WINDOZ.txt       COMMENTS FROM STATIONS USING APRS UNDER WINDOZ

From: KSwaggart@aol.com
With Windows for Work Groups (3.11) I could run in background if I 
selected VGA 64 color. With Windows 95 I can run it in the foreground 
OK, but when in the background, or windowed, it suspends operation 
when I'm using 64 or 256 color VGA modes!  Also, a few times when I 
accessed APRS after launching a few other windows I got a memory 
conflict and couldn't run APRS at all.  I'm using a Dell 486D/50MHz 
with 8 megs RAM.                                   73, Ken, W7KKE

From: KSwaggart@aol.com
I was able to use APRS in WIN95 in forground, but not background.  
I tried both 16 color and 64 color VGA.  Before, with Windows for 
Workgroups, I could run it fine in the background if I used 16 color 
mode (display setup), but only full screen with 256 colors.

From: Jeff Liebermann <jeffl@comix.santa-cruz.ca.us>
I'm not having much luck with APRS and Windoze 95.
I'm running APRS 6.6 which adds to the challenge.  Here's what happens.
1.  When APRS is in full screen mode, everything works perfectly.
    I do not have an msdos mouse driver loaded, so no mouse.
2.  When APRS is running in a window ( alt-Enter ), aprs is apparently 
    running.  All the letter and number keys work fine, but not the 
    cursor pad or PgUp/PgDn.  The display is a perfect 640x350 dot box 
    on my 1024x768 screen.
3.  When APRS is running in a window, the priority is apparently low 
    enough that the usual beeps are sometimes extended to extra long 
    tones.  This seems to be controlled by whether the APRS window is 
    the "active" (mouse inside) window.
4.  The Windoze 95 "System Monitor" shows that APRS probably has a 
    "spin loop" that consumes CPU cycles waiting for input.  Kernel 
    processor usage runs 100% with ARPS active.
5.  Shoving APRS from full screen to the "Task Bar" ( alt-Esc ) results 
    in APRS going comatose.  Input is apparently buffered in the TNC as 
    switching to the foreground results in a buffer flush.

From: Don Smith <kd4ksv@hiwaay.net>
Been using it for about 4 months with no problems. It's good to see 
another Windoz 95 user. Good luck.    ---==< Don KD4KSV >==---

From: jeff.brenton@espi.com
Bob, APRS works fine in the background under Windows and OS/2, if you 
are willing to accept certain restrictions.  If you will accept 16 or 
64 color modes, APRS can run in the background. If no task makes use 
of the high-resolution VGA (256 color), APRS will run when in the 
background.  However, must multimedia products insist upon 256 or even 
32,767 color modes be enabled. Under OS/2, since the Presentation Manager 
(aka the "desktop") is always running, and is set to the high resolution, 
APRS stops when in background, unless you limit it to CGA graphics (looks 
ugly!).  In Windows 256 color mode, if you run two DOS tasks (APRS being 
one of them), APRS will run when the second DOS task is running full 
screen in the foreground, but it will stop if you try to run it in a 
window, with Program Manager or some other GUI program running.  This has 
been my experience - the last item (APRS running in background with 
another DOS task in the foreground) actually surprised me; I hadn't tried 
just switching between the DOS tasks during the first test.

From: Dan Reilly <72076.2270@dub-gw-16.compuserve.com>
Bob,  I've never had any trouble running any version of APRS in the 
background with either Windows 3.1, 3.11 or 95.  I can't understand all 
the trouble others are having.  Dan W4NMK

From: jeff.brenton@espi.com
The problem is that, once you select the video mode, until you select 
a different one, Windows and OS/2 will consider it in conflict, and not 
doing the updates wouldn't help. If you can sense the switch to background 
and go to a text or lower-res video mode, that would do it, and come back 
to normal when in the foreground.

From: Bob Baltz <bob.baltz@ustc.vlsi.COM>
I ran 73b in the background of WFW3.1 at 50% opening it via a PIF.  It
worked fine as long as you sent it to the background while in the map 
mode.  It returned in the show via (D page) not a problem.  It sent and
rcvd packets fine.  The only noticable difference was that at 50% priority
the audio signals for new pos etc were longer than normal.  I did not use
DOZ.  This basically lets APRS do its thing as you go off and use the
machine for other things. It also ran in a <100% window but REAL SLOW.

From: BAIRDBAIRD@aol.com
Am running APRS 73B in windows in a 50% window. Works fine. Equipment 
is old 386 /8meg ram/ 640x480x16 colors vga/ refurb IBM color monitor. 
Runs slow if trying  to use another graphics app. Also run APRS on 486/
66dx-16meg ram 1024x780vga runs acceptable speed. Have been doing that 
for past year or so. 

From: Jack Anderson <n4uls@ix.netcom.com>
The default PIF should work fine, provided you have background 
execution enabled, and you are running APRS in a full screen and 
not a window.  APRS should also work in a window, but it might be 
slower and there may be problems with the graphics.  You can play 
with the font setting to get different window sizes.

From: Jack Anderson <n4uls@ix.netcom.com>
Others may be able to answer this better.  I have run it under windows 
before in a full screen session and noticed no problems with the program 
in the background or foreground.  Of course, it does not release 
timeslices, so the effect of having it running in the background is 
quite noticable on a 386.  It flies on a 486 though.  I have not tried 
73b or the DOZE mode.
