Quarterdeck Corp has unveiled its battle plans for the war between the utility software companies to fill in the alleged gaps left by Microsoft Corp in Windows95. Heading its list is CleanSweep, which the Santa Monica, California company claims to be the first 32-bit uninstaller. It gives users the facility to archive and back up any application or other files that it removes, in a compressed format. CleanSweep can also show how each application uses the various dynamic link libraries and how they are shared by applications, in order to give a better understanding of what resources are available. MagnaRAM is a 32-bit memory compression utility that the company claims in some cases, depending on the set up, can have the effect of doubling the amount of RAM available, so that a 4Mb machine would run like an 8Mb one. Caroline Edney, the company’s European marketing director, emphasised that this was in no way guaranteed. MagnaRAM, which came with Quarterdeck’s acquisition of Landmark in July (CI No 2,699), will be sold on its own initially when the Windows95 version is released at the end of September. The memory compression technology will eventually be incorporated into QEMM v8 for Windows95, the Quarterdeck Expanded Memory Manager, when it becomes available in November. WinProbe for Windows95 – also a legacy of Landmark – is a trouble-shooting utility. QEMM for Windows95 will be ú80; MagnaRAM will go for ú40, as will CleanSweep. No price has been fixed yet for WinProbe. With all the Quarterdeck utilties, anybody buying a Windows 3.1 version from now until the end of September will be able to upgrade for the cost of postage only to the respective Windows95 version, as they become available.
