DOS ain't dead - DOS -- single-tasking?

DOS -- single-tasking? (Announce)

posted by Rugxulo , Usono, 14.12.2007, 08:24

> Right -- single-tasking was never a design goal, merely a fact of life for
> microcomputers c.1980. If IBM had waited for the 386, the first PC DOS
> might have been OS/2.

Well, things like MS's DOSSHELL can task swap conventional memory, but even that was of limited usefulness (but better than nothing). The real problem was lack of memory: both my old 486 Sx's only had 4 MB / 8 MB, respectively. That's just not enough to multitask very much (especially with the extra requirements of the Win 3.1 environment). Multitasking never really took off until computers started coming with decent amounts of RAM. And apps started using too much, so they had to keep increasing.

> The core problem is the initial concept. It should be a FreeOS/2, with a
> better base than a DOS-16.

Well, OS/2 is complex: DOS + Win 3.1 + OS/2 w/ installable file systems, GUI, HPFS (?), Presentation Manager, etc. Even Win 3.1 isn't easily duplicated (apparently). We're actually lucky that (Free)DOS is able to be reproduced. That is goal #1. Next is trying to get anything added on top. Sure, you can rewrite the whole thing, but compatibility is good for a reason. Anyways, the point is moot, developers are free to do what they want (and most seem too busy at this point). The best "free" method of multitasking DOS is probably Linux (DeLi?) + DOSEMU.

---
Know your limits.h

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Complete thread:

