From:	dg AT dcs DOT st-and DOT ac DOT uk
Message-Id:	<15093.9703132128@orkney.dcs.st-andrews.ac.uk>
To:	opendos AT mail DOT tacoma DOT net
Subject:	Re: [opendos] FSSTND
In-Reply-To:	evand@wsunix.wsu.edu's message of Thu, 13 Mar 97 10:18:01 -0800.
	<Pine DOT OSF DOT 3 DOT 95 DOT 970313094853 DOT 31112B-100000 AT unicorn DOT it DOT wsu DOT edu>
Mime-Version:	1.0
Date:	Thu, 13 Mar 97 21:28:28 +0000
Sender:	owner-opendos AT mail DOT tacoma DOT net

[...]
>While I agree with the idea of a standard, I abhor hardcoded directory
>names.  I've already got my own directory structure and I hate programs
>that won't respect that.  
>
>In lieu of hardcoded directories, I'd suggest a file whose contents look
>something like this: 
>
>utility=c:\util
>app=c:\dosapps;d:\dosapps
>game=c:\games
>library=d:\opendos\lib
>temp=c:\temp
>etc...
[...]

Interestingly enough, GEOS (a really nifty preemptive GUI that will run on *anything* with at least 640kB of RAM that I urge you all to try) does just this. What's more, you can specify *multiple* paths for every virtual path. So I can specify SP_FONT_PATH to be in:

	C:\GEOS\USERDATA\FONT
	N:\EXPORTED\GEOS\FONTS
	D:\FONTS\BODY
	D:\FONTS\DISPLAY

...where C is my local drive, N a network drive, and D a CD. If it doesn't find a particular font on C, it looks on N, and then on the two D directories. Of course, writes all go to C.

This wouldn't be easy to implement without hooking into the `open file' interrupt, of course, but a list of standard paths would be easy to implement. Yet another DOS 21h interrupt: Get Standard Path. On entry, CX=path ID, DS:DX=pointer to buffer...

-- 
------------------- http://www-hons-cs.cs.st-and.ac.uk/~dg --------------------
   If you're up against someone more intelligent than you are, do something
    totally insane and let him think himself to death.  --- Pyanfar Chanur
---------------- Sun-Earther David Daton Given of Lochcarron ------------------

- Raw text -