Mail Archives: opendos/1997/04/17/14:28:44
On Thu, 17 Apr 1997, Mark Habersack wrote:
> > There is also some weird way that DBLSPACE/DRVSPACE have some weird scheme
> > working as an installable filesystem, I don't really know how stacker does
> > it (although I assume it's similar)
> They use some tricks to inject their code into the system (remember the
> DRVSPACE.BIN file?) and work as a replacement for the FS/DEVICE FAT
> routines built into the kernel. Stacker probably uses the
> DRIVER.SYS approach (I'm not sure).
STACKER (at least since 3.10+) also uses the so called pre-load API in
IBMBIO.COM (before execution of CONFIG.SYS). This has been a major
law act at that time, when Stac sued Microsoft for using Stac patented
algorithms in DBLSPACE without licensing them, and Microsoft was
forced to stop shipping MS-DOS 6.20 (including DBLSPACE) and replace
it by MS-DOS 6.21 (without DBLSPACE). However, Microsoft had a longer
breath and sued Stac for de-assembling the undocumented pre-load API
in MS-DOS 6.20+ (needed to let STACKER install the same way as
DBLSPACE could). Since Stac suffered from M$ pressure and was almost
running out of money, they made a deal with M$: Stac was 'allowed'
to use the pre-load API (as also de-assembled by many other vendors
without being sued for), and M$ could ship DRVSPACE with MS-DOS
6.22...
Matthias
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