DOS ain't dead

Laaca

Czech republic,
26.11.2010, 16:50

My wishlist for future MPXplay versions: (Users)

1) support for MIDI files using samples and software synthesis
2) presets for FTP servers - it would be great to enable quick login for few favourite FTP servers.
3) more user friendly login for FTP session. Not type all parameters in one line but to have separately three lines: user, password, server
4) some even simpliest videopluggins. There is no need to play with MTRR registers. It is not business of MPXplay but operating system (or utilities)
5) when we have the commander mode and FTP downloading, why don't add FTP uploading?
6) better help covering all functional keys. If it doesn't fit on one screen, make it on more screens, like page1, page2...

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DOS-u-akbar!

Mpxplay

26.11.2010, 17:23

@ Laaca

My wishlist for future MPXplay versions:

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You don't finish it... no matter... :-D

> 1) support for MIDI files using samples and software synthesis

- Because I have no midi files, I don't need it...
- I couldn't find usefull midi "decoder" source, I should work on it too much time...
- So, I will not work on MIDI playing, this have to be a job of an other (co)developer. But I think so there's no such one... :-|

> 2) presets for FTP servers - it would be great to enable quick login for
> few favourite FTP servers.

Plan. (similar like at Total Commander, without proxy config yet)

> 3) more user friendly login for FTP session. Not type all parameters in one
> line but to have separately three lines: user, password, server

Same (or not).

> 4) some even simpliest videopluggins. There is no need to play with MTRR
> registers. It is not business of MPXplay but operating system (or
> utilities)

I did try to compile the FFMPEG MPEG4-ASP (DIVX/XVID) video decoder. I could do it with a couple of modifications, but it didn't worked (I had no picture on the output). Maybe I've missed something, maybe OpenWatcom compiler doesn't compile properly every C99 code (because it doesn't support it fully).
Yeah, the secondary problem is the MTRR register setting under EMM386.

I think so the DOS version of Mpxplay will never play videos...
Like the midi playing: too much work, but it will be never perfect.

> 5) when we have the commander mode and FTP downloading, why don't add FTP
> uploading?

ALT-F5? Doesn't that work? It's simple copy, there is no classical ftp upload/download on Mpxplay's interface (open an ftp-session, you get a drive (0:\), do copy)...

> 6) better help covering all functional keys. If it doesn't fit on one
> screen, make it on more screens, like page1, page2...

I should add ability of scroll down/up of text windows. Planned...

Rugxulo

Usono,
27.11.2010, 01:44
(edited by Rugxulo, 27.11.2010, 05:30)

@ Mpxplay

My wishlist for future MPXplay versions:

Post reply

> You don't finish it... no matter... :-D
>
> > 1) support for MIDI files using samples and software synthesis
>
> - Because I have no midi files, I don't need it...
> - I couldn't find usefull midi "decoder" source, I should work on it too
> much time...
> - So, I will not work on MIDI playing, this have to be a job of an other
> (co)developer. But I think so there's no such one... :-|

(EDIT: link removed for goofy reasons, sigh)

MIDI players for DOS? (I can find URLs for you later if necessary)

RealMIDI
OpenCubicPlayer
MIDPlay (Watcom gfx w/ HEATOF.MID, WAYHOME.KAR, etc)
MIDIPlay (crappy PC speaker player, written in Pacific C)
Allegro's PLAY (various HW)
Paul Toth's MIDI player (SB or PC speaker)
MegaMID (gfx)
others??? (yes but I forget)

> Yeah, the secondary problem is the MTRR register setting under EMM386.

(very confused, probably wrong idea, just blindly guessing) Japheth's VESAMTTR???

> > 6) better help covering all functional keys. If it doesn't fit on one
> > screen, make it on more screens, like page1, page2...
>
> I should add ability of scroll down/up of text windows. Planned...

Probably too complex to scroll up/down, just refresh/update the "window" with new text when a key is pressed.

Laaca

Czech republic,
27.11.2010, 06:17

@ Rugxulo

My wishlist for future MPXplay versions:

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> MIDI players for DOS? (I can find URLs for you later if necessary)
>
> RealMIDI
> OpenCubicPlayer
> MIDPlay (Watcom gfx w/ HEATOF.MID, WAYHOME.KAR, etc)
> MIDIPlay (crappy PC speaker player, written in Pacific C)
> Allegro's PLAY (various HW)
> Paul Toth's MIDI player (SB or PC speaker)
> MegaMID (gfx)
> others??? (yes but I forget)
>

All the players you listed (except OpenCubicPlayer) use hardware MIDI syntesis via FM or wavetable. They access completely different part of soundcard (in practise differenr hardware) than for normal sounds. It is unusable for MPXplay because it doesn't share anything with existing code.

