk, finds every application on the disk and installs that application. All you need to do is start DESQview and then run that application.
However, to get the most out of Ventura Publisher, you need to modify the DESQview setup, the CONFIG.SYS file, and the Ventura Publisher information contained within DESQview. These modifications are described in the following paragraphs.
@HEAD 2 = Running DESQview
To run an application, you must first run DESQview. To do this, simply type ¥DV£. Then use the ¥Open Window£ option to get a list of the currently installed applications. Select one of the applications with the cursor keys or with the two letter mnemonic assigned to that application (you can also use the mouse, if you have installed the mouse during setup).
Once the application is running, you can run another application by briefly tapping the ALT key, which brings up the DESQview menu, and then using the Open Window command again. You can repeat this process until DESQview runs out of memory.
If you use a disk cache, make sure that this is installed <MI>before<D> running DESQview (certain hardware configurations may cause problems with disk caches). Most other TSR programs, such as Sidekick, should be run in their own separate window <MI>after<D> running DESQview. If you use a mouse that requires its own mouse driver, install this driver before running DESQview.
@HEAD 2 = Fine tuning DESQview
The first step in tuning DESQview's performance is to modify certain parameters in DESQview itself. To do this, change to the directory into which you installed DESQview (typically the ¥DV£ directory). Then, type ¥SETUP£. Press <F2B>Enter<F255D> to get into the advanced setup menu.
If you don't plan to use DESQview's macro features, you can increase the amount of memory available to applications. To do this, press the letter ¥K£ for Keyboard. While in the keyboard menu, turn off the keyboard learn feature (answer ¥N£). Press ¥Enter£ when finished.
You should then make the changes suggested in Figure <$R[F#,Frame 3]3>.<$&Frame 3>.
When finished, press ¥Enter£ in response to each new menu until you have saved the new parameters and are returned to the DOS prompt.
@HEAD 2 = Modify CONFIG.SYS
The following modifications are very important if you want to get the greatest amount of memory possible for Ventura Publisher.
¥For a PC (8088, 8086)£: You need EMS 4.0 memory. It is possible to run the Professional Extension under DESQview in a computer containing EMS 3.2 memory if the computer uses a Hercules monitor and if you use the <F1>/A=32<F255> switch and remove <MI>everything<D> but <F1M>FILES=20<F255D> and<F1M> BUFFERS=15 <F255D>from your CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files. However this is not practical. With EMS 4.0 memory, you can run the Professional Extension without any problems.
¥For an AT computer£: DESQview can load part of itself into the high memory area above 640K, thus effectively returning 64K of memory to each application running under DESQview. It does this by using its own XMS driver. This driver, called QEXT.SYS is automatically copied to the root directory of your computer when you install DESQview. However, to gain this very important benefit you must configure your computer to contain at least 64K of<MI> extended<D> memory and you must then place a reference to QEXT.SYS in your CONFIG.SYS file. To install this driver, add the following line at the beginning of the CONFIG.SYS file:
@TABLE = DEVICE = C:\QEXT.SYS
<MI>If your CONFIG.SYS file already contains an XMS driver such as HIMEM.SYS, remove it.<D>
¥For a 386 computer£: Install the Quarterdeck expanded memory manager QEMM-386 by adding the following line at the beginning of the CONFIG.SYS file:
@TABLE = DEVICE = C:\QEMM.SYS
QEMM.SYS is available separately from Quarterdeck as part of QEMM-386.
Note: <MI>Do not use the QEXT.SYS driver with a 386 computer.<D>
If you are able to configure your computer using one of the previous methods, <MI>you must make one configuration change to DESQview<D>. To make this change, copy XDV.COM to DV.COM as follows:
@TABLE = COPY XDV.COM DV.COM
This will cause DESQview to be loaded into extended and (if your computer has it) EMS 4.0 memory. This increases conventional memory available to Ventura Publisher and other applications.
@HEAD 2 = Lock graphic mode
Many computers use video boards which are capable of driving multiple graphics modes. These boards can usually drive CGA, EGA, VGA, and sometimes Hercules. Many of these graphic boards can be found on the second page of graphic options in Ventura Publisher's VPPREP installation menu. These boards usually have a series of DIP switches accessible from the outside of the computer just above or below where the monitor cable connects to the computer.
