DOS ain't dead

Nick Kurshev has released BIEW version 5.7.0 on 20 December 2008.

Home page: http://sourceforge.net/projects/biew/
Download: biew-570d.ARJ (32-bit DOS binary)

Changes:
* Fixes by Daniel Borca <dborca at yahoo.com>:
^^* unix/vio.c use the correct alternate set for line drawing. see http://www.in-ulm.de/~mascheck/various/alternate_charset/
^^* configure: accept linux and Linux from uname. i?86 is really ia32.
^^* makefile: install xlt and man pages correctly.
^^* unix/os_dep.c: DATADIR conforming to configure. Fix duplicate biew name in configuration file
^^* ia32/_inlines.h: replace xlat with regular table indexing (to be able to test biew with valgrind).
^^* linux/keyboard.c: fix 'I/O possible' error; it seems to be appearing spuriously between __init_vio and the end of __init_keyboard, where SIGIO is hooked as event handler. I think it's harmless to just or maybe block SIGIO events until we are finished setting up the keyboard.
+ Assembling through the nasm/yasm. Patch by <mauro.giachero at gmail.com>
+ New opcodes (SSSE3, SSE4.1, SSE4.2, SSE4a) in x86 disassembler.
+ Provide alternative insns hilighting in ix86-32 disassembler.
* Fixed bug of repainting in hexmode when up_arrow key pressed and filepos == 0.
* Fixed REX handling in x86_64 disassembler
* Fixed CPU information dialog
+ New disassemblers:
^^+ ARM32 / XScale
^^+ AIM Power5+ ISA
+ Added support for PE32+ file format.
+ NEW: User defined names aka bookmarks (Ctrl-F10)!!!
* Many other improvements and fixes.

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Forum admin

Nice hexview, comparing to HIEW it seems it support more plpatforms for disassemblu but missing assembli via mnemonic, just hexcode.

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DOS gives me freedom to unlimited HW access.

> Nice hexview, comparing to HIEW it seems it support more plpatforms for
> disassemblu but missing assembli via mnemonic, just hexcode.

BIEW tries to call Yasm or NASM through temporary files, but it may not have been tested for the 32-bit DOS build. I think, linking against "libyasm" would probably be a better idea.

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Forum admin

> Changes:
> * Fixes by Daniel Borca <dborca at yahoo.com>:

I've e-mailed him about several other things of his and never got any response. Oh well, at least he's still alive.

rr wrote:

> Nick Kurshev has released BIEW version 5.7.0 on 20 December 2008.



> Changes:

... 1'000'000 things

> * Many other improvements and fixes.

Actually there seems to be a small improvement hidden just in this lowest line.

Rugxulo wrote:

> e-mailed him about several other things of his and never got any response.
> Oh well, at least he's still alive.

Who ? Nick is alive, DOS support of BIEW isn't anymore

---
This is a LOGITECH mouse driver, but some software expect here
the following string:*** This is Copyright 1983 Microsoft ***

> Rugxulo wrote:
>
> > e-mailed him about several other things of his and never got any
> response.
> > Oh well, at least he's still alive.
>
> Who ? Nick is alive, DOS support of BIEW isn't anymore

Daniel Borca, of course.
What makes you think BIEW's DOS support could be dead?

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Forum admin

Nick Kurshev has released BIEW version 5.7.1 on 28 December 2008.

Changes:
* Minor fixes and cleanups. (includes my patch to Fix spelling mistakes)
+ feature request: [ 1782395 ] Make Goto (F5) accept percentages

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Forum admin

rr wrote:

> What makes you think BIEW's DOS support could be dead?

Nick's posts in the forum.

> Nick Kurshev has released BIEW version 5.7.1 on 28 December 2008.

X86 disassm seems not to work anymore (used to in 5.7.0). Anyone can confirm ?

---
This is a LOGITECH mouse driver, but some software expect here
the following string:*** This is Copyright 1983 Microsoft ***

> > Nick Kurshev has released BIEW version 5.7.1 on 28 December 2008.
>
> X86 disassm seems not to work anymore (used to in 5.7.0). Anyone can
> confirm ?

No problems here. When will you learn that "does not work" is no bug report?!

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Forum admin

I wrote:

> X86 disassm seems not to work anymore (used to in 5.7.0). Anyone can confirm ?

Actually it is broken in 5.7.0 already, but works in 5.6.4.

rr wrote:

> No problems here.

Tested in DOS ?

> When will you learn that "does not work" is no bug report

What else ? I start BIEW with a file, it defaults to text mode, OK so far, switch to disasm, defaults to "data disasm", OK, so far, even "Java disasm" works (or least doesn't crash ...), but X86 disasm crashes.