Besides that I think that todays sound chips like AC97 or HDA doesn't support MIDI at all and use only some dirty emulation via windows drivers.

Only OpenCubicPlayer works in the way I have on mind.
It uses normal wave device on soundcard and uses external samples for MIDI. The player is similar to MOD player.
Other such players are TiMidity and some others.

---
DOS-u-akbar!

RayeR

CZ,
28.11.2010, 15:24

@ Laaca

My wishlist for future MPXplay versions:

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> Only OpenCubicPlayer works in the way I have on mind.
> It uses normal wave device on soundcard and uses external samples for MIDI.
> The player is similar to MOD player.
> Other such players are TiMidity and some others.

Hehe when you mentioned MIDI, I'd like to see support for all modules format MOD, XM, IT, S3M... and maybe SID emulation but it will be a lot of coding. But maybe something could be borrowed from OCP, very good player...

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DOS gives me freedom to unlimited HW access.

Laaca

Czech republic,
28.11.2010, 17:18

@ RayeR

My wishlist for future MPXplay versions:

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> Hehe when you mentioned MIDI, I'd like to see support for all modules
> format MOD, XM, IT, S3M... and maybe SID emulation but it will be a lot of
> coding. But maybe something could be borrowed from OCP, very good player...

But MPXplay already HAS full support for MOD like files :waving:

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DOS-u-akbar!

RayeR

CZ,
29.11.2010, 22:03

@ Laaca

My wishlist for future MPXplay versions:

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> > Hehe when you mentioned MIDI, I'd like to see support for all modules
> > format MOD, XM, IT, S3M... and maybe SID emulation but it will be a lot
> of
> > coding. But maybe something could be borrowed from OCP, very good
> player...
>
> But MPXplay already HAS full support for MOD like files :waving:

Aha, I missed that because I don't use DLL version. Now I reading in readme:
MOD (Module playing based on LibModPlug, see readme.txt in in_modd.zip)
Supported module/file types:
669,AMF,AMS,DBM,DMF,DSM,FAR,IT,J2B,MDL,MED,
MOD,MT2,MTM,OKT,PSM,PTM,S3M,STM,ULT,UMX,XM
Well nice support. So to be perfect just missing only adlib and SID chiptunes and MIDI. I hope that MIDI would be easy a few outs to "0x330" port :) But there must be also some libs for watcomC.

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DOS gives me freedom to unlimited HW access.

Laaca

Czech republic,
30.11.2010, 08:46

@ RayeR

My wishlist for future MPXplay versions:

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> I hope that MIDI would be easy a few outs to "0x330"
> port :) But there must be also some libs for watcomC.

No, no, no.
"few outs to 0x330" would make the player routine dependand to only one hardware.
MPXplay has now nice support for many soundcards/soundchips.
There is another approach necessary - software MIDI emulation via normal wave device like OpenCubicPlayer, Timidity or some other MIDI players do.

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DOS-u-akbar!

RayeR

CZ,
30.11.2010, 16:59

@ Laaca

My wishlist for future MPXplay versions:

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> No, no, no.
> "few outs to 0x330" would make the player routine dependand to only one
> hardware.
> MPXplay has now nice support for many soundcards/soundchips.
> There is another approach necessary - software MIDI emulation via normal
> wave device like OpenCubicPlayer, Timidity or some other MIDI players do.

Yes, SW synth of MIDI is much more complicated. But general midi was wide standard and I think that any soudcard with HW wavetable supported it. Also it's working part of SBemu that left working on my SB live. I use some old small MIDI player binded to F3 in my DOS Navigator.
But you're right that when someone will put effort to integrate MIDI player, then it should reflect state of current HW - no HW wavetable so SW emu must come...

BTW I tried in_mod.dll playback and I'm satisfied with it. So I switched to DLL version. Maybe I'll upgrade it also in my HW MPx player (it will take some time to remap keys in INI file because probably my INI is too old for new version of mpxplay - need to check). I hope that P166 is enough for it (in_mod).

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DOS gives me freedom to unlimited HW access.

Zyzzle

01.12.2010, 00:10

@ RayeR

My wishlist for future MPXplay versions:

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I also am very satisfied with the .MOD support in the DLL version.

However, I hate DOS4G (bloated), so I use the .DLL version of MPXPLAY reluctantly. I wonder if there's any possibility of compiling the in_mod.dll code directly the non-DLL version of MPXPLAY? Or would that be impossible?