Ventura Publisher automatically sets these boards to the correct mode for the screen driver that you have installed. However, DESQview may not set these boards to the correct state when it switches between applications. If you switch to a text application, such as your word processor, and then back to Ventura Publisher, you may find that your screen is just a bunch of garbage. To avoid this, you must ¥lock£ your video board, prior to running DESQview, into the graphic mode used by Ventura Publisher. The method used for this is different for each graphic board. Some use the DIP switches, some use software. On the AST VGA plus board used for much of the testing, this required the execution of the following software commands prior to running DESQview:
@TABLE = <F1>ASTVGA COLOR<R>ASTVGA LOCK<F255>
To make this automatic, these commands were included in a batch file which first locks the video mode and then calls DESQview.
<MI>If your video screen changes to reverse video, goes blank, looses sync, or becomes distorted, you probably need to lock the video mode.<D>
@HEAD 2 = Mouse installation
If you have a Mouse Systems, Logitech, or Microsoft <MI>serial<D> mouse, and you do not have a MOUSE.SYS (or similar) statement in your CONFIG.SYS file or a MOUSE.COM (or similar) statement in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file, your mouse may not operate DESQview's menus correctly. In addition, if you switch between several applications which use the mouse, the mouse may <169>die.<170>
To avoid this problem, copy the MOUSE.COM or MOUSE.SYS file to your hard disk and add a<R><R><F1M>DEVICE = MOUSE.SYS<F255D><R><R>statement to the CONFIG.SYS file or <F1M>MOUSE.COM<F255D> statement to the AUTOEXEC.BAT file. To make Ventura Publisher use the mouse driver, use the ASCII function in your word processor to change the <F1M>/M=<F255D> option in the VP.BAT or VPPROF.BAT file to read:
@TABLE = /M=32
The physical connection remains unchanged (the mouse is still connected to the serial port).
Various notes on public bulletin boards suggest that the MOUSE.COM driver must be loaded for each application. This would involve running Ventura Publisher from a batch file and having this batch file load the mouse driver. In the testing for this note, this was not found to be necessary. One copy of the mouse driver seemed to work for all applications.
@HEAD 2 = DESQview application setup
Once the computer is configured correctly, you should then fine tune the Ventura Publisher setup within DESQview. To do this:
@BULLET 1 = Run DESQview
@BULLET 1 = Select the ¥Open Window£ option.
@BULLET 1 = Type ¥CP£ for ¥C£hange ¥P£rogram.
@BULLET 1 = Select Ventura Publisher from the list.
@BULLET 1 = If Ventura Publisher is not on the list, type ¥AP£ for ¥A£dd ¥P£rogram, and then select Ventura Publisher from the third page of application options.
You should then see the first of two pages of Ventura Publisher setup parameters. While you can probably run Ventura Publisher with the default setup provided, the parameters shown in Figures <$R[F#,Frame 4]4> and <$R[F#,Frame 5]5> provide better results.
The first screen should be set up as shown in Figure <$R[F#,Frame 4]4> (some changes may be necessary for your particular setup <197> see the notes which follow):<$&Frame 4>
¥Memory Size£. This screen assumes that you are running the Professional Extension with EMS 3.2 memory only. If you are not running the Professional Extension, you will need to increase the ¥Memory Size£ to something like 520. To achieve optimum results, run DESQview's Memory Size (MS) program <MI>immediately after starting DESQview<D>. Set Ventura Publisher's Memory Size to 1k less than the ¥Largest Conventional Memory Size£.
¥Program£. Instead of running Ventura Publisher from the VP.BAT or VPPROF.BAT file <197> which is how the default installation is configured <197> you can save quite a bit of memory by letting DESQview run the program directly. To do this, place the program name ¥DRVRMRGR.EXE£ on the Program line. <MI>Make sure to include the .EXE extension.<D> You cannot make this change if you plan to run the hyphenation dictionary or if you need to load other programs (such as a mouse driver) as part of starting the program. In this case, you don't need to change the Program, Parameters, or Options lines. Otherwise, however, you should place DRVRMRGR.EXE on the Program line and then change both the Parameters and Options lines as follows.
