DOS ain't dead

Memory mapped devices from resl mode (Developers)

posted by Laaca , Czech republic, 26.02.2020, 12:11

We still face the question how to extend the sound support of DOS applications for new sound cards.

It is not so impossible how it looks in theory.
Theory says that every DOS application does a direct access to sound hardware.
It is true however the vast mojority of commercial games used some widely available sound libraries.

It was Miles Sound systém which later forked into libraries HMI and AIL (audio interface library).
Separately existed a sound library from Sierra/Dynamix


In all these cases it was a realmode drivers for basic interfacing with soundcard while most of code was hardware independent and was in the protected mode.

So in theory is possible to take out some driver, f.e. for GUS, and replace it with driver for f.e. SB Live!
The interface for Miles and for QuickPlayer with his SB Live drivers (by Ruslan Starodubov) are quite similar.

The problem and the question is: the modern hardware does not use much the I/O port access but extended memory mapping.
The extended memory is accessible from protected mode or from real mode with INT 15/87.
Is the INT 15/87 sufficient enough to provide adeqate access for soundcard hardware?

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DOS-u-akbar!

Complete thread:

• Memory mapped devices from resl mode - Laaca, 26.02.2020, 12:11 (Developers)
  • Memory mapped devices from resl mode - Khusraw, 26.02.2020, 12:35
  • Memory mapped devices from resl mode - RayeR, 27.02.2020, 05:27
    • Memory mapped devices from resl mode - Khusraw, 27.02.2020, 09:07
      • Memory mapped devices from resl mode - Laaca, 04.03.2020, 14:01
        • Memory mapped devices from resl mode - Khusraw, 04.03.2020, 15:02
          • Memory mapped devices from resl mode - Laaca, 04.03.2020, 15:08
            • Memory mapped devices from resl mode - Khusraw, 04.03.2020, 15:23
            • Memory mapped devices from resl mode - Khusraw, 04.03.2020, 15:36
            • Memory mapped devices from resl mode - Khusraw, 04.03.2020, 16:55
              • Memory mapped devices from resl mode - Laaca, 04.03.2020, 18:54
                • Memory mapped devices from resl mode - Khusraw, 04.03.2020, 19:33
    • Memory mapped devices from resl mode - Laaca, 27.02.2020, 17:50
      • Memory mapped devices from resl mode - Khusraw, 27.02.2020, 20:25
        • Memory mapped devices from resl mode - KormaX, 01.03.2020, 22:23
          • Memory mapped devices from resl mode - Zyzzle, 02.03.2020, 06:10
            • Memory mapped devices from resl mode - KormaX, 12.05.2020, 11:21
        • Memory mapped devices from resl mode - marcov, 02.03.2020, 15:43
          • Memory mapped devices from resl mode - Khusraw, 02.03.2020, 19:39
            • Memory mapped devices from resl mode - marcov, 02.03.2020, 23:13
              • Memory mapped devices from real mode - Rugxulo, 03.03.2020, 06:11
                • Memory mapped devices from real mode - marcov, 03.03.2020, 10:12
                  • Memory mapped devices from real mode - Rugxulo, 03.03.2020, 22:12
              • Memory mapped devices from resl mode - Khusraw, 03.03.2020, 13:34