New operating systems for 32-bit microprocessors

1987/02/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Softwarea

class="art-text" valign="top">

At this time when the Compaq 386 microcomputer has been launched and in which the presentation of other machines based on the 80386 microprocessor is expected in the short term, there have been great uncertainties about the future operating system and, as is known, doubts will remain until IBM does not clarify its intentions.

However, it is clear that the DOS 3-1 operating system is only a provisional solution, since it has a significant limit, it does not include virtual and multitasking mode. As for the operating system that will follow, Microsoft does not want to overtake too much information. Work on three different lines. On the one hand, there is the version of the Xenix V/386 Unix system, developed by Microsoft. It is expected to be found on the street earlier this year. Although this operating system is well known and starts opening new avenues in the market, it has one drawback: Do not support the current version of the DOS system.

Seattle wants to release two new products earlier this year. The first would be a special version of the WINDWS operating environment adapted to the 80386 processor. According to Scott Treseder (spokesperson for the Company), this version will incorporate the operating system and allow to run several programs simultaneously and without interfering with each other. To achieve this, the microprocessor should be run virtually, simulating 8086 processors for each application or program.

The second product is version 5 of DOS so popular, which can also be called Advanced DOS 1.0. This version will require much more sophisticated things like communication between processes, 16 Mbyte memory usage, multitasking and real-time process control utilities. This operating system, aimed at meeting more complex needs than those of current PC users, will cause the emergence of a new type of applications such as distributed databases, process control systems, etc.

However, as long as these products do not come out, many software companies are developing new operating systems to cover the vacuum on the market. This is the case of the system developed by PC/MOS/386 Software Luik. It is basically a version of MS-DOS that includes multitasking, aimed at those users who, despite being at ease with the programs they contain, would want a set of programs to run together. On the other hand, Pick has shown itself completely contrary. The operating system offered by this house is incompatible with MS-DOS.

Finally, there are also hyperobservers, control programs that allow multiple operating systems to be loaded into memory simultaneously.