Mail Archives: opendos/1997/05/15/01:38:47
> I'd like to see a 'Windows Extender':
> We can sell it as a speed improver for Windows apps, it'll give direct
> access to everything! (Basically just wipes system memory and hands the
> CPU over to the program :)
> Of course, programs won't directly benefit from it until they're coded
> for it, but that's the same as MMX, right?
We could be solving three problems at once...
Create/modify a "dos extender" and graphics interface (MMX-, DPMS- and
TaskMgr-aware) that will run under OpenDOS, plain DOS, OpenDOS+dosemu
and Win95 (perhaps with some speed reduction to gain compatibility).
This could mean:
(1) We can go ahead and write graphics and memory-hungry programs for
OpenDOS easily (presumably with DJGPP or Borland or whatever, since
these programs simply wouldn't be appropriate on a 286 or below);
(2) At this time, when MMX is new and DirectX has a doubtful future,
people will be seeking for a good standard so they can "write the
program once".
(3) Those new programs should then be able run nicely under our favourite
operating system(s) without the presnt problems with weird extenders!
Its not that we should set out to make the programs run slower under W95,
but I expect that this will be inevitable to maintain compatibility.
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Mark Aitchison, Physics & Astronomy \_ Phone : +64 3 3642-947 a.h. 3371-225
University of Canterbury, </ Fax : +64 3 3642-469 or 3642-999
Christchurch, New Zealand. /) E-mail: phys169 AT csc DOT canterbury DOT ac DOT nz
#include <disclaimer.std> (/' "this space deliberately blank"
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