¥Parameters£. Take a look at your computer's VP.BAT or VPPROF.BAT file. You will see a line which begins with ¥DRVRMRGR£. You should copy the remainder of the line (after the DRVRMRGR statement) to the Parameters line. If you have been using DESQview for more than about five minutes you will of course realize that the simplest way to do this is to open the DOS window (using ¥Open Window D1£), use the DOS TYPE command to type the VP.BAT or VPPROF.BAT file, and then use DESQview's Mark and Transfer feature to transfer the information from the DOS window to the Ventura Publisher setup window. (You can, of course, just write it down and then re-type it.) Note: If you often supply the name of the chapter when you run Ventura Publisher (e.g., VP MYCHAP.CHP), <MI>replace the <B>%1<BI> <MI>on the parameter line with<B> ?. This will cause Ventura Publisher to stop and ask you for the chapter name before it runs. If you don't normally supply the name of the chapter when you type VP£ or ¥VPPROF£, then delete %1 from the Parameters line.
<MI>Failure to remove the %1 sign from the parameters line or change it to a <169>?<170> will cause very unpredictable behavior!<D>
¥Options£. Make sure the options are set exactly as shown. You should have no reason to change these from the values shown, except that on 386 machines, you can set ¥Virtualize text/graphics£ to ¥Y£ if you want Ventura Publisher to run in a window. Since performance is rather slow when Ventura Publisher runs within a window rather than full screen, you will probably want to change this to back to N after you've had the fun of seeing Ventura Publisher in a window on the screen.
When finished with the first screen, press ¥F1£ to look at and change the second screen of values. A screen similar to the one shown in Figure <$R[F#,Frame 5]5> should appear:<$&Frame 5>
¥System Memory£. Make sure the system memory is set to 0.
¥Maximum Program Memory Size£. If you leave this blank, then DESQview will never give Ventura Publisher more than the minimum memory amount specified on the first page of options. As I'm sure you know, Ventura Publisher likes to have as much conventional memory as possible. By specifying a full 640K, Ventura Publisher is assured of getting the maximum memory available.
¥Script buffer size£. If you won't be using a script with Ventura Publisher, you can save another 1K by setting this value to zero.
¥Maximum Expanded Memory Size£. If your system contains EMS (This is almost required if you want to successfully use Ventura Publisher and DESQview together), then you should limit the amount of EMS memory used by Ventura Publisher so that EMS memory remains for DESQview to multi-task other applications. If you don't limit Ventura Publisher's use of EMS with this option, DESQview will not be able to load other applications. With the base program (i.e., <MI>not<D> the Professional Extension), make this number 96K. Do not use larger numbers, because this is all the EMS that the base program can use. If you are using the Professional Extension, set Maximum Expanded Memory Size initially to 320K. If you want to use the hyphenation dictionary, set it to 1500K. If you create large documents and you find that the Professional Extension runs out of EMS memory (which you can tell by excessive disk activity as you move from page to page), you will want to later come back and increase this ¼number.
Note: if the ¥Parameters£ line on the first page of DESQview parameters contains the <F1M>/E=<F255D> parameter (which limits EMS memory usage), remove this parameter and the value associated with it. Let DESQview limit EMS memory usage, not Ventura Publisher.
¥Runs in background£. All the remaining parameters should be set exactly as shown. The only parameter which can be set differently is ¥Runs in background£. If set to ¥Y£, Ventura Publisher will continue executing in the background, but <MI>only if you have EMS 4.0, or if you have a 386 computer.<D> If you have an EMS 3.X, set this to ¥N£ or leave blank. EMS 3.X lets you swap programs, but you cannot run more programs concurrently than can fit simultaneously in 640K.
@HEAD 2 = DESQview and EMS 4.0 memory
EMS 4.0 memory, also known as EEMS memory, gives DESQview the power to run multiple applications concurrently, even if the total of all memory used by these applications exceeds 640K. The total of all applications which can be run concurrently is only limited by the amount of EMS 4.0 memory. With EMS 3.X, the same number of applications can be run at the same time (with the caveat noted below), but each background application stops operating unless both it and the foreground application simultaneously fit into the conventional memory space left after DOS and DESQview are loaded. Since Ventura Publisher takes up the entire conventional memory area, you cannot run any other program concurrently.
