home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search
- ID:Q6 QEMM 6.0 Pre-release Information
- A Quarterdeck Office Systems Press Release
- by Charles McHenry
-
-
- QUARTERDECK INTRODUCES POWERFUL NEW QEMM-386
- VERSION 6.0 ADDS UP TO 211 KILOBYTES ADDITIONAL MEMORY
-
- DESQview, QRAM and QEMM 50/60 Users To Benefit From New Technology
-
- SANTA MONICA, Calif., August 13, 1991 -- Quarterdeck Office Systems, Inc.
- (NASDAQ: QDEK) today announced the industry's most powerful memory management
- and processor control program, QEMM-386 version 6.0.
-
- The Quarterdeck Expanded Memory Manager-386 (QEMM-386) is an intelligent,
- high-performance expanded memory manager that allows automatic, or custom
- user-configured management of all of a personal computer's memory:
- conventional, expanded, extended and high memory. Version 6.0 brings
- additional power and capabilities to QEMM-386's Optimize program -- which
- automatically configures memory and loads terminate and stay resident (TSR)
- programs and device drivers in high memory; adds new ROM detection and
- utilization technology to QEMM-386 -- which will deliver many PC users up to
- 115 kilobytes additional high memory; adds support for the "Suspend-Resume"
- feature common to many battery-powered laptop PCs; adds support for the Chips &
- Technologies SCAT Shadow RAM memory; and, gives Windows 3.0 enhanced mode users
- 8K - 24K more memory for DOS.
-
- "The result is a more powerful, easier to use QEMM-386 that makes available
- more memory than previously thought possible," said Therese Myers,
- Quarterdeck's president and CEO. "Version 6.0 senses memory utilization
- patterns and requirements and responds in a variety of new, more powerful ways.
- The maximum memory gain to a power user could total an additional 211K of high
- memory."
-
- Features new to Optimize include:
-
- o The ability to process embedded batch files in a
- user's Autoexec.bat file. Previously, users wanting
- Optimize to see and process TSR load statements were
- required to include them directly into Autoexec.bat.
- This is no longer true. Users who like to keep their
- batch files small and organized by function will find
- this feature helpful;
-
- o "Squeeze," a new capability that can temporarily
- increase the high RAM region in high memory during a
- program's load and initialization. This feature is
- helpful for programs that require more memory while
- they are initializing than they do once they are
- resident;
-
- o Optimize now can automatically exclude portions of
- high memory accessed by device drivers and TSRs.
- This avoids conflicts with hardware that previous
- versions failed to detect;
-
- o Users can now create "response files" that QEMM-386's
- LOADHI programs can use to get information about
- where and how to load programs high. This feature is
- valuable for network users who load TSRs from public
- batch files on the network.
-
- o Optimize now lets users view, browse and play with
- the list of device drivers and TSRs that the program
- has relocated to high-memory -- allowing users to
- perform "What-if?" analyses with their memory
- configuration.
-
-
- STEALTH TECHNOLOGY
-
- Additional high memory provided by QEMM-386 version 6.0 results from a new
- feature called Stealth. Quarterdeck's new "Stealth" technology hides a PC's ROM
- code, and makes its memory addresses mappable as High RAM, which is then usable
- for other purposes.
-
- "Stealth employs a number of strategies, applied selectively and
- intelligently by QEMM-386, to generate additional mappable memory," said Gary
- Pope, Quarterdeck's co-founder and executive vice president, development.
- "This important new technology, unique to QEMM-386 version 6.0, is compatible
- with Microsoft's Windows environment."
-
- Stealth technology is dependent upon ROM design. ROM implementations by
- hardware manufacturers may cause one or more of Stealth's strategies not to
- work. Optimize will test a user's PC with all Stealth methods and recommend
- which method to use. Optimize will only present Stealth options to users if it
- cannot load all TSRs or drivers in high memory.
