From: Chad Fernandez <fernande AT internet1 DOT net>
Message-Id: <199810141717.NAA03950@internet1.net>
To: opendos AT delorie DOT com
CC: ya830 AT victoria DOT tc DOT ca
Date: Wed, 14 Oct 1998 13:27:26 -0600
X-EveryThing: Net-Tamer 1.09.3 Unregistered
Subject: Re: GEM GUI
Reply-To: opendos AT delorie DOT com

On 1998-10-13 opendos AT delorie DOT com said to fernande AT internet1 DOT net
   >menu. The New Deal GUI runs almost as fast as GEM, thanks to its
   >underlying system code being written almost completely in assembly,
   >but is a lot more fully-featured.  New Deal will run on anything
   >from an 8086 or up, but really flies on a 386SX/16 and up (having
   >at least a meg of RAM really helps, but it'll run in 640k if you
   >want to punish it :)).

I messed around with the New Deal Publish that they will let you download as
shareware.  I was impressed, but not enough to stop using Win 3.1 along with
DOS.  One of the things I didn't like was every thing was so BIG on my
screen.  It was like running Win 3.1 with an EGA scrren, but worse.  The
icons were huge, as were the borders.
Also , going by what I read on the web site I didn't think any of the New
deal products would run on an 8088.  I recall seeing an XT version in the
works in the future products area, However.

   >it, and at least one more in the works (guess what it'll look like
   >:)).  The existing user interfaces are very flexible and can be
   >made to look like other UIs with some tweaking.  I've been able to
   >make Motif, for example, look like either Win 3.1 or Win 95 through
   >adjusting options regarding the layout of gadgets.  New Deal also
   >has an "Express", menu which is what Microsoft modelled Win95's
   >"Start" menu on so they're extremely similar.

How do you change the look of the New Deal?  I was trying to remove the
bottom buttons that were so huge, but couldn't figure out how.  I also
wanted to resize the windows permantly.  I could resize them ,nut they
always defaulted to the original size.

   >Caldera and New Deal strike me as being in similar situations.
   >Caldera could use a good office suite for its product, and New Deal
   >need an underyling DOS to provide a file system for it.  They need
   >each other, when it comes right down to it, and both of them are
   >starving for publicity.  I can only see benefits in them teaming up.
   >Steven Hurdle

I am not so sure I agree.  New Deal seems to be focusing on older slower
machines much more than I think Caldera is.  New Deal is aiming its products
towards schools and business that have old equipment.  Caldera really like
the embedded products as a market.  DR-DOS also goes well with Open Linux, I
have read.  I see Caldera as looking forward, but New Deal as backwards to
support machines (and in effect people) that got left behind and bring them
up to speed as best as can be.


Chad A. Fernandez
Battle Creek, MI



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