---
This is a LOGITECH mouse driver, but some software expect here
the following string:*** This is Copyright 1983 Microsoft ***

> > No problems here.
>
> Tested in DOS ?

No. I'll try that on evening just for you.

> > When will you learn that "does not work" is no bug report
>
> What else ?

How to Report Bugs Effectively is mentioned in posting #1.
Please read it carefully and things will be easier for all of us!

> I start BIEW with a file, it defaults to text mode, OK so far,
> switch to disasm, defaults to "data disasm", OK, so far, even "Java disasm"
> works (or least doesn't crash ...), but X86 disasm crashes.

What does "crash" mean? Does it just return to DOS? Does the whole BIEW hang? Error messages?

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Forum admin

> What else ? I start BIEW with a file, it defaults to text mode, OK so far,
> switch to disasm, defaults to "data disasm", OK, so far, even "Java disasm"
> works (or least doesn't crash ...), but X86 disasm crashes.

BTW can somebody try ARM disassembly? I tried but I got bad code compared to view IDA (different or unknown instructions, messed up)

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DOS gives me freedom to unlimited HW access.

> > Tested in DOS ?
>
> No. I'll try that on evening just for you.

Took a bit longer, but I found no problems when running BIEW in FreeDOS 1.0. Do you have NASM or YASM somewhere in your path? Try replacing HDPMI32 with CWSDPMI.

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Forum admin

> Try replacing HDPMI32 with CWSDPMI

Gold standard: Still crashes, plus CWSDPMI.SWP and 1'000'000 of DJ?????? files as bonus

> found no problems when running BIEW in FreeDOS

Most likely you don't have COMSPEC defined ... for me it also "works" if I kill it ... as I just now found out

> Do you have NASM or YASM somewhere in your path?

No, and seems to have no effect anyway.

---
This is a LOGITECH mouse driver, but some software expect here
the following string:*** This is Copyright 1983 Microsoft ***

> > Try replacing HDPMI32 with CWSDPMI
>
> Gold standard: Still crashes, plus CWSDPMI.SWP and 1'000'000 of DJ??????
> files as bonus

Concerning all your other posts about crashes on your PC, I still think, you should install from scratch or buy a "new" one.

> Most likely you don't have COMSPEC defined ... for me it also
> "works" if I kill it ... as I just now found out

I have COMSPEC defined, of course, because that's default and many programs rely on that.

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Forum admin

Nick Kurshev has released BIEW version 5.7.2 on 11 jan 2009.

Changes:

* Minor fixes and cleanups
* Workaround for output of external assembler.
* Fixed generic build
* Fixed broken output on UTF terminals

> Concerning all your other posts about crashes on your PC, I still think,
> you should install from scratch

Doing several times per year.

> or buy a "new" one.

NO, see below.

> I have COMSPEC defined, of course, because

... TEMP is also evil

Please download my image, it securely fails both on my real PC and inside BOCHS: http://freefile.kristopherw.us/uploads/temp/q.zip

1.

boot up
CD B
BIEW \WDE.COM
-> crash + 2 DJ files

2.

boot up
CD B
SET TEMP=
BIEW \WDE.COM
-> no crash anymore but still 2 DJ files + silly activity, see shot

3. * Workaround for output of external assembler.

Done, but seems not to work. RTFS: var is being set to true on 2 places, but nowhere to false ???

tBool iniUseExtProgs = True;
 biewReadProfileString(ini,"Biew","Setup","UseExternalProgs","yes",tmp,sizeof(tmp));
  if(stricmp(tmp,"yes") == 0) iniUseExtProgs = True;

4. Move the BIEW files from "B" to main with FreeDOS MOVE ... oops, doesn't work

5. Move the BIEW files from "B" to main with something else and start it from main -> failure, "fi_syser.$$$"

6. [minor] RTFS: "fi_syserr.$$$" is mentioned 2 times, one with 2 r's and one with only 1 r

0leg wrote:

> Nick Kurshev has released BIEW version 5.7.2 on 11 jan 2009.

0. Welcome

1. Could you help confirming the bugs please ?

2. Congrats to recent INSIGHT update (I might have to RTFM before I can thoroughly test or really use it ....) and FDRC

---
This is a LOGITECH mouse driver, but some software expect here
the following string:*** This is Copyright 1983 Microsoft ***

> Please download my image, it securely fails both on my real PC and inside
> BOCHS: http://freefile.kristopherw.us/uploads/temp/q.zip

Even in VMware.

> 1.
>
> boot up
> CD B
> BIEW \WDE.COM
> -> crash + 2 DJ files

This seems to be a little complicated. It could be a FreeDOS kernel, FreeCOM, DJGPP RTL, or BIEW problem.

