Newsgroups: comp.lang.apl
From: 6035230@LMSC5.IS.LMSC.LOCKHEED.COM (Charles Schulz)
Subject: Re: Why BUYAPL2?
Message-ID: <94159.40207.6035230@LMSC5.IS.LMSC.LOCKHEED.COM>
Sender: news@butch.lmsc.lockheed.com
Organization: Lockheed Missiles & Space Company, Inc.
Date: Wed, 8 Jun 1994 18:10:07 GMT
Lines: 60

>From: skybird@satelnet.org (Scott Pallack)
>Newsgroups: comp.lang.apl
>Subject: Why BUYAPL2?
>Date: 8 Jun 1994 11:07:03 -0400
>Message-ID: <2t4mqn$ibd@sefl.satelnet.org>
>
>I tried to try TRYAPL2.
>It doesn't run in a DOS partition in Windows.
>It won't run with EMM386 unless you have an FPU.
>
>That is pretty for a program that is essentially just a text application.
>
>If APL2 is a poorly written as TRYAPL2, my question is WHY BUY APL2?

I've posted similar information a couple of times in the past since this
was a problem I ran into on several PCs, so some of you have seen this
before...

TryAPL2 uses APL2/PC 16-bit version (APL2/PC also offers a 32-bit
option).  APL2/PC has been out for several years, and dates from before
Windows 3.0 took over the DOS market.  I believe HIMEM and EMM386 came
out after APL2/PC, although I'm not sure about those historical details,
so APL2/PC happened to contain some code that could conflict with EMM386
in certain situations.  Details:

- It is not the APL2/PC interpreter itself but the math coprocessor
  emulator that "is not compatible with some extended memory managers
  and other programs." (ref. "Installing and Running TryAPL2", In Case of
  Trouble section, IBM, no date, contact the IBM APL group at
  apl2@vnet.ibm.com for a copy of this).
- It will run fine in DOS or under Windows with memory managers HIMEM
  and EMM386 if you have a math coprocessor installed, since the
  coprocessor emulator is not invoked.
- Without a math coprocessor it will run in DOS before Windows or
  after exiting Windows, but not under Windows, with HIMEM but without
  EMM386.
- Without a math coprocessor, it will not run at all even in DOS
  if you use EMM386.

For most systems (with extended memory, not expanded memory) EMM386 just
gives you access to upper memory blocks (unused parts of the 384K above
640K conventional) to load drivers IF they fit.  So depending on how much
you use APL2/PC this may not be too big a sacrifice to skip.
Alternatives are to use new features in DOS 6 to define multiple
configurations in your startup files, or without DOS 6 to create a
bootable disk without EMM386 for when you want to use APL2/PC.

IBM has just come out with new versions of APL2 for some existing APL2
platforms (VM and MVS mainframes, and AIX/6000 workstations), and
versions for new APL2 platforms (OS/2, Sun Solaris).  I'll leave IBM to
speak for any plans on a DOS/Windows update.  But the current APL2/PC is
still a sturdy product that will give you all of APL2's benefits,
just not Windows GUI features inside the APL environment, nor the ability
to create Windows GUI applications.  In my particular case, portability
with the VM mainframe version and no charge for runtimes (now a more
common practice) were of great benefit.

Charles A. Schulz
E-mail:  cschulz@lmsc.lockheed.com

