From: mharris AT blackwidow DOT saultc DOT on DOT ca Date: Mon, 10 Feb 1997 04:34:46 -0500 (EST) Reply-To: mharris AT blackwidow DOT saultc DOT on DOT ca To: Roger Ivie cc: OPENDOS AT mail DOT tacoma DOT net Subject: Re: [opendos] Accessibility of OpenDOS with braille and speech output... In-Reply-To: <01IF1Z889H3M93B0JZ@cc.usu.edu> Message-ID: Organization: Total disorganization. MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII Sender: owner-opendos AT mail DOT tacoma DOT net Precedence: bulk On Wed, 5 Feb 1997, Roger Ivie wrote: > Mark Harris wrote: > >On Mon, 3 Feb 1997, Roger Ivie wrote: > >> COMMAND.COM doesn't actually do BIOS output. It does DOS output. That is, it > >> writes to a file handle open on the console and reads from a file handle > >> also open on the console. This does two things: > >> > >> 1) Makes it possible to run on weird machines like the DEC Rainbow which > >> don't have a PC-compatible ROM BIOS. > > > >DOS is a PC operating system. Non-compatibles are just that: not > >compatible. Should we make DOS so that it can run on the VIC-20 > >as well? It is not PC-compatible either. > > The VIC-20 is not an x86 machine. MS-DOS was, and IMHO should still be, > generic to x86 machines. A specific OEM (such as IBM) can customize to their > particular hardware (giving rise to PC-DOS), but the OS itself should be > as generic as possible. Ok, give me your address. In compensation for us making OpenDOS 386 specific, when I upgrade my 486 to a pentium in a few months, I'll be trickling the parts down across my other systems. Since I only need 3, and will have 4 systems, I'll send you my Tandy TL/2 1000. You just pay for postage. I'll throw in a C64 too. BTW, if you've got the source code for an OS, I'd say that it can be as generic as you'd like. (Conditional compilation, + the ability to make it do whatever makes you smile.) Mike A. Harris | http://blackwidow.saultc.on.ca/~mharris Computer Consultant | My webpage has moved and my address has changed. My dynamic address: http://blackwidow.saultc.on.ca/~mharris/ip-address.html mailto:mharris AT blackwidow DOT saultc DOT on DOT ca Want Wordperfect for Linux? Visit Caldera's website: www.caldera.com