VOGONS

Common searches


First post, by Zup

User metadata
Rank Oldbie
Rank
Oldbie

My ZX-Uno has a core that emulates a PC/XT with a 80186+ CPU (= it runs some 80286 instructions, but have no protected mode) with 1.5Mb RAM and (not fully emulated) VGA. That means that it would only run Windows 1.x, 2.x or 3.0 in real mode.

Most Windows 3.x programs need at least standard mode (80286 fully required). Are there any reason (=good software) that can be installed on that versions of Windows? Or the best thing to do is forget about Windows?

I have traveled across the universe and through the years to find Her.
Sometimes going all the way is just a start...

I'm selling some stuff!

Reply 1 of 7, by Jo22

User metadata
Rank l33t++
Rank
l33t++

Well, Windows 2.x has a few games and utilities (easel, metric converter, terminal, ..) and some commercial packages, like Word and Excel or Page Maker.
The /386 version was the most useful back in the day. It was like EMM386 on steroids and could even run CGA games in a window.
Oddly, it also came with a win86.com executable. The 286 edition added support of using 64KiB of High Memory (HMA).
Despite this, it was similar to the base version. According to current information, the /386 version (v2.01?)
was the first one to be available (OEM, shipped with 386es from Compaq). But the first retail (boxed) version was Windows 2.03.
Anyway, the main issue is the support of EMS (-> large type). It can be only used by DOS programs normally.
So even if you use MemMaker or an EMS board, Windows application can't use it (except if they were made EMS-aware, just like DOS apps).

Windows 3.0 in real-mode is different. It supports EMS system-wide across all applications.
Both Windows 2.x and 3.x programs can use it, even in RM. You can also use large wallpapers w/ EMS enabled.
Windows 3.0 has about one thousand times the applications with lots of them beeing Freeware.
Maybe that's also because of Visual Basic 1.0, which runs in both Standard and Enhanced mode.

Attachments

  • win200_004.png
    Filename
    win200_004.png
    File size
    10.33 KiB
    Views
    520 views
    File license
    Fair use/fair dealing exception

"Time, it seems, doesn't flow. For some it's fast, for some it's slow.
In what to one race is no time at all, another race can rise and fall..." - The Minstrel

//My video channel//

Reply 2 of 7, by Jorpho

User metadata
Rank l33t++
Rank
l33t++
Zup wrote:

Are there any reason (=good software) that can be installed on that versions of Windows? Or the best thing to do is forget about Windows?

I suppose that depends on what sort of "good software" you were otherwise going to run on this computer.

I keep linking to ToastyTech, because it's the only place I've come across that's written at length about stuff like this.
http://toastytech.com/guis/win1x2x2.html
http://toastytech.com/guis/win1x2x3.html

Reply 3 of 7, by Zup

User metadata
Rank Oldbie
Rank
Oldbie

So it seems that real fun started with Windows 3.x standard/enhanced mode.

I guess having Windows 2.x in that XT would be funny to show in parties, but not really a good choice.

I have traveled across the universe and through the years to find Her.
Sometimes going all the way is just a start...

I'm selling some stuff!

Reply 4 of 7, by Jo22

User metadata
Rank l33t++
Rank
l33t++

I'd say so. Though a remarkable number of programs will run in any mode.
I'm speaking under correction, but Turbo Pascal for Windows 1.x also had a "286" checkbox,
so it might be possible that its compilations will by default run on XTs, too.

Edit: Just checked. TPW itself requires either Standard or Enhanced Mode.
But the Resource Toolkit and the compilations do run in RM, too!
So with default settings beeing choosen, the TPW programs are probably mode-independed. :)

Attachments

  • tpw.png
    Filename
    tpw.png
    File size
    34.11 KiB
    Views
    335 views
    File license
    Fair use/fair dealing exception
  • Filename
    tpw_samples.zip
    File size
    9.17 KiB
    Downloads
    11 downloads
    File license
    Fair use/fair dealing exception
Last edited by Jo22 on 2017-05-18, 10:19. Edited 1 time in total.

"Time, it seems, doesn't flow. For some it's fast, for some it's slow.
In what to one race is no time at all, another race can rise and fall..." - The Minstrel

//My video channel//

Reply 5 of 7, by Azarien

User metadata
Rank Oldbie
Rank
Oldbie
Jo22 wrote:

Turbo Pascal for Windows 1.x also had a "286" checkbox,
so it might be possible that its compilations will by default run on XTs, too.

I guess so. That was the case with the DOS version of Turbo Pascal.

Reply 6 of 7, by Jo22

User metadata
Rank l33t++
Rank
l33t++
Azarien wrote:
Jo22 wrote:

Turbo Pascal for Windows 1.x also had a "286" checkbox,
so it might be possible that its compilations will by default run on XTs, too.

I guess so. That was the case with the DOS version of Turbo Pascal.

You're right, just checked.
Newer versions of Turbo Pascal for DOS (ie, past 4.0; maybe 6.x and later) seem to include it, as well.

turbo.png
Filename
turbo.png
File size
7.57 KiB
Views
335 views
File comment
Turbo Pascal 7.0 - Compiler Options
File license
Fair use/fair dealing exception

"Time, it seems, doesn't flow. For some it's fast, for some it's slow.
In what to one race is no time at all, another race can rise and fall..." - The Minstrel

//My video channel//