Intermec 6200 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 multiĆtasking 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, allowing the application to focus its attention on other

tasks.
The retail version of Windows is delivered on several disks and requires from 6 to

8 MB of hard disk space for installation.  There are a vast number of user configĆ

urations that can be built with Windows.  Many of the Windows components 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 stanĆ

dard minimal configuration for Windows in the PEN*KEY 6000 Series ComputĆ

er.  This configuration provides only those elements that are absolutely necesĆ

sary 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 SecĆ

tion 3 provides a list of the files included 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.