MS-DOS MEETS AMIGADOS Part IV: Software Compatibility & Review By Ted Salamone ow that we've looked at MS-DOS hardware and operating system software, it's time to look into, and test the compatibility of, MS-DOS software running under AmigaDOS. The software was selected for review on two criteria: uniqueness and affordability. Vhile there is relatively plenty of software for the Amiga, there are still neglected areas. Some of these MS-DOS titles fill those gaps. Others represent a certain level of cost effectiveness, akin to that offered by most Amiga software. (Remember. the major MSDOS software packages carry stiff price tags - e.g., 5.00 list for Lotus' Freelance Plus graphics package, 5.00 for Harvard Graphics, and a similarly astronomical price for Microsoft's Excel spreadsheet.) Of course, there are price-sensitive MS-DOS owners as well; so those are (primarily) the packages tested. Speaking of tests, don't expect benchmarks with weighted algorithm scores. The following programs were tested through everyday use on a 3 meg Amiga 2000 with a Bridgeboard, an MS-DOS 5.25" floppy, an Amiga 1010 3.5'' floppy, and two 20 meg hard drives-one Amiga, one MS-DOS. The monitor was standard Amiga issue, the 1084, while the printer, more often than not, was an IBM Proprinter XL. Except for copy protected titles, the software was installed on the hard drive for faster performance and ease of use. (If copy protected, but equipped with a hard drive install routine, the routine was used.) Just some final comments before we talk software. First. the Bridgeboard does not have a speaker. MS-DOS computers do. Therefore, the tinny beeps which normally issue from MS-DOS software were not to be heard. This can be a problem, as some titles have audible prompts for different functions. While this may be an issue of personal preference to some (those who turn off the audio), it is an all-round lack of compatibility and should be noted as such. Second. there is the port issue. While the Amiga parallel port can be used by MS-DOS