-
- Quarterdeck's new Stealth technology works with microcomputers from IBM
- and Compaq Computer, as well as with a majority of DOS-based PC clones.
-
-
- BATTERY-POWERED LAPTOP SUPPORT
-
- Many of today's battery-powered computers provide a Suspend-Resume feature
- that allows the system to be powered up in the same state as when it was turned
- off -- resuming an application in use just as if there had been no
- interruption. QEMM-386 version 6.0 supports this feature for many popular
- laptops. QEMM-386 will automatically try to detect this feature. If a laptop
- system supports Suspend-Resume, but QEMM-386 does not detect it, users can
- instruct QEMM-386 to do so.
-
-
- ADDITIONAL SHADOW RAM SUPPORT
-
- Earlier versions of QEMM-386 automatically detect Compaq-style Top Memory
- and Chips & Technologies NEAT, LEAP and AT/386 shadow RAM and make it usable as
- extended memory. QEMM-386 version 6.0 adds Chips & Technologies' SCAT Shadow
- RAM to this list.
-
-
-
-
- QEMM 50/60 FOR IBM PS/2 MODELS 50 AND 60
-
- QEMM 50/60, for 80286-based IBM PS/2s, takes advantage of the hardware
- capabilities of the IBM Personal System/2 80286 Memory Expansion Option,
- Expanded Memory Adaptor/A, or compatible memory boards to transform extended
- memory into expanded memory. QEMM 50/60 version 6.0 includes the increased
- functionality of "Optimize," and is now compatible with popular expanded memory
- boards from companies including but not limited to: AST Computer, Quadram,
- Tecmar, Orchid, Kingston Technology and Intel Corporation.
-
- Until December 31, 1991, registered QEMM-386 and QEMM 50/60 users may
- upgrade, from any previous version, for a $30 fee. QEMM-386 version 6.0 will
- ship in early September, 1991.
-
-
-
-
- DESQview AND QRAM UPGRADED
-
- Quarterdeck's new technology will also be reflected in upgrades to
- DESQview-386 and QRAM. DESQview-386 version 2.4 will provide users with access
- to more memory when running DOS or Windows 3.0 programs in DESQview windows.
- "As a result, DESQview users will be able to open much larger windows,"
- explained Pope. "Version 2.4 will make memory easier to use while extracting
- the maximum amount of memory available to DOS 5.0 users. Additionally, network
- managers will find DESQview and QRAM to be easier to set-up, with more powerful
- support for multiple network communications packages." Included in DESQview
- 386 v2.4 are special NETBIOS and Novell IPX/SPX drivers, to be used when
- running several network-specific programs via network gateways or when running
- client/server network application programs.
-
- DESQview users will be able to upgrade to DESQview 2.4 for a fee of $25,
- until December 31, 1991. DESQview-386 users will be able to upgrade for a $50
- fee. New versions of DESQview will ship in early September.
-
- QRAM version 2.0 organizes and allocates memory resources on 808x and
- AT-style 286 machines. QRAM provides users of this class of machine, when
- equipped with EMS 4.0 or EEMS memory, the capacity to load programs into high
- memory. New to QRAM version 2.0 are the appropriate features of the upgraded
- "Optimize"; and, compatibility with the Chips and Technologies SCAT shadow RAM
- chipset. Registered users of QRAM will be able to upgrade to QRAM 2.0, also
- shipping in September, for a fee of $25. Users of any Quarterdeck product
- included in this upgrade that purchased their copies after August 19, 1991,
- will be able to upgrade at no charge.
-
- Quarterdeck Office Systems, Inc. is located at 150 Pico Blvd., Santa
- Monica, CA 90405. The company can be reached at (213) 392-9851.
-
- This technical note may be copied and distributed freely as long as it is
- distributed in its entirety and it is not distributed for profit.
- Copyright (C) 1991 by Quarterdeck Office Systems
- * * * E N D O F F I L E * * *