Harnessing DOS

Book Review by Bob Stephan

This is a good book for all DOS users, and that includes most of
us.  The full title is "Harnessing DOS 6.0: Batch File and Command
Macro Power" by Craig Menefee and Nick Anis (Bantam Books, 1993,
544 pages, $34.95 including disk).

WAIT!  Don't go away just because it says DOS 6.0 in the title.
The sections on DOSKEY will be useful for users of MS-DOS 5.0 or
6.0, but the rest of the book is quite generic, especially the
extensive sections on batch programming.  In contrast to a book on
batch file programming which I reviewed a few months ago, I can
unconditionally recommend this book to anyone who is interested in
becoming better acquainted with DOS of any kind, and especially to
those who would like to know more about batch files.  Most of the
information is just as valid for DR DOS as it is for that other
DOS.

I notice that the title just says "DOS 6.0" without specifying
which DOS 6.0.  I have been using a DOS 6.0 for about a year and a
half now, but it is DR DOS.  I mention this to point out that there
is a great deal of useful information in this book for users of
any version of DOS.  Remember if you want to sound like you know
your DOS, you pronounce DR DOS as "D" "R" DOS, never as doctor dos
(ugh).  And "DOS" is pronounced so as to rhyme with "loss".  But I
digress, so back to the book.

This book will provide you with the tools and the know-how to
automate many of your most-used operations.  You will be able to
design customized menus, create hot keys that perform several
actions with a single keystroke, protect against accidental formats
and other disasters, navigate disk directories effortlessly, and in
general make your PC conform to the way you like to work rather
than being a slave to it.

The introductory chapters provide an excellent introduction to and
review of DOS basics, with many useful tips on efficient use, and
on streamlining your system to take maximum advantage of your
hardware resources.  This is not a "DOS for Dummies" type of book,
but it is not overly technical either.  It should be understandable
by anyone who can handle a few DOS commands at the command line
prompt, but it doesn't talk down to those who are more experienced.

Fully two-thirds of the book is devoted to batch files, ranging
from basics through intermediate and advanced and finally tips at
the expert level. Although I understand the need to cash in on the
"new DOS" mania, I regret the title emphasis on DOS 6.0. The batch
sections stand on their own merit, and I'm afraid they may be
overlooked by those who look at titles only, or ignored by those
who use other versions of DOS.

Menefee doesn't shy away from the dreaded "Out of environment
space" problem that power users of batch files will inevitably run
into.  As I have pointed out, some other books do not address this
problem properly, if at all, but Menefee provides some good
suggestions for coping with it.  You can also watch for my Frugal
Hacker columns where I have been running a series containing
additional information on this complex subject.

Finally, there is a 1.2 MB disk with numerous utilities (60), batch
files (95), and DOSKEY macros (50) along with a full chapter
containing detailed information about installing and using them,
and examples of their use scattered thoughout the book.  A 3.5"
diskette can be ordered if needed.

The MS-DOS batch language has always been far too limited to do the
things that most users would like to be able to do.  In the 10
years since MS-DOS 2.0 there have been precious few improvements
and enhancements.  It is only the most recent release that even has
a primitive function for obtaining user input!  These limitations
have created an after-market of utilities designed to enhance batch
files and provide the functions that MS saw fit to leave out.
Among these I was pleased to see that the authors thought highly of
my own shareware offering, GET.EXE, and have made good use of it in
several of their examples.

The interesting and useful capabilities provided by this extensive
library of freeware and shareware utilities will amaze even some of
the more avid shareware enthusiasts.  At current prices for
obtaining shareware on diskettes, the disk alone is worth more than
the price of the book.  As with all sources of shareware, you are
given the opportunity to try-before-you-buy, then it is only
necessary to register the ones you find useful and for which the
author requests a registration fee.  Such fees are usually quite
reasonable.