Re: Xy4 In OS/2

[Carl Distefano]

Michel: Xy4 should run smoothly under OS/2 2.1 without too much fine-tuning.
Is the sluggish performance specific to XyWrite, or do other DOS and OS/2
programs also run slowly? If so, your OS/2 setup may be faulty or overtaxed.
How many other programs are you running simultaneously with XyWrite?
Multi-tasking more than 3 or 4 active programs on, say, a 386 machine may be
pushing the limit. Also, some programs, e.g., WordPerfect 5.1, seem to poll
the keyboard constantly, draining system resources. I recommend setting
DOS_BACKGROUND_EXECUTION Off for programs like this if at all possible. (By
the same token, set DOS_BACKGROUND_EXECUTION On for XyWrite, and have two
instances of Xy4 running simulaneously; that way, printing and slow,
disk-intensive tasks can be performed in the background, while you continue
writing in the foreground. This capability is perhaps the single greatest
productivity gain you'll reap from OS2!) Another important question: How much
RAM does your system have? I run 2.1 successfully in only 8 Meg of RAM
(actually 7, since I create a 1-Meg RAMdrive). Anything less than 7 Meg might
be a problem; if you're running in less than 16, setting a hefty swap file (I'm
talkin' 10-12 Meg here) in CONFIG.SYS might help. A couple of other tips: Xy4
can use up to 4 Meg of expanded memory, so set EMS_MEMORY_LIMIT to 4096; set
DPMI_MEMORY_LIMIT and XMS_MEMORY_LIMIT both to 0. Setting
VIDEO_MODE_RESTRICTION to CGA frees up memory. Set DOS_HIGH and DOS_UMB both
On. I hope this helps.