Message-Id: <199903180623.BAA17474@christopher.INS.CWRU.Edu>
Date: Thu, 18 Mar 1999 01:23:08 -0500 (EST)
From: jls11 AT po DOT cwru DOT edu (John L. Spetz)
To: opendos AT delorie DOT com
Subject: Using Linux to improve DRDOS; WAS: Re: Success!
Reply-To: opendos AT delorie DOT com

>again.
>
>Hmmm... Since Caldera has their own Linux distribution, what is
>preventing them from porting Linux fdisk over to DOS, or at least
>those magical parts that give it access to large hard drives?
>(Or that recognize non-DOS partitions?)  Or is this a DOS

I suppose as a small company Caldera does not have the resources to
to revamp the file access logic of Dos that dramatically.  The value
of Dos nowadays is mostly due to how widespread its use has been and
thus how valueable compatibility is in keeping its large software
base alive awhile longer.  I imagine the main priority for Caldera's
DRDOS unit is improving compatibility and gaining a foothold in
the market for very small computers and embedded solutions.  It is
unfortunate Caldera decided against using the open source approach for 
DRDOS as this would have expanded the potential R&D resources so that
functionality like support form multiple filesystem types could have
become a reality.  I suspect Caldera was afraid of two possible
developments:
  1) Loosing control over development of DRDOS.
  2) Finding OEMs won't pay for source that they and their competitors
     can access freely.