BIEW uses popen() to scan for NASM/YASM. I'm not sure this call is fully supported in DJGPP. At least in djdev204 it's broken (but fixed in CVS) according to Juan Manuel Guerrero. But in general pointing SHELL/COMSPEC to another binary should work. So it could also be a FreeDOS bug. Eric Auer is probably interested in this.

Maybe we should invite all those people to become members of this forum.

Work around:
0) remove read-only attribute from floppy image file
1) delete your homebrewn COMMAND.COM
2) rename FREECOM.COM to COMMAND.COM
3) change FDCONFIG.SYS accordingly

> 2.
>
> boot up
> CD B
> SET TEMP=
> BIEW \WDE.COM
> -> no crash anymore but still 2 DJ files + silly activity, see shot
>

Related to "1.", because BIEW tries to execute, e.g., "[n|y]asm -s --version 2>NUL" for [N|Y]ASM detection. This requires a temporary file for redirection.

"2>NUL" is probably another BIEW bug, because COMMAND.COM doesn't support this syntax to redirect STDERR.

> 3. * Workaround for output of external assembler.
>
> Done, but seems not to work. RTFS: var is being set to true on 2 places,
> but nowhere to false ???

Yes, this looks wrong. Please report it to Nick!

> 4. Move the BIEW files from "B" to main with FreeDOS MOVE ... oops,
> doesn't work

Moving works fine here after changing floppy image format to 2.88M.

> 5. Move the BIEW files from "B" to main with something else and start it
> from main -> failure, "fi_syser.$$$"

BIEW loads fine. I moved those files using Volkov Commander.

> 6. [minor] RTFS: "fi_syserr.$$$" is mentioned 2 times, one with 2
> r's and one with only 1 r

The one with two Rs exceeds DOS 8.3. Please report this to Nick!

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Forum admin

> Even in VMware.

For that cost

> This seems to be a little complicated. It could be a FreeDOS kernel,
> FreeCOM, DJGPP RTL, or BIEW problem.

This time it exceptionally isn't a bug of FreeDOS since with EDR-DOS the trouble is the very same ... just marginal differences in wording of the whining.

> BIEW uses popen() to scan for NASM/YASM.

WOW The truth is out: all the DJ?????? files are form popen ...

> I'm not sure this call is fully supported in DJGPP.

WATCOM and CC386 don't attempt to fake it for DOS target, I did have trouble here when compiling GIFSICLE

> At least in djdev204 it's broken (but fixed in CVS)
> according to Juan Manuel Guerrero.

Truth is out.

> But in general pointing SHELL/COMSPEC
> to another binary should work.

But doesn't with BIEW.

> So it could also be a FreeDOS bug.

NO, see above.

> Eric Auer is probably interested in this.
> Maybe we should invite all those people to become members of this forum.

YES Just Eric IIRC doesn't like forums ...

> Work around: rename FREECOM.COM to COMMAND.COM

Might help but such a rename is not what I like to happen ... killing TEMP or COMSPEC also seems to "help"

> "2>NUL" is probably another BIEW bug

Yeah.

> Yes, this looks wrong. Please report it to Nick!

I will.

> Moving works fine here after changing floppy image format to 2.88M.

My PC doesn't have an "auto-convert into 2.88" button on its floppy drive. So you confirm this one also ... indirectly.

> BIEW loads fine. I moved those files using Volkov Commander.

??? having all 6 of 6 confirmed would be ways too nice

---
This is a LOGITECH mouse driver, but some software expect here
the following string:*** This is Copyright 1983 Microsoft ***

> > So it could also be a FreeDOS bug.
>
> NO, see above.

OK

> > Eric Auer is probably interested in this.
> > Maybe we should invite all those people to become members of this
> forum.
>
> YES Just Eric IIRC doesn't like forums ...

I'll ask him anyway.

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Forum admin

Nick Kurshev has released BIEW version 5.7.3 on 01 February 2009.

Home page & download: http://sourceforge.net/projects/biew/

Changes:
* Fixed bug #2468422: biew doesn't work in main directory under DOS
* Fixed bug #2520144: Wrong computing of addressing mode in ARM dis.
* Fixed national input on UTF-based terminals
* Fixed RIP-realtive address resolving in AMD64 mode

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Forum admin

> Home page & download: http://sourceforge.net/projects/biew/
> Nick Kurshev has released BIEW version 5.7.3

Now 5.7.3.1

> bug #2468422: biew doesn't work in main directory under DOS

Indeed But the "popen-BUG" is still unfixed.

---
This is a LOGITECH mouse driver, but some software expect here
the following string:*** This is Copyright 1983 Microsoft ***