Intermec 6100 Reference Guide

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Windows is an operating environment, a special class of DOS application whose

primary purpose is to enable other applications to execute.

The most visible portion of Windows is the Graphical User Interface (GUI), but

the real power of Windows is actually hidden deep inside the computer.  Windows

also acts as a multitasking system, which means that any number of applicaĆ

tions may be loaded into memory and executed all at the same time.  However,

only a single application would be receiving CPU time at any given moment.
In a typical PEN*KEY 6000 Series Computer configuration, the Windows enviĆ

ronment is practically invisible to the end user.  So why have it at all?  Windows

becomes an intermediary between the application and the hardware.  Unlike a

DOS application that needs to supply its own code to interact with the display

and other peripherals, Windows applications need only conform to the general

parameters of the device.  The intricacies of dealing with the device are handled

by a Windows driver, letting the application focus its attention on other tasks.
The retail version of Windows is delivered on several diskettes and requires from

6 to 8 megabytes of hard disk space for installation.  There are a vast number of

user configurations that can be built with Windows.  Many of the Windows comĆ

ponents are optional and their uses are dependent on the type of peripherals

(sound cards etc.) installed on a given PC.  Intermec Technologies Corporation

provides a standard minimal configuration for Windows in the PEN*KEY 6000

Series Computer.  This configuration provides only those elements that are absoĆ

lutely necessary in order to start Windows and load the File Manager.  Many of

the services" assumed to be present by a given Windows application are not

present and must be installed separately.  The Windows Components paragraph,

in the Supporting Windows Applications section, provides a list of the files inĆ

cluded in the minimal Windows configuration, along with a brief description of

each file's purpose.  Few, if any, of these files may be removed and still allow

Windows to run.