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MDS / Genius 15" Portrait Monitor with GEM 3.11
Yeah, catchy title for a webpage isn't it.Well I converted the 5.25" disks to 3.5 (and altered the volume labels to match, GEM doesn't give you an option of install medium).
The first thing that strkes you about GEM is it's simplicity, things are very functional, there's no processor time to spare. In fact to be honest I'm off into one here on a rant about the crapness of the Windows operating system so if you want to skip this bit then just scroll away. TBH looking at this 286 thing delivering GEM File manager, running DOS proggies, being stable, co-operative, and above all - fast., it amazes me that I can walk downstairs to a 3 gig machine and you can click on a button and wait upto a couple of seconds for a response.
Where did we go wrong?
There's so much cludge attached to Windows now its stupid. A few animations whilst copying files was 'annoying' in Win95 as anybody who actually wanted to copy files dropped to DOS and got about five times the speed. Even if you turn a lot of the 'options' off there still seems to be a lot of 'overhead' in today's systems. What this translates to is that I can open up a professional magazine article in Ventura within one scond, try the same with modern Quark or Pagemaker and you're into the 'windows rumble' lasting about 3-4 seconds. Now I'm not doubting that these new packages offer a lot more in functionality, but there's an AWFUL LOT of superfluous nonsense going on behind the scenes which TBH you will hardly care about. I mean how many people really need a multitasking OS? Apart from email interrupts nobody seems to use a computer for more than a 'terminal' to the Microsoft applications of Word and Excel. If at home, do you play DVD's and play (insert mega 3D first person blast-me-up here) together... I thought not...
One way forward for the X86 line of machines would be to take a leaf out of the Amiga's book and start offloading taaks which (to a modern users viewpoint) are merely 'background static'. I'm talking receiving mail, webserver, ftp, qaza, blah de blah. A lot of (by todays terms) simple tasks which a reprogrammable microcontroller could acheive. Take the sweat of the main processor by incorporating this into Windows 2010 and motherboards.Most people are 'single task' on top and 'multi' underneath.
Back to the GEM then.. and OMG, it's an Art package... (GEM Paint to be exact)