Date:	Mon, 31 Mar 1997 10:07:30 -0500 (EST)
From:	"Mike A. Harris" <mharris AT blackwidow DOT saultc DOT on DOT ca>
Reply-To:	"Mike A. Harris" <mharris AT blackwidow DOT saultc DOT on DOT ca>
To:	Jude DaShiell <jdashiel AT eagle1 DOT eaglenet DOT com>
cc:	opendos AT delorie DOT com
Subject:	Re: wish list 2.0
In-Reply-To:	<Pine.NXT.3.95.970328022824.19589B-100000@eagle1>
Message-ID:	<Pine.LNX.3.95.970331095927.8341A-100000@capslock.com>
Organization:	Total disorganization.
MIME-Version:	1.0

On Fri, 28 Mar 1997, Jude DaShiell wrote:

> I just thought of something, the config.log and autoexec.log files should
> always generate on a boot.  If there were no errors in config.sys when
> the machine booted then config.log could be erased.
> If there were no errors in autoexec.bat then autoexec.log could
> be erased.  Boots should do destructive writing of these log files.
> If an error does happen or perhaps more than one error, perhaps the offending
> parameter on the command line could be tagged with a caret
> in front of it.
> I know systems especially the faster ones boot up too fast
> even for people with 20:20 vission to read the screen much of the time and this 
> feature were it implemented would remove
> that requirement.

Well, this (if implemented) should be as an option only.  The
default behaviour should be to leave the "bootlog" intact and let
the user decide.  The reason?  Semantic errors.  In other
words, lets say that you make a typo in CONFIG.SYS, but that
that typo is ok with DOS ie: no error.  However, that typo
causes something to go wrong later on which renders the machine 
unusable.  If the log was deleted, then you've got nothing to
go on for reference.  As for the tagging with a caret, that
wouldn't work because 4DOS uses the caret as a command separator
much like the ";" in UNIX.  I think something like the following 
would be more appropriate (and is the way it works now in
6.22/4DOS)

ERROR: in config.sys line 14: defice=c:\blah.com

Or something very similar.  Also, single step debugging should be
an option on CONFIG.SYS/AUTOEXEC.BAT, as well as other batch
files.  I don't know if COMMAND.COM does this for batches
allready, but 4DOS does.  The kernel would have to take care of
CONFIG.SYS stepping.


Mike A. Harris        |             http://blackwidow.saultc.on.ca/~mharris
Computer Consultant   |                  Coming soon: dynamic-IP-freedom...
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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