Editing QEMM (section)

==Windows transition / Decline of QEMM==

While popular when DOS programs were the mainstream, QEMM eventually became largely irrelevant as Windows programs and more intensive DOS programs, particularly games, using [[DOS extender]]s replaced traditional DOS programs for most users. Also, some of the DOS users switched to [[protected mode]] operating systems unsupported by QEMM, such as the [[Windows NT]] series and [[Linux]].

The final version was QEMM 97, which was compatible with [[Windows 95]] and later [[Windows 98]]/[[Windows ME|ME]]{{Citation needed|date=November 2024}}, but by this point, not only was DOS memory management no longer in high demand, but the remaining competitive DOS applications (including various [[GNU]] utilities and text editors) supported EMS, XMS, or DPMI - which reduced demand for conventional memory - or had been ported to Windows 95 or higher. The availability of increasing RAM sizes at low cost served to reduce the need of MagnaRAM. Finally, modern PCI [[chipsets]] provide documented functionality to remove write protection from unused UMA; in many or most cases, this last fact eliminates the need for QEMM for even those relatively few users who use DOS applications and who might otherwise find QEMM essential.