>From memory, XMS was earlier, and it required both a driver and an external >memory card. I believe you could go as high as 8 MB. I can't recall the >processor requirements, but I know EMS required at least a 386. Most programs, >and most technical programming books I had (like Norton) used EMS almost >exclusively. Most of the magazines I still have from that era, like PC >Magazine, seem to focus more on HMA and EMS, likely because DOS focused more >on those than XMS.
Just my two cents. Sent with Proton Mail secure email. On Tuesday, January 21st, 2025 at 7:42 PM, Bret Johnson via Freedos-devel <freedos-devel@lists.sourceforge.net> wrote: > > > this is 2025. Are there really programs in use that require EMS, and can't > > > use XMS? I'm sure they exist, but are they of any public interest? > > > > 100% yes there are. > > > > Indeed most classic-era DOS apps want and use EMS and very few can use XMS. > > > > Lotus 1-2-3 r2, Wordperfect, SuperCalc, As Easy As, Quattro Pro... all > > want EMS, not XMS. > > > Even if a program doesn't require EMS, some programs will use it if it is > available, and it can greatly enhance the use of the program (e.g., by > allowing it to open large files or multiple files at the same time). > > Some people seem to think that XMS is a "better" or "simpler" version of EMS, > but it isn't. They're two completely different things, and EMS does a lot of > things that XMS can't do. For example, you can directly manipulate data and > even run code that's stored in EMS memory (even from real mode). If it's > stored in XMS, you can't do that -- you either must run from protected mode, > or else temporarily copy the data from XMS into "regular" (conventional/upper > memory), do the manipulations, and then copy it back to XMS again. With EMS > you don't need to do that. > > The other thing about EMS is that it is designed to directly work with TSR's > and device drivers, while XMS is not. I'm converting my TSR programs to take > advantage of EMS if it exists, and it can save a LOT of memory when it is > used. I can't do the same with XMS. > > I'm not saying EMS is a panacea, and it does have its issues. But to say it's > worthless just because it's approaching 50 years old simply isn't true (just > like DOS itself). > > > _______________________________________________ > Freedos-devel mailing list > Freedos-devel@lists.sourceforge.net > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-devel _______________________________________________ Freedos-devel mailing list Freedos-devel@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-devel