The benefits of DESQview are tremendous even without concurrent operation (see the application benefit summary which follows). However, many people would like to print Ventura Publisher documents or run Fontware or Compugraphic's Type Director in the background. Some of you who use databases would like to let them sort or index in the background while you work on Ventura Publisher or other applications. Therefore EMS 4.0 is highly desirable.
The Intel Above Board is EMS 3.X. The Intel Above Board ¥Plus£ is EMS 4.0. You can upgrade your Above Board to the Above Board Plus by calling Intel and asking for an upgrade kit. Cost: $100.00. Other manufacturers may have upgrade kits available. Most AST EMS boards are EMS 4.0 (AST calls them EEMS). If you don't know what kind of EMS you have, you can use one of many public domain utilities available which tell you what version of EMS your computer contains.
Note: some of the EMS drivers are version 4.0 drivers, but if your board is still version 3.X, you will not get EMS 4.0 benefits.
The All Chargecard provides an alternative for those of you with 286 computers and EMS 3.X boards which can't be upgraded to 4.0 or who have extended memory which can't be mapped to EMS.
@HEAD 2 = Running Ventura Publisher in multiple windows
You can run your one copy of Ventura Publisher in more than one window if you have either a 386 computer or 286 computer with either EMS 4.0 memory (or the All Chargecard). To do this, you need to install Ventura Publisher into DESQview under a different name for each window in which you wish to run. To install for another DESQview window:
@BULLET 1 = Tap the DESQview key to invoke the DESQview menu.
@BULLET 1 = Select ¥Open Window£.
@BULLET 1 = Type ¥CP£ (for Change Program).
@BULLET 1 = Select Ventura Publisher as the application you wish to change.
@BULLET 1 = On the¥ Program Name£ line, enter a new name for the second Ventura Publisher session.
@BULLET 1 = On the ¥Keys to Use on Open Menu£ line, type a new two-letter mnemonic. For the purposes of illustration, assume that the first installation is called VP and this second installation is called V2.
@BULLET 1 = At the end of the ¥Parameters£ line, you must add a <F1>/I<F255> switch to force this second session of Ventura Publisher to place all temporary files created while Ventura Publisher is running in a directory different from the first session. Otherwise both sessions will crash. For instance, to place all temporary files in a directory (which you must create) on the C drive called C:\TEMP the Parameters line would look like this (this is shown on two lines instead of one below):
@TABLE = VPPROF /S=SD_EGAM5.EGA/M=32/I=C:\TEMP
When you are finished modifying the second Ventura Publisher session, press the ¥Enter£ key.
You may also want to check the installation for the first session to make sure that the ¥Runs in background £option (on the second page of installation options) is set to ¥Y£ if your computer is a 386 or if it has EMS 4.0 memory. This will let you print in the background using one Ventura Publisher session while continuing to edit with in the second session.
To run Ventura Publisher in two windows using the installation as described above, run the first session by selecting the DESQview Open Window option and then typing VP. To run the second session of Ventura Publisher, select the DESQview Open Window option and then type V2.
@HEAD 2 = Ventura Publisher background operation
Ventura Publisher was not designed to be run in a multi-tasking environment. Although DESQview does a great job, you still need to manage a few problems manually. The most important problem is screen refresh. If you set the video options in the DESQview Setup program to <MI>not<D> display graphics and text simultaneously (which is what this note recommends), then while Ventura Publisher operates in the background, anything it sends to the screen will not actually draw to the physical screen. Thus, when you switch back to Ventura Publisher, the screen will always appear the same as when you left, even if Ventura Publisher has finished printing and redrawn the screen. Fortunately, the fix is very simple. If you suspect that the screen is not displaying correctly, simply put the mouse cursor anywhere in the title bar (that's where the chapter name appears) and press the mouse button.
Because the same mouse driver handles both Ventura Publisher sessions, you may occasional see <169>mouse tracks<170> from one session appear on the other session's screen. To clear these away, simply put the mouse cursor anywhere in the title bar and press the mouse button.
