- "Versions" R. Roger Breton TurboDOS Users' Group Newsletter (TUG'N), Vol.3, No.1, (Month? 1986) p.1
(Retyped by Emmanuel ROCHE.)
There has been considerable confusion about the various TurboDOS versions: what the differences are, and whether or not a system should be updated. I hope, in this very short article, to dispell at least some of the myths that have arisen.
TurboDOS has been presented in the following versions: 1.00-1.16, 1.20-1.22, 1.30, 1.40-1.43. The last version in each range was the "stable" bebugged issue of that version (though there may be a series of patches required to fix the bugs). The current version is 1.43.
Versions 1.00 through 1.16 were the earliest versions of TurboDOS, created and issued when MP/M did not work and MP/M-II was a dream. As a result, a proprietary form of file locking, via the $.LOK pseudo- file, was used, and record locking was not possible.
Versions 1.20 through 1.22 were the first MP/M-compatible versions as regards file and record locking. They still used extended BDOS functions numbers to perform TurboDOS-only functions, however, and many of the newer CP/M and MP/M programs will not work because of this.
Version 1.30 eliminated the BDOS/TurboDOS function conflict, greatly improved overall performance, and introduced the ability to use 16-bit slaves.
Versions 1.40 and 1.41 introduced 16-bit masters, allowing a significant leap in performance, and the ability to network with IBM PCs.
Version 1.42 greatly improved the networking capabilities of 1.41, and added several new functions.
Version 1.43 again improved networking capabilities, added more functions, and increased the number of files that may be opened from a few hundred to well over a thousand, allowing increased power with database programs.
A system should always be upgraded to the most recent version, unless there has been a considerable investment in software that will not work under the newer version.
