Mail Archives: opendos/1997/03/31/21:07:48
At 11:09 AM 3/28/97 -0500, you wrote:
>No, I've been waiting for a long time for the same thing. I hope
>that a free STABLE clone of '95 will come out within the next
>year because I'm going to be FORCED into needing it and I REFUSE
>to install M$95 period. I pray that Caldera is silently working
>on OpenWindows95 (complete with sources of course) since they've
>won rights to the details of M$ OS's for 10 years. Hopefully
>that is enough time for Caldera to clone 95, NT, and then push
>BEYOND M$ and put out THE NEXT OS. (Pun not intended on NeXT).
>:o)
>
>Long live OpenDOS!
I read about a FreeWin95 project a while back. I haven't heard
anything since, but it may still be under way. I'll append their text now,
hopefully no one minds...
FreeWin95 project introduction
Document revision 0.1
Official release
English version
This is the introduction text for the FreeWin95 project. This document
is not meant to be a programmers-only info file, but rather
as information for anybody interested by the project.
1. What is it ?
----------------
The FreeWin95 project is project to make a free system which would be
low-level compatible with Microsoft Windows 95. The system would be
placed under a GNU-like license, which would make it so-called "free
software". This means that the source is released (the original program,
under a text-form, readable and editable by humans), that nobody may
sell the system (it is free!), and that everybody may contribuate to
the project (this last topic is actually not in the GNU license, but the
project will be so). Low-level compatible means that it would accept
system drivers which are designed for use with Windows 95.
2. In which way can I be interested ?
--------------------------------------
First, as a would-be user. You can not only encourage us, you can also
tell us your suggestions, what you like or don't like in Microsoft
Windows 95 and what we have to make better. You can help development by
spreading informations about the project (you are encouraged to spread
this info file).
Secondly, as a developer. You will naturally understand that
programmers are necessary for such a project. They are the people who
will put the project in concrete form.
In the third place (but not less important!) are the people who will
handle public relations. This goes from information for the public and
relations with hardware producers for drivers to juridic problems
(everything we release has to be legal).
And, at last but not least, we need people who dedicate web pages or
bbs'es to freewin95. A freewin95 home page would really be
interesting. A mailing list would be interesting to, and someone has to
maintain it. E-mail for freewin95 developers/helpers would also be
handy.
3. Organisation
----------------
We need at least a little organisation if we want to achieve a
fully-working system which meets our main goal : low-level compatibility
with Microsoft Windows 95. Organisation doesn't mean hierarchy. I think
everyone has to be treated equally in the project.
We first need a coordinator, at least for the first months. I think
that the project can then goes further without coordinator. His task
will be to suggest who is going to do what. As I started the project, I
am candidate for this and will act as if I had this function until there
are major complaints from potential freewin95 helpers. In this case, we
will think about a new organisation scheme (without me, naturally).
Then we need someone who will maintain a web site (home page ?) and
someone who will maintain the mailing list. A newsgroup would be great
too.
We also need someone who will write the "official" texts. If after a
while we see more than one development tendency, there will be more than
one distribution.
I don't see anything more which would be necessary in the organisation.
If you do, please tell us.
4. Development information
---------------------------
I didn't discussed this with other people yet, and I think nobody has
to decide it on his own. We have to discuss it all together. A newsgroup
would be great for it, and a mailing list is almost necessary, as I said
earlier in this text.
I propose (this has to be discussed !) that we do everything in C/C++,
so we all "speak the same language". I know there is a port of GNU C for
Windows 95, and I propose we use this for every application we will
develop. But this is for later, as we first need a kernel. For this, I
propose we find a good compiler. We could eventually adapt GNU C. We
could also do a lot in assembler, but I don't know if it is the best
solution. It would not only take a lot of time, it would also not
generate the fastest code. If we have to optimize everything for Pentium
processors by hand... And who can be sure to make the best code with
these pipelines, the cache, etc. ? What will almost necessarely have to
be in assembler is the code which will put the processor in protected
mode and manage memory.
Anyway, ideas are welcome...
I also wanted to say that you don't have to be a great programmer to
develop something for freewin95. Feel free to try, there will be enough
people to correct you if you're wrong, and it's the best method to
learn.
5. How to contact us ?
-----------------------
At the moment, the only mean is by e-mailing to me (project
coordinator) :
Yannick Majoros, aka Mellery Mutant, aka Melmut
internet e-mail : ymajoros AT hotmail DOT com
fidonet netmail : 2:293/3202.15
I think this is all for now... Oh, I almost forgot :
6. These are registered trademarks :
-------------------------------------
Microsoft
Windows
Windows 95
Maybe all these free OS projects ought to work together, like
FreeDOS, OpenDOS (eventually) and FreeWin95!
Jonathan Roberts
The Keeper of The Caverns
jonathan AT acadiacom DOT net
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