MS/PC-DOS replacements (was: "History" of computing)

Speaking of MS-DOS or PC-DOS, how many here recall using improved MS-DOS replacements, overlays or "environments?" For example, Wendin-DOS and it's UNIX-like and VMS-like emulation, or such multi-tasking and multi-user envorinments that ran on top of MS/PC-DOS such as VMiX? I remember first using VMiX to attach terminals to PeeCees as well as using this with a second monitor - I had both a Hercules color VGA card as well as a Hercules monochrome graphics adapter in the system and used both displays at one time. Sometimes VMiX would work and I could run my BBS (using the QuickBBS software) while also doing other things with the system. Alas, I never sent in the registration fee for VMiX and hence never got the full technical details/documentation, etc. that would have supposedly made it more useful. Did anyone here ever register it and get that info.? This reminds me... I've got to figure out how to write a program to extract all of the old messages from the QuickBBS database files and save them as text files. Getting back to Wendin-DOS, I understand that it's creator ended up being sucked into Microsoft as an employee. Does anyone know how many small companies that could have been good competetion got sucked up that way into the black hole known as Microsoft? -- Copyright (C) 2001 R. D. Davis The difference between humans & other animals: All Rights Reserved an unnatural belief that we're above Nature & rdd(a)rddavis.net 410-744-4900 her other creatures, using dogma to justify such http://www.rddavis.net beliefs and to justify much human cruelty.