Mail Archives: opendos/1997/02/04/11:06:12
On Sun, 2 Feb 1997, Ian 'DrDebug' Day wrote:
> >> Also, I'd suggest an ANSI that is built into COMMAND.COM, what do you
> >> all think to that? Of course, it would be an OPTION!
> >
> >NO!!!! What use is ANSI.SYS nowadays anyways?
> >
> >I'm not asking this to get flamed, just because I know of no uses for
> >it anymore. I used to use it to switch to 50 line mode, and use color
> >in batch files, and a few other things. Now I use a 17 byte non-tsr
> >program which I've written to switch to 50 line mode, I use 4DOS for
> >color in batch files, and to redefine the keyboard safely, and I use
> >special viewers to view ANSI files. As for using DOS via a serial
> >port (which used to be the other reason I needed ANSI.SYS) I now use
> >DOS over serial/modem via DOSemu with no ANSI.SYS. What use does
> >ANSI.SYS really have anymore? I'm not suggesting in any way to get
> >rid of it either, just asking because I don't know.
>
> Well, for example, there's a lot of people out there that still use BBSs
> (in fact, we still run one) and they depend on ANSI for colour display.
I still use BBS's too, and I still get color ANSI screens on my
screen too. I *DONT* have ANSI.SYS loaded either. I have also
ran a BBS and didn't have ANSI.SYS loaded either. Everything
worked just fine and in COLOR on both ends.
Very few programs rely on ANSI.SYS for anything. Those programs
are mostly old and outdated anyways. Some BBS software does
require it (MD's DOORWAY.EXE), but on a BBS system loading
ANSI.SYS is no big deal because fast screen writes are not
important and EVERYTHING is slow to begin with.
If someone is using telecommunications software that requires
ANSI.SYS to be loaded in order to get color ANSI screens when
connecting to a BBS, then perhaps they should use a comm program
from sometime this decade, or just load ANSI.SYS.
A feature such as ANSI *belongs* in a driver, not in the command
interpreter.
> And how would you do a luverly multi coloured prompt that sits in the
> top right of the screen without ANSI? ;-)
Use 4DOS as your command interpreter, and use the SCRPUT,
DRAWBOX, DRAWHLINE, DRAWVLINE, SCREEN, TEXT, and VSCRPUT
commands, as well as the built in 4DOS %@xxx functions and %_xxxx
variables. These functions use DIRECT screen writes (or BIOS
writes if you configure 4DOS to NOT use direct writes).
I can't justify loading ANSI.SYS and slowing down display writes
by a factor of 10 just to see a cute prompt on the top of the
screen. Heck, I don't even do it in 4DOS anymore cause it got
so annoying!
> >Also, as for it being a builtin option, I hope that you mean a COMPILE
> >time option :o)
>
> Of course! ;-)
ANSI.SYS will most probably stay *as-is*. I mean, what new
"ANSI" screen features have come out since the last release? The
only byte that should change in the file is a '1' to a '2', ie:
OpenDOS 7.01 to OpenDOS 7.02. :o)
Besides, even when one *does* need an ANSI driver for some
reason, who actually uses the ones that come with the OS? I use
PCANSI.COM (PC magazine). I use it either in a batch file or as
a 4DOS alias so that it loads, runs the program that needs it,
then it unloads. This way my whole system isn't slowed to a
grinding halt when doing a DIR.
Can't get a better solution than that if you ask me.
TTYL
Mike A. Harris | http://blackwidow.saultc.on.ca/~mharris
Computer Consultant | My webpage has moved and my address has changed.
My dynamic address: http://blackwidow.saultc.on.ca/~mharris/ip-address.html
mailto:mharris AT blackwidow DOT saultc DOT on DOT ca
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