From: "Tim Bird" <tbird AT caldera DOT com>
Message-Id: <9703211005.ZM10023@caldera.com>
Date: Fri, 21 Mar 1997 10:05:26 -0700
In-Reply-To: "yeep" <yeep@xs4all.nl>
        "Re: [opendos] Wishlist 2.0" (Mar 20,  9:37pm)
References: <199703211330 DOT OAA07535 AT magigimmix DOT xs4all DOT nl>
To: <opendos AT mail DOT tacoma DOT net>
Subject: Re: [opendos] Wishlist 2.0
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yeep wrote:
> > > >12] Make W95 run from OpenDOS
> > I don't see much point in making W95 run from OpenDOS, in fact I
> > find that that statement doesn't make any sense.  It makes it
> > sound like W95 is an application and not an OS.  (Not that I
> > think it *IS* an OS anyways).  I mean its like saying "Make VMS
> > run from OpenDOS" isn't it?

> Okay, so it might be stupid.
> But wouldn't it be a killer to have Win95 run from OpenDOS?
> After all Win95 isn't an OS, it's merely a shell running on MS-DOS 7.0,
> regardless of what Micro$oft claims!
> Running Win95 apps from OpenDOS, that'd also be a nice backstab to M$!
> Image the headlines: Forget Windows, Run you Windows applicstions from DOS,
> OpenDOSQQQQ
>
> 	Yeep
>
> I'll take the 'run win95' part from my wishlist, though I think it would be
> cool if it was made possible!

Please don't.  You are right about Win95 mostly just running on top
of MS-DOS 7.0.  I can think of a number of reasons why it might be desirable
to support Win95 on OpenDOS.   For example, if OpenDOS supported a new
IFS, there is the possibility I could have ext2fs support in Win95.  Also,
I might want to use some of OpenDOS' security features (passworded files,
single login, etc).  I suspect that it would be very difficult due to
problematical issues like Win95 bypassing DOS file I/O and going straight
to BIOS for disk operations (but I believe this is configurable).  However,
lets not toss something out when there are valid reasons for it, without
doing some investigation on it first.

Finally, there is one other reason which is important to Caldera to find out
if Win95 can run on a slightly modified OpenDOS.  Part of Caldera's claims
against Microsoft are about actions which misled the public about the
compatibility of Windows with Novell DOS.  If it were found that they
had misled the public again about the degree to which Win95 is a stand-alone
OS (which cannot run on a competitor's OS), and that the products are
much less technically "tied", this could have an effect on Caldera's
lawsuit.  Tying products by a monopoly is a violation of certain
anti-trust acts in the U.S.

Tim Bird