If the DESQview Setup program is used to set the Video option to display text and graphics simultaneously, and if the mouse option in the Setup program is set for the same type of mouse as you use in Ventura Publisher, then you will not have the above problem. However, your display may switch Ventura Publisher into reverse video or loose video sync when switching between applications. You can try the DESQview Video setup either way and see which produces the best results in your system.
@HEAD 2 = Performance
DESQview can run applications <MI>concurrently<D>. Therefore, unlike Software Carousel, less than 100% of the CPU power is available to the foreground application. On a fast 286 or a 386 computer, this degradation is generally not objectionable. On a slow (6-8 MHz) 286 or on an XT, however, this degradation can be very annoying.
If performance degrades beyond what you find acceptable, temporarily switch to each background application. For each application, tap the DESQview key, select ¥Rearrange£ and then ¥Freeze.£ This will return almost 100% of the CPU power to the remaining foreground application (i.e., Ventura Publisher). You can create a DESQview script which will perform this automatically. If you always want background applications frozen, you can change each application's setup parameters in the DESQview Change Program option (found within the Open Window selection of the main DESQview menu). On the second page of setup parameters, change each application to Runs in Background ¥N£, and Share CPU When Foreground ¥N£.
@HEAD 2 = Applications
Now that you've got all this magic working, is it really good for anything? You bet! Here are some neat things you can do with multi-tasking:
@BULLET 1 = Access to complete DOS file operations. You can copy, delete, or modify files using any of your favorite DOS commands, or DOS file managers (e.g., Norton Commander) while running Ventura Publisher.
@BULLET 1 = * Run Fontware or Compugraphic's Type Director in the background. You can let the font generation crank all day while you use your computer for other tasks.
@BULLET 1 = Run VP Tools. This program provides extensive Ventura Publisher chapter and style sheet maintenance tools.
@BULLET 1 = Cut and paste (using DESQview's Mark and Transfer function) from your word processor to Ventura Publisher. (You cannot use the Mark function to cut text from Ventura Publisher and paste it back into your word processor, however.)
@BULLET 1 = Cut and paste from your spreadsheet to Ventura Publisher. This is no substitute for the Professional Extension's table feature, or the PRN to table import function, but it works very well for small tables. You will need to manually replace the spaces between columns with tabs. (If you have already created the table, then you can use the advanced mark and transfer feature to automatically fill the table.
@BULLET 1 = <$FRequires DESQview running in a concurrent mode. This in turn requires a 286 computer with 1.5M bytes EMS 4.0 or any 386 computer with 1.5M bytes of extended memory.> Background printing. You can do this by running Ventura Publisher in multiple windows as described earlier in this note. While you print within one window, you can use the other Ventura Publisher session to continue to edit your document. Once you have two Ventura Publisher sessions, you can execute Multi-Chapter operations, such as table of contents generation, in the background session.
@BULLET 1 = Read/write to/from same file from multiple applications. Note that when operating on the same file in multiple applications, you must always re-read the file after switching from one program into another. For instance, if you make changes in Ventura Publisher, and then want to use your word processor to spell check, you must first save the document, then switch to your word processor, load the document into your word processor, spell check, save the document, switch to Ventura Publisher, and then use the Open function to re-open the same chapter.
@HEAD 2 = DESQview vs. OS/2
DESQview appears at first glance to offer some of the same capabilities as OS/2. However, as good as DESQview is, it cannot come close to providing the benefits of a true protected mode, multi-tasking, concurrent, operating system. The following list shows how OS/2 will eventually significantly outdistance what can be done with DESQview. This list is not provided to discourage you from trying DESQview. Quite the opposite. You should try DESQview and then you will be in a position to fully appreciate the power of OS/2.
¥Saving to the same file.£ If you use two different applications <197> such as your word processor and Ventura Publisher <197> to simultaneously operate on the same file, you need to be careful. If you switch to a second program without first saving your work in the current program, and if you don't explicitly retrieve those changes in the second program, then the changes from one program will not be reflected in the other program. The last program to save to the file will control the contents of that file. You can potentially lose all changes made in one program if you do not always save before switching from one program, and then load the shared file after switching into the other program. O2/2 will make this problem easier to handle by providing inter-process communication.
