Software Carousel is a task switching enhancement for the HP Palmtop computer. It allows you to quickly switch from one DOS or HP Palmtop built-in application to another with the click of a key. It was an important piece of my computerized scoring on the HP Palmtop. Without Software Carousel, the built-in applications would not have been accessible while running Alpha Four because it is too big a program to be able to share lower RAM with the built-in programs.
Software Carousel swaps inactive programs (those not being used at the moment) from the system RAM to other memory (called the "storage pool"). The pool can be free RAM disk memory (the C drive), memory on a PC Card (the A drive) or expanded memory. (To have Expanded Memory available you must have an Expanded Memory manager loaded in memory via the CONFIG.SYS file.) Software Carousel lets you press a "hot-key" combination to switch from one program to another. When you switch programs, the screen image and processing of the current program is "frozen" and saved into the storage pool; the screen image of the program you are switching to is displayed and its processing picks up right where you left it.
Software Carousel lets you create up to twelve of these work areas and swap rapidly among them. Most users do not require the use of twelve work areas, and often define about five for regular use. You can pick the number of work areas that is right for you.
Software Carousel also responds to the special blue/green program keys on the Palmtop. When you press one of these special program keys, Software Carousel will instantly switch to whichever work area contains that program, if it is already running. If the program is not running, Software Carousel will switch to the work area where the System Manager is running and issue the command to load that application to the System Manager. The net result is the same as if the program were already running: you are switched to the appropriate built-in program. You do not have to perform any configuration process for this feature to work on the Palmtop computer. It is completely automatic !
There are many options for using Software Carousel. You do not need to make any decisions before you start.
Contact Information: Additional information on Software Carousel for the Palmtop may be obtained by calling
Group 32 Corporation (formerly SunShine Software Company): Phone: 800-553-0400; Fax: 954-581-5902; Online: www.group32.com.