DR-DOS 8.1 - RayeR, 21.11.2007, 18:02 (Announce)
- DR-DOS 8.1 - Laaca, 21.11.2007, 18:55
  - DR-DOS 8.1 - RayeR, 21.11.2007, 19:13
    - DR-DOS 8.1 - Rugxulo, 22.11.2007, 12:50
- DR-DOS 8.1 - RayeR, 22.11.2007, 00:50
  - DR-DOS 8.1 - david, 22.11.2007, 08:33
    - DR-DOS 8.1 - RayeR, 22.11.2007, 10:14
      - DR-DOS 8.1 - Rugxulo, 22.11.2007, 10:41
        DR-DOS 8.1 - RayeR, 22.11.2007, 11:17
        DR-DOS 8.1 - Rugxulo, 22.11.2007, 11:23
        DR-DOS 8.1 - RayeR, 22.11.2007, 11:44
        DR-DOS 8.1 - Rugxulo, 22.11.2007, 12:28
        DR-DOS 8.1 - RayeR, 22.11.2007, 12:54
        DR-DOS 8.1 - Rugxulo, 22.11.2007, 13:05
        DR-DOS 8.1 - RayeR, 22.11.2007, 16:39
        Vista - Rugxulo, 22.11.2007, 17:32
        Vista - Steve, 22.11.2007, 17:59
        Vista - sol, 22.11.2007, 18:11
        Vista - Steve, 22.11.2007, 19:06
        Vista - Rugxulo, 22.11.2007, 18:12
        Vista - sol, 22.11.2007, 19:43
        Vista - sol, 22.11.2007, 20:01
        Vista - sol, 22.11.2007, 20:37
        Vista - RayeR, 22.11.2007, 21:31
        DR-DOS 8.1 - Steve, 22.11.2007, 13:23
        DR-DOS 8.1 - rr, 22.11.2007, 13:26
        DR-DOS 8.1 - Steve, 22.11.2007, 13:31
        DR-DOS 8.1 - rr, 22.11.2007, 14:02
        DR-DOS 8.1 - Steve, 22.11.2007, 14:49
        DR-DOS 8.1 - rr, 22.11.2007, 14:59
        DR-DOS 8.1 - Steve, 22.11.2007, 15:12
        DR-DOS 8.1 - Laaca, 22.11.2007, 15:24
        DR-DOS 8.1 - rr, 22.11.2007, 15:55
        DR-DOS 8.1 - Rugxulo, 22.11.2007, 13:37
        DR-DOS 8.1 - Steve, 22.11.2007, 15:07
        Vista's pre-SP1 DOS (in)compatibility - Rugxulo, 22.11.2007, 15:43
        Vista's pre-SP1 DOS (in)compatibility - RayeR, 22.11.2007, 16:26
        Vista's pre-SP1 DOS (in)compatibility - Rugxulo, 22.11.2007, 17:13
        Vista's pre-SP1 DOS (in)compatibility - Steve, 22.11.2007, 17:18
        Vista's pre-SP1 DOS (in)compatibility - RayeR, 22.11.2007, 17:18
        Vista's pre-SP1 DOS (in)compatibility - Steve, 22.11.2007, 16:28
        Vista's pre-SP1 (in)compatibility - Rugxulo, 22.11.2007, 17:19
        Vista's pre-SP1 DOS (in)compatibility - flox, 22.11.2007, 17:00
        DR-DOS 8.1 - Rugxulo, 22.11.2007, 12:39
        DR-DOS 8.1 - RayeR, 22.11.2007, 13:06
        DR-DOS 8.1 - Rugxulo, 22.11.2007, 13:18
      - DR-DOS 8.1 - Rugxulo, 22.11.2007, 12:23
        DR-DOS 8.1 - rr, 22.11.2007, 12:29
        DR-DOS 8.1 - Steve, 22.11.2007, 14:42
        DR-DOS 8.1 - Rugxulo, 26.11.2007, 20:20
        DR-DOS 8.1 - DOS386, 12.12.2007, 02:09
        DR-DOS 8.1 - RayeR, 22.11.2007, 16:58
        DR-DOS 8.1 - rr, 22.11.2007, 20:51
        DR-DOS 8.1 - RayeR, 22.11.2007, 21:16
        DR-DOS 8.1 - RayeR, 23.11.2007, 02:06
        DR-DOS 8.1 - rr, 23.11.2007, 09:27
        DR-DOS 8.1 - RayeR, 24.11.2007, 14:33
        UIDE caches even disks for which it doesn't do UDMA - lucho, 24.11.2007, 09:09
        UIDE caches even disks for which it doesn't do UDMA - RayeR, 24.11.2007, 17:39
- DR-DOS 8.1 - Rugxulo, 22.11.2007, 10:13
  - DR-DOS 8.1 - RayeR, 22.11.2007, 10:27
    - DR-DOS 8.1 - Rugxulo, 22.11.2007, 10:53
      - DR-DOS 8.1 - RayeR, 22.11.2007, 11:31
        DR-DOS 8.1 - Rugxulo, 22.11.2007, 12:36
        DR-DOS 8.1 - RayeR, 22.11.2007, 17:11
    - DR-DOS 8.1 - Rugxulo, 22.11.2007, 11:19
      - DR-DOS 8.1 - flox, 22.11.2007, 15:37
        TriDOS -- DPMI bug? - Rugxulo, 22.11.2007, 16:20
        TriDOS -- DPMI bug? - flox, 22.11.2007, 17:02
        DR-DOS 8.1 - Rugxulo, 26.11.2007, 20:24
    - DR-DOS 8.1 - Rugxulo, 26.11.2007, 20:23
      - DR-DOS 8.1 - jaybur, 27.11.2007, 02:12
- DR-DOS 8.1 - Rugxulo, 22.11.2007, 13:45
- DR-DOS 8.1 piracy :-( - DOS386, 12.12.2007, 02:00
  - DOS -- single-tasking? - Rugxulo, 12.12.2007, 18:26
    - DOS -- single-tasking? - Steve, 14.12.2007, 06:06
      - DOS -- single-tasking? - Rugxulo, 14.12.2007, 08:24
      - DOS -- single-tasking? - DOS386, 15.12.2007, 18:59
        DOS -- single-tasking? - Rugxulo, 16.12.2007, 00:44