Date: Tue, 21 Jan 1997 09:14:35 +0000
From: Bill Currie <billc AT blackmagic DOT tait DOT co DOT nz>
Subject: Re: Any one writing OS in DJGPP?
To: Ove Kaaven <ovek AT arcticnet DOT no>
Cc: djgpp AT delorie DOT com
Reply-to: billc AT blackmagic DOT tait DOT co DOT nz
Message-id: <32E488FA.3744@blackmagic.tait.co.nz>
Organization: Tait Electronics NZ
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References: <32E14858 DOT 4CF6 AT concentric DOT net>
 <32E24EA0 DOT 7BEE AT blackmagic DOT tait DOT co DOT nz> <5bumbf$tov$1 AT troll DOT powertech DOT no>

Ove Kaaven wrote:
> 
> Bill Currie <billc AT blackmagic DOT tait DOT co DOT nz> wrote:
> 
> >I'm working on an os myself (infact I wrote the bootstrap loader
> >mentioned above).  I've got it so it can call the bios from protected
> >mode (v86 mode) and handle hardware interrupts/cpu exceptions.
> 
> OS writing is fun, don't you all agree?

I agree.  But I also find it a bit frustrating when I don't know where
to 
go from where I am.

> Then I've come a little further than you... I call the BIOS in a VM,
> naturally multitaskable so disk accesses etc don't delay anything
> else, it multitasks (I think), it has page mapping, it has a
> "universal" file system driver, where FAT is implemented, it's
> completely message-driven (and designed for reliability), it has a
> basic console driver, a complete (almost) keyboard driver, a simple
> shell, and naturally lots of loose ends, non-implemented features and
> a few bugs. I'm currently working on the serial driver, to make myself
> able to make a comms program to combine development and "net surfing".

Significantly further.  However, I have some serial port (one minor bug
with cleaning up the port on initialization) and keyboard (seems to
be fine) code I'm very willing to share if you're interrested.

> Of course, nobody developing an OS nowadays can count that their
> system will become any great hit, there's just too many of them. But
> it's fun, makes good experience, and it's a way to channel one's
> disgust of the Bill Gates empire. And with all this effort in this
> area, maybe one will eventually be able to be Windows' successor.

A million monkeys...

Bill
-- 
Leave others their otherness.