GEM/XM

GEM/XM was an attempt to expand GEM/2 to support full multitasking (both of GEM applications, and of DOS applications). The only known version to survive was a beta (called "3.0B3") with partial source; the missing source code has been reconstructed.

GEM/XM "about" box.

The desktop looks identical to that in GEM/2, except for the menus. The 'desk' menu now includes a list of running applications (like Macintosh System 7) as well as desktop accessories. The accessories are the ones marked with a star. Unlike System 7 (but like MultiFinder), each application has its own desktop, and you only see the windows from one application at a time.

This being a beta, there's a "To Debug" option on the menu. This generates an INT 3; so if you're running the Desktop inside a debugger such as GEMSID, you can switch back to the debugger by selecting this option.

If you launch a DOS program, you can get to the 'Desk' menu by pressing the keypad 'plus' key. Apart from the lack of colour, it looks quite reminiscent of TaskMAX under DRDOS 6.

Having chosen 'copy', you see this menu.

And assuming you didn't cancel, you now mark out the area with the cursor keys. As in GEM itself, 'End' means 'start drag' and 'Home' means 'end drag'. The copied text is written to the file C:\GEMSCRAP\SCRAP.TXT - which corresponds to the clipboard used by GEM applications if and only if GEM/XM is installed on drive C:.

If you launch a desk accessory from a DOS application, it appears in an otherwise empty Desktop.