From: mharris AT blackwidow DOT saultc DOT on DOT ca Date: Tue, 11 Feb 1997 22:04:58 -0500 (EST) Reply-To: mharris AT blackwidow DOT saultc DOT on DOT ca cc: OpenDOS Subject: Re: [opendos] [OpenDOS] All of them nice ideas In-Reply-To: <199702112150.WAA11732@magigimmix.xs4all.nl> 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 Tue, 11 Feb 1997, yeep wrote: > I was just wondering, ther are a lot of cool ideas of things we want to put > into OpenDOS, but... > IS SOMEONE KEEPING TRACK OF THEM????? I just posted a message to the same effect a second ago before reading yours. I'm making an unbiased list of requested OpenDOS features that we'd like to have. Feel free to add to my list when it comes out. > I'd hate it if there was some cool idea, but we just 'forgot' about it. > These are the ideas I can remeber: > > 1] Direct screen write (!!!!!!OPTIONAL!!!!!!!!) For COMMAND.COM *AND* other full screen OD apps. (I believe that COMMAND.COM might be the only one that doesn't do optional direct writes though. > 2] LFN support (with space please, I happen to like them) You mean VFAT support? Yes, full VFAT support is a must. It must work EXACTLY like W95 does too, in order to maintain full compatibility. However, it would be an option, and it wouldn't interfere with the IFS routines either. The IFS routines should provide their OWN routines for everything and remain separate. (VFAT should ALSO be an IFS in addition to being supported directly like W95 expects IMO). > 3] IFS support Yep, with option of building FS's into the kernel, or loading support at runtime via drivers or modules. Also, transparent loading would be nice. > 4] File Descriptions Both DESCRIPT.ION support in COMMAND.COM *AND* a DESCRIPT.ION file in each opendos directory describing what everything is. > 5] Make OD boot from *any* partion or HD Yes, this will make lots of people happy! > 6] Compile all drivers in the kernel *Optionally* compile drivers into the kernel. A nice full screen menu based program (ala make menuconfig) should do the trick nicely. > 7] Make sure OpenDOS doesn't run on DEC Rainbows :-))) HAHHAHAH!!!! ROTFLMAO!!!! This is an absolute must have! COMMAND.COM should read the keyboard controller directly and bypass DOS and the BIOS as well. For speed reasons of course. :o) > And a question: > I read (in the mailing list) that a harddisk can only supprt 4 partitions. > But is this a hardware limit or a software limit? Hardware. > Because I once tried to install OS/2 WARP and I had a bootmanager, which > Linux saw a /dev/hda5, as in the 5th (fifth!!!) partition (I didn't have a > /dev/hda3 and a /dev/hda4 though). That would be a logical drive inside an extended partition. For example: My HD has a primary DOS partition (C:, or /dev/hda1) and a DOS extended partition (/dev/hda2). The extended partition doesn't show up as a drive letter however, rather it is a "wrapper" for the logical drives that follow. Since only 4 primary partitions are possible, logical drive numbers start at "5". So your DOS logical drive D: will be /dev/hda5, E: will be /dev/hda6, etc. All of this is assuming that you only have a single physical hard disk present. If more than one disk is present, then the drive lettering scheme changes significantly and ends up as this: C: = first partition on first hard disk D: = first partition on second hard disk E: = first logical drive in extended partition on first disk F: = second logical ... G: = first logical drive in extended partition on SECOND disk etc... 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 LINUX: Lost access to your keyboard after a game? Email me for fix.