_______ ____|__ | (tm) --| | |------------------- | ____|__ | Association of tm | | |_| Shareware VMiX 386 Version 2.67 |__| o | Professionals ----------------------- -----| | |--------------------- |___|___| MEMBER Copyright (c) 1985-1991 Commercial Software Associates Post Office Box 36 BBS (714) 720-1139 (24 Hrs.) Corona del Mar, California 92625 VOICE (714) 720-1214 (8-6pm PDT) _______________________________________________________________ | | | WHAT IS VMiX? | | ------------- | | | | VMiX is a multitasking and multiuser environment for | | IBM PC's and PS/2's (PC, XT, AT, PS/2) compatibles. | | | | Version 2.67 configures itself to your processor. If you | | have an 8088 or 8086, then your applications must share | | the up to 576 Kbytes available after VMiX loads in low | | memory. | | | | If you have an 80286, then VMiX can multitask in low | | conventional memory or it can task switch applications | | to extended memory. VMiX can not execute tasks in 286 | | extended memory. Swapped tasks can be swapped back | | from 286 extended memory automatically for a timeslice | | of the processing or they can remain suspended until | | reactivated by the user. | | | | If you have an 80386/486, VMiX will multitask in extend- | | ed memory. It will execute each task in virtual 8086 | | mode, with protected mode pagging, virtualized video and | | keyboard, mapping a new 640 Kbytes to each new task. | | With DOS 5.0 relocated to high memory, all 640Kb can be | | used by each application. | | | | Multitasking is supported at the console, in windows or | | full screen(s). All tasks execute concurrently, at the | | console, remote terminal, or at the console but running | | at a remote VMiX server. Since the console video display| | can be virtualized, you can switch between screens (each | | with multiple windows). If you do not like windows at | | your console or flipping screens, you can choose to use | | terminals or PC's attached to the COMM ports. | | | | The VMiX environment uses the best from DOS and UNIX | | in its implementation of the user control shell and | | multitasking. The user has a choice of 2 user interfa- | | ces: the VMiX shell, which can talk to the DOS shell | | (you get both sets of commands), or the VMiX pull-down | | menus interface which is a multi-threaded environment. | |_______________________________________________________________| _______________________________________________________________ | Cont'd | | ------ | | | | Applications that do not write directly to the video, | | will display correctly at a terminal in all VMiX modes. | | Applications that write directly to the video, can be | | virtualized at the 386 console or at terminals only when | | using VMiX in 386 mode with ANSI terminal emulation. | | A remote console utility can be used in other modes to | | handle direct video writes. | | | | VMiX.INI is a text autoconfigure file that allows start- | | up scripts, remote login passwords, and remote login | | scripts to be specified by the system administrator. | | | | VMiX is compatible with DOS 3.1 through 5.00 | |_______________________________________________________________| _______________________________________________________________ | | | VMiX is not free public domain software. | | It is copyrighted commercial software distributed as | | 'TRY BEFORE PURCHASE', shareware software. | | | | | | You may copy VMiX freely for non-commercial distribution, | | provided you follow the restrictions listed below in the | | LIMITED SHAREWARE LICENSE: | | | | | | *** COPYRIGHT NOTICE *** | | | | Copyright (c) 1985-1991 | | by: J. Anthony Borras | | All Rights Reserved | | | | | | LIMITED SHAREWARE LICENSE | | | | - VMiX 386 may be copied for others to | | try, subject to the following copying | | restrictions specified by this time | | limited license: | | | | All copies distributed to others | | must include a copy of the Copyright | | Notice, the Limited Shareware License, | | Disclaimer of All Warranties and | | Liabilities, and the Software License | | Agreement. These documents are ALREADY | | incorporated into file MANUAL.DOC in | | the distribution archive VMIX???.EXE. | | | | A registration fee of $59 is solicited | | from personal users (up to 3 CPU's) as | | a condition of continued use of the | | program beyond a trial usage period of | | 30 days. | | | | - The party agrees that unauthorized | | usage under this agreement will cause | | great damage to the licensor, Commercial | | Software Associates. | | | | | | Purchase Price/Registration....... $59. | | | | SOURCE license ................... CALL | | | | SITE license ..................... CALL | | | | UPGRADE Version 2.XX ............ $20. | | | | California residents add 7.75% sales tax | |_______________________________________________________________| _______________________________________________________________ | | | HOW TO INSTALL VMiX? | | -------------------- | | | | For more detailed information, see 'General Instructions',| | The Easy Way' and 'The Advanced Way' given below. | | | | | | VMiX is easy to install. Simply copy the executable | | files in the VMiX archive to your directory, include the | | install directory in your PATH, remove other extended | | memory managers from your CONFIG.SYS and execute the boot | | module VM_BOOT.EXE | | | | If VMiX fails to start correctly on your computer, you | | can use several startup options. | | | | 'VM_BOOT 8086' will force real mode on 80286/386/486 PC's.| | | | 'VM_BOOT 286' will force 80286 VMiX mode on 80386/486 | | computers. | | | | 'VM_BOOT low' or VM_BOOT low 286' will inhibit relocation| | of portions of VMiX to extended memory. | | | | 'VM_BOOT ems=ffff' will inhibit VMiX from relocating to | | any upper memory block. | | | | Some EGA/VGA's will display no cursor or what appears to | | be a broken cursor when Shift-Tab is pressed to switch | | tasks. To correct this, start VMiX with the command line | | | | 'VM_BOOT egacur' | | | | Use of these options might allow VMiX to execute in your | | environment. | | | | REFER TO THE SECTION BELOW for common startup problems. | | | | You can customize how VMiX starts-up by including other | | command arguments in the VM_BOOT command line, from DOS. | |_______________________________________________________________| _______________________________________________________________ | | | HOW TO INSTALL MY APPLICATIONS? | | ------------------------------- | | | | If you can execute your applications from DOS, they | | are already installed for VMiX. VMiX does not use PIF | | or other types of application configuration files. | | | | Applications that write directly to the screen can | | co-exist with other applications at the console, but | | will not display properly when running VMiX in non-386 | | computers. On 286 and 8086 PCs, applications that write | | directly to video can bleed-through to other tasks, also | | running at the console, and they will not be able to be | | displayed at a remote terminal. On 286 and 8086 PCs, | | you might be able to get around this problem by setting | | a different video page with VMiX, before starting the | | application. | |_______________________________________________________________| _______________________________________________________________ | | | THE EASY WAY TO START VMiX (With Pull-down Menus) | | -------------------------- | | | | C:\VMIX> PATH = C:\;C:\VMIX; (all your apps .EXE paths here) | | | | C:\VMIX> VM_BOOT egacur/set re -x/set vi -s/set sys -c/vw | | | | | | Configuration explanation: | | | | Before you start VMiX, set your DOS path for all the antici- | | pated executables you wish to multitask. | | | | 'egacur' Optional, makes sure the cursor displays OK. | | | | 'set re -x' NO multiusers at your COMM ports, disables | | remote logins, so as not to interfere with | | what you already have connected at the ports. | | | | If you want multiusers, delete this command. | | | | 'set vi -s' Display a status line, so you can determine the| | name of the foreground task (where the kbd is).| | | | 'set sys -c' Enable a software cursor, so you can see where | | you are, even if another tasks disables the | | hardware cursor or your task has gone to sleep.| | | | 'vw' Run the Pull-Down Menu shell, from where to | | start other VMiX DOS shells. With VW, you will| | usually start a new shell, from where to start | | your multitasking application (or you can | | launch your applications directly). | | | | | | Alternative use of VMiX.INI: | | | | VMiX.INI is a text script file that is processed by the | | utility VSETUP.EXE | | | | Edit the above configuration commands into your VMiX.INI | | file: | | | | [startup] | | set re -x/set vi -s/set sys -c/vw | | | | | | C:\VMIX> PATH = C:\;C:\VMIX; (all your apps .EXE paths here) | | | | C:\VMIX> VM_BOOT egacur/vsetup | |_______________________________________________________________|