Mail Archives: djgpp/1997/01/25/15:26:50
Eli Zaretskii writes:
>> How ANY DOS programmer could get by without 4DOS is totally BEYOND me!
>
>You don't need 600k compressed package to get file completion. For an
>example of such a tool check out CMDEDIT from SimTel.NET: it does file
>completion and command-line editing in just 10k. I think most of the
>size 4DOS takes at runtime is due to its advanced command-line syntax
>(like >& and ||) and richer set of built-in commands, not to the
>completion. So the real issue with 4DOS (IMHO) is: do you really need
>all the additional features, beyond filename completion?
I do - I can't use a PC for more than five or ten minutes if it doesn't
have 4DOS on it :-)
Nifty features I particularly like:
Type 'foobar.c<cr>' to get the file loaded into your editor, regardless
of the current directory (it searches the path as for executable files).
Type 'cd mydir' and it will find the directory even if it isn't a child
of the current dir.
'global' can be used to run any command (even non-4DOS ones) recursively
through a directory tree.
'except (files) command' to remove some files from processing. Works
with non-4DOS internals too, as it just hides the files while the
command executes.
Plus all the neat little things like filename completion, command
history, color ls, and a decent batch language.
Yesterday at work I had a directory containing about 300 files, and
wanted to copy a new one over everything less than 4k in size. A simple
one-line command in 4DOS...
And it's not that huge. When I replaced my command.com with 4dos, I
actually ended up with _more_ conventional memory (although it did use a
chunk of XMS).
Hmm. Maybe I should get a job with JP Software's marketing dept! :-)
/*
* Shawn Hargreaves - shawn AT talula DOT demon DOT co DOT uk - http://www.talula.demon.co.uk/
* Ghoti: 'gh' as in 'enough', 'o' as in 'women', and 'ti' as in 'nation'.
*/
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