From:	"Campbell, Rolf [SKY:1U32:EXCH]" <cp1v45 AT americasm01 DOT nt DOT com>
Newsgroups:	comp.os.msdos.djgpp
Subject:	Re: **MAKING OS**
Date:	Tue, 27 Jul 1999 10:37:50 -0400
Organization:	Nortel Networks
Lines:	24
Message-ID:	<379DC43E.F1F151C7@americasm01.nt.com>
References:	<379939BC DOT 11DC1FDB AT home DOT com> <99072608244400 DOT 00586 AT dome DOT calderathin DOT com> <379C7F3C DOT 5FEFA3C2 AT americasm01 DOT nt DOT com> <379D6498 DOT 1AD17AFA AT home DOT com>
NNTP-Posting-Host:	bmerhc00.ca.nortel.com
Mime-Version:	1.0
X-Mailer:	Mozilla 4.6 [en] (X11; I; HP-UX B.10.20 9000/712)
X-Accept-Language:	en
To:	djgpp AT delorie DOT com
DJ-Gateway:	from newsgroup comp.os.msdos.djgpp
Reply-To:	djgpp AT delorie DOT com

Mark & Candice White wrote:

> >     But, doesn't DOS use BIOS routines to read from the keyboard (when it could very
> > easily hook the interrupt).  Doesn't it also use BIOS routines to do various tasks
> > like changing screen-modes and reading/writing from a hard-drive?  Could it then be
> > said that DOS isn't an OS because it calls BIOS service routines?
> >      -Rolf Campbell (39)3-6318
>
> I have read some good arguments the MSDOS is not an os because it doesn't have
> a kernel, but a PCs BIOS is not an os in anyone's book, its just a api/lib, it manages
> no resources.

    It does manager resources, it manages video resources and the keyboard.  What is
really meant by 'managing resources'?  DOS is just a set of api/libs.  All it does is map
these lib functions to interrupts and ... there you go.  If you say that DOS is an
operating system because it manages a file-system, then you could say the same thing
about Win9x (it uses LFN's).  I don't understand the difference between DOS on BIOS &
Win9x on DOS.  All 3 of them can launch programs.


     -Rolf Campbell (39)3-6318

- Raw text -