From: dg AT dcs DOT st-and DOT ac DOT uk Message-Id: <15093.9703132128@orkney.dcs.st-andrews.ac.uk> To: opendos AT mail DOT tacoma DOT net Subject: Re: [opendos] FSSTND In-Reply-To: evand@wsunix.wsu.edu's message of Thu, 13 Mar 97 10:18:01 -0800. Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Date: Thu, 13 Mar 97 21:28:28 +0000 Sender: owner-opendos AT mail DOT tacoma DOT net Precedence: bulk [...] >While I agree with the idea of a standard, I abhor hardcoded directory >names. I've already got my own directory structure and I hate programs >that won't respect that. > >In lieu of hardcoded directories, I'd suggest a file whose contents look >something like this: > >utility=c:\util >app=c:\dosapps;d:\dosapps >game=c:\games >library=d:\opendos\lib >temp=c:\temp >etc... [...] Interestingly enough, GEOS (a really nifty preemptive GUI that will run on *anything* with at least 640kB of RAM that I urge you all to try) does just this. What's more, you can specify *multiple* paths for every virtual path. So I can specify SP_FONT_PATH to be in: C:\GEOS\USERDATA\FONT N:\EXPORTED\GEOS\FONTS D:\FONTS\BODY D:\FONTS\DISPLAY ...where C is my local drive, N a network drive, and D a CD. If it doesn't find a particular font on C, it looks on N, and then on the two D directories. Of course, writes all go to C. This wouldn't be easy to implement without hooking into the `open file' interrupt, of course, but a list of standard paths would be easy to implement. Yet another DOS 21h interrupt: Get Standard Path. On entry, CX=path ID, DS:DX=pointer to buffer... -- ------------------- http://www-hons-cs.cs.st-and.ac.uk/~dg -------------------- If you're up against someone more intelligent than you are, do something totally insane and let him think himself to death. --- Pyanfar Chanur ---------------- Sun-Earther David Daton Given of Lochcarron ------------------