From:	mharris AT blackwidow DOT saultc DOT on DOT ca
Date:	Tue, 25 Feb 1997 12:17:22 -0500 (EST)
Reply-To:	mharris AT blackwidow DOT saultc DOT on DOT ca
To:	Robbie Murray <robbie AT scot-mur DOT demon DOT co DOT uk>
cc:	Weiqi Gao <weiqigao AT crl DOT com>, opendos AT mail DOT tacoma DOT net
Subject:	Re: [opendos] BAD Filesystems
In-Reply-To:	<Pine.LNX.3.95.970223202908.9259C-100000@scot-mur.demon.co.uk>
Message-ID:	<Pine.LNX.3.95.970225121026.597F-100000@capslock.com>
Organization:	Total disorganization.
MIME-Version:	1.0
Sender:	owner-opendos AT mail DOT tacoma DOT net

On Sun, 23 Feb 1997, Robbie Murray wrote:

> > mharris wrote:
> > 
> > >Looks like we're going to need to borrow another idea from Linux.
> > >That is the FSSTND.  Anyone care to make a DOS FSSTND?
> > 
> > Why reinvent the wheel?  Why not just USE the Linux File System Standard?
> > (We are going to use ext2fs any way, right?)
> > 
> > While we are there, why not make bash the default command interpreter for
> > OpenDOS?  (Can we add this to the wish list?)
> Why not just use Linux?:)

Because we *DO* use Linux, and we *ARE* trying to improve DOS by
possibly giving it features that other OS's allready enjoy.
Since DOS is allready very similar to UNIX in many ways
(heirarchial directory structure with similar notation, similar
command line syntax (as compared to say VMS), and other similar
features).

By adding stuff like shared libs, etc... we are begging for a
STANDARD way of doing things that works well, and is a documented
standard that people follow.  By reinventing the wheel and making
a new UNIQUE DOS special standard, we lose ease of portability of
MANY UNIX programs, and waste a lot of time doing so.  Also, if a
new standard was to be made, there would probably be 50 different
ones that would never make it STANDARD.  Remember the beta/VHS
war?  How about all of the 900 different types of tape backup
drives?  The HDTV war?  The 100000 different text interfaces/
keyboard mappings across DOS text mode applications?

Why not pick a standard that allready exists.  Not necessarily in
FULL, but at least as a major basis for things to come.  This is
the most sensible thing IMHO.



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

LINUX: The ONLY bulletproof 32-bit operating system that has it all.

- Raw text -