4DOS, Ver. 2.21 - A PC-DOS/MS-DOS Command Processor Copyright 1990 David Batterson Most PC users have opted not to purchase OS/2, due to the expense. But many users are not satisfied with plain vanilla DOS either. So a few software companies have introduced enhancements, generally called DOS extenders, which add new features and commands to PC- and MS-DOS (see my review of DR DOS elsewhere in PC REVIEWS). 4DOS, a recent shareware software product, is another DOS extender. It replaces COMMAND.COM, the command interpreter used by PC- and MS-DOS. 4DOS has already been updated to Version 2.21 by its author, Rex Conn. Although 4DOS is a DOS shell, it is not the same as other DOS shells, such as Marshall Magee's Automenu. It's NOT designed to eliminate the DOS command line, but rather to give the user superior DOS commands. In other words, if you are seeking a menu program which gets you away from DOS, this isn't it! If you're worried about RAM hogging, 4DOS uses less than 5K for the resident portion; the transient portion can use EMS memory or disk swapping. For those who like online help, 4DOS has it: for all the MS-DOS external commands as well as the 4DOS internal commands. Just press at the DOS prompt. There's command line editing too, including insert and delete, so you don't have to rekey whole lines when you make a mistake. 4DOS includes command history, which means you can view, search, modify and re-execute previous commands. You can enter file descriptions, up to 40 characters, for any file or directory. Whenever you use the DIR or SELECT command, the descriptions are displayed. There are many more features in 4DOS, including flexible file wildcards, multiple commands on a single line, environment variables, conditional commands, more redirection options, and aliases (which let you rename and reconfigure commands). The DIR command in 4DOS offers many options: 1, 2 or 5 column display; sorting by name, extension, size or date; display subdirectories; display file attributes, and display subtotals only. With 4DOS you can RENAME directories as well as files. SELECT uses point- and-shoot selection to perform a command on selected files. LIST displays ASCII text files, with scrolling, search for text, and printing. EXCEPT executes a command except on the specified files. These brief explanations only begin to reveal all the power and intricacies of 4DOS. This is a program for power users too, with an enhanced batch processor that is more versatile, and faster too. 4DOS is compatible with PC- and MS-DOS 2.0 through 4.01, DESQview, Novell Netware, 3Com 3Plus, InvisibleNet, and the Word Perfect Library. The shareware version of 4DOS may be downloaded from CompuServe and many BBSs, or obtained from shareware distribution companies. The company offers easy access to tech support via CompuServe's IBMSYS, CONSULT and PCMagNet UTILFORUM areas, on the PC Relay and InterLink BBS networks, and on Boston's Future Technology BBS, in addition to e-mail on CompuServe and BIX. Bravo! The commercial version, including manual and next update free, costs $50 ($35 with no free update). For more information, contact J.P. Software, P.O. Box 1470, E. Arlington, MA 02174; 617-646-3975, CompuServe: 73577,243, BIX: trawson. # David Batterson reviews numerous PC software applications. Contact him via MCI Mail: DBATTERSON.