Also, I would support the software MIDI emulation, but I know it's *very complicated* to implement. Never did have a GUS or any hardware wavetable synth soundcard back in the day, so I guess I missed out on the whole MIDI craze. I loved all the MODs, .S3Ms, etc though!

Also, I really, really wish for .SID emulation. Like the old SIDPLAY for DOS, but with MPXPLAY, most modern sound-hardware could play those wonderful C64 SIDs. I would think the implementation of SID emulation would be much easier than software MIDI emulation!

Just wanted to thank mpxplay for all his hard work and excellent support of the Inow, sadly, very small) DOS community.

How maby of us DOS-ers are left? Probably only some 100's in the entire world. Could it be as high as 1000's? I do hope!

Laaca

Czech republic,
27.11.2010, 06:21

@ Mpxplay

My wishlist for future MPXplay versions:

Post reply

> I did try to compile the FFMPEG MPEG4-ASP (DIVX/XVID) video decoder. I
> could do it with a couple of modifications, but it didn't worked (I had no
> picture on the output). Maybe I've missed something, maybe OpenWatcom
> compiler doesn't compile properly every C99 code (because it doesn't
> support it fully).
> Yeah, the secondary problem is the MTRR register setting under EMM386.
>
> I think so the DOS version of Mpxplay will never play videos...
> Like the midi playing: too much work, but it will be never perfect.
>

Huh! Misunderstanding?
I don't mean to turn MPXplay into videoplayer.
I just mean to make some simple music visualisations like Winamp or OpenCubicPlayer do.

---
DOS-u-akbar!

DOS386

27.12.2010, 08:49
(edited by DOS386, 27.12.2010, 09:04)

@ Mpxplay

My wishlist for future MPXplay versions: MIDI

Post reply

> > 1) support for MIDI files using samples and software synthesis

+ 1

> - Because I have no midi files, I don't need it

MIDMODXM.zip 31'043 Byte's

> > 2) presets for FTP servers - it would be great to enable quick login

+ 1

> Yeah, the secondary problem is the MTRR register setting under EMM386.

Non-issue:

* Ring0 extenders (DOS32/A) give Ring0 even with EMM386
* No absolute need to have this inside MPXPLAY (there is VESAMTTRR)

> Like the midi playing: too much work, but it will be never perfect

Personally, I'd prefer the MIDdi thing from video. Why ? Video is covered by DUGL PLAYER and MPLAYER.

> However, I hate DOS4G (bloated)

me too (+ license ???) :-(

> so I use the .DLL version of MPXPLAY reluctantly. I wonder if there's
> any possibility of compiling the in_mod.dll code directly the non-DLL
> version of MPXPLAY? Or would that be impossible?

I hope that's possible and not very difficult. Idea:

* Drop the DLL's and DOG4S
* Create 2 versions of MPXPLAY:
* * Tiny: only WAV Vorbis FLAC WAVPACK MP5(MP3+MP2) + demuxers (OGG AVI Matroska/WebM ...)
* * Full: additionally exotic codex (Speex, Monkey/APE, ...) and FTP

Other way to do: switch from DOS/32A + LE and DOG4S + LE + LE-DLL's to HX/LOADPEX + PE + PE DLL's (this switches from Ring0 to Ring3 too).

> MIDI players for DOS? (I can find URLs for you later if necessary)

Please do. Also reveal please:

* Does it support PCI sound cards ?
* Can it save WAV ?
* Does it run in DOS ?

> All the players you listed (except OpenCubicPlayer) use hardware MIDI
> syntesis via FM or wavetable. They access completely different part of
> soundcard (in practise differenr hardware) than for normal sounds. It is
> unusable for MPXplay because it doesn't share anything with existing code.

Agree.

> I hope that MIDI would be easy a few outs to "0x330"

Unusable. :-( Does "0x330" exist natively on a single PCI sound card ?

PS: I'm not at all an expert on MIDI/XM/MOD/... :-(

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

My wishlist for future MPXplay versions: (Users)

My wishlist for future MPXplay versions:

My wishlist for future MPXplay versions:

My wishlist for future MPXplay versions:

My wishlist for future MPXplay versions:

My wishlist for future MPXplay versions:

My wishlist for future MPXplay versions:

My wishlist for future MPXplay versions:

My wishlist for future MPXplay versions:

My wishlist for future MPXplay versions:

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My wishlist for future MPXplay versions: __MIDI__

My wishlist for future MPXplay versions: MIDI