¥Crashes can kill the whole system£. DESQview is not OS/2. It runs under DOS and therefore cannot fully take advantage of the protected mode hardware features available on 386 computers. Therefore, if things don't go well and one program crashes, all programs may crash. With OS/2, this problem goes away.
¥No hotlinks between the various applications£. You may be able to devise DESQview scripts which automate the process of switching between applications, but this is certainly not built into any of the applications. In OS/2, much of this support will eventually be built into the applications.
¥Graphics boards supported£. DESQview supports CGA, EGA, Hercules, and VGA. A few 800 x 600 modes, the Wyse 700, and the Genius monitor are also supported. OS/2 will eventually offer full support for virtually every graphics display, including large format displays such as the Sigma Laserview.
@HEAD 1 = Windows 386
Windows 386 is a specific implementation of Microsoft's popular Windows program which is designed specifically for 386 computers. In addition to all the graphic screen and printer drivers, and all the graphic utilities, this version of Windows also provides considerable multi-tasking capability.
Running Ventura Publisher from Windows 386 gives you multi-tasking capabilities, and lets you run Ventura Publisher from a graphic operating environment. While Ventura Publisher does not <169>run under Windows,<170> it nonetheless can take advantage of the multi-tasking provided by Windows 386.
@HEAD 2 = Setup and configuration
To run Ventura Publisher from Windows 386, you should first copy the VP.PIF file from the Ventura Publisher Utilities disk to the VENTURA directory on your hard disk. (The PIF file can be placed anywhere. If you prefer, place it in the WINDOWS\PIF directory with the other PIF files.) The VP.PIF file is set to look for a file called VP.BAT in the root directory. If you plan to run the Professional Extension, you should either edit the VP.PIF (using the Windows PIFEDIT program) to look instead for the VPPROF.BAT file, or simply rename VPPROF.BAT to VP.BAT.
Second <197> and this is critical <197> <MI>you must increase the FILES= statement in the CONFIG.SYS file to at least FILES=30<D>. FILES=40 is recommended. Use the ASCII function in your word processor (or EDLIN) to make this change. ¥If FILES=20 (or less) then Ventura Publisher will not run, or will run erratically.£
Third, limit the EMS memory used by Ventura Publisher by adding the <F1M>/E<F255D> parameter to the VPPROF.BAT file. Otherwise, Ventura Publisher will hog all the EMS memory for itself, making it impossible to run other applications. The <F1M>/E<F255D> parameter is added to the line in the VPPROF.BAT file which begins with DRVRMRGR. For instance, to limit EMS usage to 256K (this is the smallest number that should be used, by the way), the VPPROF.BAT file would look something like this (the screen driver may be different for your computer; the DRVRMRGR line is shown on two lines below):
Finally, remove HIMEM.SYS drivers from your CONFIG.SYS file. Also, Windows 386 does not require EMS driver such as QEMM-386 or 386max. These drivers must be removed to run Windows 386.
@HEAD 2 = Performance notes
If you run Ventura Publisher with a mouse which does not require a MOUSE.COM or MOUSE.SYS driver, then the mouse will freeze when you Quit from Ventura Publisher and are returned to Windows-386. Most mice are provided with a mouse driver. To avoid this problem, install the mouse driver, either in the CONFIG.SYS or AUTOEXEC.BAT file (see your mouse manual for instructions) and change the mouse parameter in the VPPROF.BAT file to <F1>/M=32<F255>.
On some displays, as you switch between windows, you may notice that the edges of the Ventura Publisher screen become clipped. This is normal and does not appear to interfere with operation.
If you attempt to put Ventura Publisher in its own window using the ALT ENTER key combination, you will get a message that <169>This application can only be run in Exclusive mode because of the way it uses the display.<170> This message is normal. If you press ALT ENTER again, Ventura Publisher will in fact be displayed, in reverse video, within a window. However, this is only a screen snapshot, and Ventura Publisher is not actually operating.
@HEAD 1 = Summary
Of the four programs reviewed here, only Software Carousel and DESQview are programs that you should consider purchasing for multi-tasking Ventura Publisher. Software Carousel has the advantage that it works on virtually any memory configuration, even a 640K system, and does not slow any application down whatsoever. It's one disadvantage is that it is not able to successfully maintain the correct graphics mode on some computers when switching to and from Ventura Publisher.
