From: "quarterdeck canada" <quarterdeck.canada@canrem.com>
Subject: dvx vs. hcl exceed
Reply-To: "quarterdeck canada" <quarterdeck.canada@canrem.com>
Organization: Canada Remote Systems
Distribution: comp
Date: 23 Nov 92 05:11:06 EST

HP>Our company pushes HCL eXceed as the software of choice for interfacing
HP>between PC's and systems run X-windows software. What are the advantages
HP>and disadvantages of using DV/X versus HCL eXceed? Has anyone out there
HP>done a thorough comparison? In specific, our companies internal review
HP>suggests:

HP>"Quarterdeck's DESQview/X provides an economic solution for X11 window
HP>emulation on personal computers. Unfortunately, this software does not
HP>support MS-window and DECNET/LAT, and does not support properly any other
HP>graphics mode except VGA 640x480, hence we did not evaluate this product."

HP>Is this true? Surely DV/X must do some things that HCL eXceed doesn't, or
HP>what is the big deal about DV/X?

Alas, there are very few aspects of your company's internal review that
are correct -- they sure didn't evaluate it.

1) The most remarkable thing that they missed is that DESQview/X is NOT
an emulation of X11; it is a true implementation of X11/R4 on a DOS
platform. The biggest advantage of DESQview/X is that it does not simply
provide an X server on a DOS platform; it is an X server THAT TURNS DOS
AND WINDOWS PROGRAMS INTO X CLIENTS.  It is the only software that can
do this.  The benefit of this is that users at other X systems --
typically, though not necessarily Unix -- can have access to DOS
applications, as well as the other way round.  See Quarterdeck Technical
Note #263, DESQview/X:  Remote Computing (DVX2XSYS.TEC) for more
information on this.  It's available on the Quarterdeck BBS at (310)
314-3227, Compuserve (!GO QUARTERDECK), or large local BBS systems, and
also via our Q/FAX fax retrieval service; from the handset of your fax
machine, call (310) 314-3214, or in Canada, (416) 665-5070.

2) The notion that DESQview/X does not support Windows is completely
mistaken.  DESQview/X supports Windows in two modes -- in Direct Mode
(in which Windows runs full-screen and the X server is suspended -- this
is less desirable for most, but fast) and in an X Window, in which
Windows will run in background, will run in a small window, and may even
run remotely under the control of a remote DOS or Unix workstation.
Again, no other server on the market is capable of doing this.

3) DESQview supports VGA, SVGA, 8514, and 256-color DGIS modes.  This
is, of course, significantly more than VGA.  See Quarterdeck Technical
Bulletin, DESQview/X:  Configuring the Display Server (XVIDEO.TEC) and
the FAQ in the this newsgroup for more detailed video information.
XVIDEO is available from the same places as DVX2XSYS.TEC.

4) DVX2XSYS.TEC will answer some questions about DECnet and LAT; for the
rest of the information, get Quarterdeck Technical Note #220, Pathworks
and QEMM-386/DESQview (DECNET.TEC) from the sources listed above.

Regards,

Michael Bolton
Tech Support
Quarterdeck Canada  (416) 360-5758  quarterdeck.canada@canrem.com
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