Jump to content

ViewMAX

From Alfawiki
ViewMAX
Company typeSoftware
IndustryComputer software
Founded1990
ProductsFile manager software

ViewMAX is a CUA-compliant file manager that was included with DR DOS versions 5.0 and 6.0. It originates from a simplified iteration of the Digital Research GEM/3 graphical user interface, tailored to operate solely as the ViewMAX desktop within a single, statically compiled application. Redundant functionalities were eliminated, while several new capabilities were incorporated.[1] ViewMAX is capable of identifying GEM desktop accessories (executables) and can execute certain native GEM applications (executables) directly in its environment without requiring GEM to start first.[2][3] Compatibility with many GEM 3.xx display drivers enables ViewMAX to support various non-standard graphics adapters and higher screen resolutions.[1][2][3] Moreover, Digital Research's SID86 symbolic instruction debugger, which was bundled with DR DOS 3.xx, facilitates debugging of GEM applications and can be utilized alongside ViewMAX.[4][5]

Versions

Initially referred to as Navigator during its beta phase,[6] ViewMAX 1.00 debuted with DR DOS 5.0 in 1990 as a graphical alternative to DOSSHELL found in MS-DOS/PC DOS 4.0. Its interface consisted of two fixed-size windows that displayed icons representing drives, directories, files, or directory structures.[7] The operating system supported file and directory-level passwords and access controls, while differentiating network and CD-ROM drives by utilizing distinct icons.[7]

The release of ViewMAX 2 alongside DR DOS 6.0 in 1991 brought visual improvements such as three-dimensional style controls and customizable color schemes.[8] Rather than replacing icon lists, the directory tree was shown adjacent to them.[8] Configuration options could be stored within %DRDOSCFG%\VIEWMAX.INI files.[9][2] To enhance character set compatibility, ViewMAX 2 loaded fonts from standard DOS files corresponding to the active code page instead of relying on GEM-specific font sets—a method later adopted by FreeGEM.[10] The Japanese DOS/V version added support for DBCS characters through .[11] Integration with the DR DOS task switcher TaskMAX allowed users to launch applications as separate tasks and switch between them seamlessly.[9][12] Subsequent multitasking kernels like TASKMGR in Novell DOS 7 enabled ViewMAX 2 to handle multiple full-screen DOS tasks simultaneously.[3]

ViewMAX 3 was intended to serve as the graphical file manager for Novell's forthcoming DR DOS release, incorporating features such as color icons, resizable and movable windows, program groups, and background images.[13] It also provided extended multi-user access permissions when paired with DR-DOS’s security module. Although it appeared in the DR DOS "Panther" Beta 1 build (October 1992), development was halted in favor of Novell's unreleased "Star Trek" initiative. As a result, Novell DOS 7 (marketed as DR DOS 7.0 in 1994) was distributed without any graphical file manager.

Following Caldera’s acquisition of Digital Research assets from Novell in July 1996,[14] there were initial plans to revive GEM and ViewMAX under the project Caldera View, aimed at providing a lightweight interface for mobile OpenDOS applications,[15][16] but focus later shifted toward DR-WebSpyder and GROW technologies. After Caldera UK’s DR-DOS development group closed in early 1999, Caldera Thin Clients released the source code for the ViewMAX 3 beta under the GPL license in April 1999,[16] just before rebranding as Lineo and transitioning to Linux-based platforms.[17] Numerous features from ViewMAX have since been incorporated into FreeGEM.[18][10]

See also

Further reading

  • Digital Research, Inc. (May 1990). ViewMAX User Guide, first edition, 88 pages.
  • Digital Research, Inc. (August 1991). ViewMAX User Guide, second edition, 106 pages.

External links

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Elliott_1999_Differences
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Paul_1997_DRDOS6UN
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Paul_1997_NWDOS7UN
  4. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Paul_1997_DRDOSTIP
  5. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Elliott_2002_GEMSID
  6. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named MS_DR50
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Elliott_2013_ViewMAX1
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Elliott_2013_ViewMAX2
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Novell_1992_VM2
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Elliott_2006_FreeGEM2
  11. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named DRDOS60V_ViewMAX
  12. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Caldera_1997_MULTI
  13. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Elliott_2013_ViewMAX3
  14. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Leon_1996_Caldera
  15. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Caldera_1997_WebSpyder
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Jemmett_1999
  17. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Caldera_1999_Lineo
  18. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Elliott_2006_FreeGEM1
Retrieved from "https://www.alfawiki.org/index.php?title=ViewMAX&oldid=25401"