DESQview is by far the best program for general multi-tasking. With proper hardware it can even provide concurrent operation for each program. Its only disadvantage is that it decreases performance of each application by anywhere from 10-50% depending on how you have your system configured and on what type of computer you operate. For 8086 systems, therefore, you should either use Software Carousel, or use DESQview configured to turn off all background processing.
Finally, the true benefits of multi-tasking <197> and much more <197> will finally arrive within the next year with the shipment of a true OS/2 version of Ventura Publisher. This will provide not only multi-tasking, concurrency, and windowing between applications, but many, many additional features not available in a DOS environment. In the meantime, if you are interested, you should add some memory to your computer (which you'll need eventually for OS/2 if you have a 286 or 386) and give one of these programs a try.
@TITLE = Appendix <197> Notes on the Intel Above Board
@HEAD 1 = Above Board (EMS 3.X)
The Intel Above Board is one of the most common EMS boards in use today. The installation software provided is almost foolproof and is among the best in the industry.
The CONFIG.SYS file for a standard Above Board (EMS 3.X) running DESQview should look like this for an AT class computer:
If you want to use the Intel Above Board ¥Plus£ (EMS 4.0) with DESQview on an AT computer, you need to do the following:
@BULLET 1 = Change the switch settings on your computer's mother board and/or expansion card to provide as <MI>little<D> memory as possible. 256K is the smallest memory configuration available on most PC's. This memory is no longer used for anything, although if your mother board uses 256K memory chips you may be able to pull them out and place them on your Above Board. (Note: The All Chargecard lets you get EMS 4.0 benefits without needing to disable conventional memory.)
@BULLET 1 = Run the Above Board's ¥SETBOARD£ program and use the ¥manual£ setup option. Accept the default parameters for most settings. However, tell SETBOARD to supply con¼ventional memory between 256K and 640K. If you have lots of Above Board memory (greater than 3 megabytes), you should also supply 512K of ¥extended£ memory so that you can use QEXT.SYS. Versions of Above Board Plus shipped after May 1989 will let you supply extended memory in much smaller increments which will let you get the benefits of QEXT.SYS without wasting so much precious memory.
@BULLET 1 = Run your AT computer's SETUP program. This is the program that lets you set the hard disk type, display and memory configuration, and other system parameters. Tell your setup program that your computer has 640K conventional memory and <197> if you added ¥extended£ memory using setboard <197> specify this amount as well. <MI>You do not need to tell your SETUP program anything about EMS memory.<D>
@BULLET 1 = After running SETBOARD and SETUP, run the Above Board's INSTALL program.
@BULLET 1 = Modify the CONFIG.SYS file which INSTALL creates according to the guidelines given below (the EMM.SYS line is show on two lines).
@TABLE = <F1>DEVICE=C:\QEXT.SYS<R><%-2>DEVICE = C:\EMM.SYS AT EXPF=C800 EXPL=EC00 208 ND MC RD<R><%0>FILES = 40<R>BUFFERS = 30<F255>
This should work with both EGA and VGA displays. For an EGA display, you may be able to change to EXPF=C400 to gain still more memory.
The EMS 4.0 EMM.SYS line for a PC/XT should be (this is shown on two lines below):
@TABLE = DEVICE = C:\EMM.SYS PC <%-2>EXPF=CC00 EXPL=EC00 208 MC ND RD<%0>
Note that Quarterdeck does not recommend using the RD parameter which relocates the EMS driver into EMS memory, effectively increasing conventional memory. Therefore, you may want to remove this if you experience any problems. Also, other programs, such as disk caches, which use EMS memory, and hardware such as network boards may conflict with these settings. If so, either change the starting address (EXPF=) or disable the disk cache. When testing for this note, the PC Kwik disk cache running on a Xerox 6065 PC/XT with the Intel Above Board Plus running DESQview caused crashes. This same combination worked just fine on a Compaq 286 (AT). Changing to a different disk cache program on the PC/XT solved the problem.
The amount of memory available to applications is generally 32K less when using the Above Board than the maximum figures given in Quarterdeck's documentation.
Appendix A in the DESQview reference guide provides more information on how to configure your computer.
