IBM Corp has duly launched and started shipping PC-DOS 7 with its integrated data compression algorithms from Stac Electronics Inc, extensive on-line help and features designed for mobile users – file synchronisation so that files that have been changed on either system are copied across to the other, docking capabilities and support from Phoenix Technologies Ltd for PCMCIA cards. PC-DOS 7 is claimed to provide as much as 40Kb more conventional memory than MS-DOS 6.2. The REXX programming language enables users to write batch programs that are portable to other operating systems, such as OS/2 Warp. The Editor includes pull-down menu, mouse and arithmetic support and the ability to view and edit multiple files simultaneously, and a Dynaload command enables users to load device drivers dynamically without modifying the CONFIG.SYS file and rebooting their systems. PenDOS support by Communication Intelligence Corp enables users to replace the mouse with a pen to launch PC-DOS applications. It upgrades any previous version from MS-DOS 3.3 up, and customers should be able to upgrade for under $60, IBM says. It is out now in all countries where a single byte character set is used.
