DOS ain't dead

There is a structure known as the lCFG block to update some configuration choices for lDOS programs. The programs to patch them will currently search for an lCFG block within the first 8 KiB of the file.

The MCP build of lDOS/lDebug/Loader however contains three lCFG blocks. This is not supported yet by the patch utilities, which will only find the first one (both because they don't search for subsequent ones and because the subsequent ones live farther in the file than the first 8 KiB).

I want to support the additional lCFG blocks in patchini/patldos, but I am yet undecided how to do so. Here's a log showing the current syntax to query and update the lCFG block configurations:

$ cp -iat . ../msdos4.hg/hg/bin/ldospak.com
$ ./patldos
Usage: patldos KEYWORD

Supported keywords:
lDOS inicomp progress choice: PROGRESS, PRO
lMS-DOS / lEDR-DOS debugger check option: DEBUG, DEB
lMS-DOS verbosity option: VERBOSE, VER
lMS-DOS partition table scan mode: SCANMODE, SCAN, MODE, SCA
lMS-DOS halt flag option: HALTFLAG, HALTFLAGS, HALT
$ ./patldos pro
Usage: patldos [PROGRESS [ldos.com [APP|DEV|BOOT [number]]]]

Supported progress choices:
     0: None
     1: Dots
     2: Percentage
     3: Bar
     4: Bar with percentage
$ ./patldos pro ldospak.com
Error: No progress mode
$ ./patldos pro ldospak.com boot
Current mode = 1 = 01h
Bootloaded progress choice is 1 (Dots)
$ ./patldos pro ldospak.com boot 4
Configuration updated
Current mode = 4 = 04h
Bootloaded progress choice is 4 (Bar with percentage)
$ ./patldos deb
Usage: patldos [DEBUG [ldos.com [number]]]

Supported flags:
     1: Check
     2: Assume
     4: Check only valid
     8: Check only IISP
$ ./patldos deb ldospak.com
Current mode = 0 = 00h
Check is OFF
Assume is OFF
Check only valid is OFF
Check only IISP is OFF
$

It would be possible to parse a number rather than a keyword as the first parameter, then after that parse the keyword as before. Dumping current settings (of the first lCFG block) could also pop up a notice that further blocks are available.

Does anyone have any suggestions for the interface?

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l