DOS ain't dead

RxDOS vs DOS-C (Announce)

posted by lucho, 28.10.2007, 09:45

> Maybe ... first I wonder whether RX was already available at that time
> under the GPL ... is YES, then DOS-C was chosen because of a sort of
> C-purism only ?

As you can see from this announcement, RxDOS was released under the GPL in 1999. I think that this was just at the time when it was discussed which kernel to choose for FreeDOS - DOS-C or RxDOS.

DOS-C was chosen exactly because it's written in "C". The argument was that much more developers know "C" than Assembler. In my opinion, all systems programmers must know Assembler. But to adapt the kernel to the developers is a fundamentally wrong philosophy. Anyway, all the FreeDOS kernel developers I know actually knew Assembler rather well. So the argument was invalid from the start.

Another possible argument could be that "C" programs are more easily maintained. Then I wonder why MS-DOS, DR-DOS and PTS-DOS are all written in Assembler and could be maintained. Everything is ultimately a question of good organisation.

Complete thread:

• Jack's drivers updated - Laaca, 13.10.2007, 13:48 (Announce)
  • Corrected UIDE Coming. - Jack, 13.10.2007, 16:56
  • Jack's drivers updated - Japheth, 14.10.2007, 11:17
    • MASM 5.10 - lucho, 14.10.2007, 18:35
      • Clarification - lucho, 14.10.2007, 18:41
      • MASM 5.10 - rr, 15.10.2007, 12:54
        • Open source development prohibited with MASM ?!? - lucho, 15.10.2007, 18:23
          • Open source development prohibited with MASM ?!? - rr, 15.10.2007, 20:57
          • Open source development prohibited with MA$M32 ?!? - DOS386, 16.10.2007, 01:53
            • Open source development prohibited with MA$M32 ?!? - rr, 16.10.2007, 09:51
          • Open source development prohibited with MASM ?!? - Steve, 16.10.2007, 13:35
            • Open source development prohibited with MASM ?!? - Japheth, 16.10.2007, 19:31
            • Steve Hutchesson's weird "MASM32" licence - lucho, 16.10.2007, 19:44
              • Steve Hutchesson's weird "MASM32" licence - Rugxulo, 17.10.2007, 01:33
            • Open source development prohibited with MASM ?!? - sol, 29.10.2007, 17:12
              • Open source development prohibited with MASM ?!? - Rugxulo, 30.10.2007, 05:23
                • Open source development prohibited with MASM ?!? - sol, 30.10.2007, 16:55
                  • Open source development prohibited with MASM ?!? - Rugxulo, 31.10.2007, 00:37
                  • Open source development NOT prohibited with MASM! - lucho, 31.10.2007, 20:24
        • If So, DELETE Your "Links". - Jack, 15.10.2007, 18:51
          • If So, DELETE Your "Links". - lucho, 15.10.2007, 19:07
            • don't worry - Rugxulo, 15.10.2007, 19:56
            • If So, DELETE Your "Links". - Japheth, 15.10.2007, 23:02
        • Still "Linked", I See! - Jack, 15.10.2007, 20:22
      • MASM 5.10 - Japheth, 15.10.2007, 14:55
        • MASM 5.10 - lucho, 15.10.2007, 18:18
          • MASM 5.10 - Japheth, 16.10.2007, 14:06
            • MASM 5.10 and WASM - lucho, 16.10.2007, 17:44
              • MASM 5.10 and WASM - Japheth, 16.10.2007, 18:06
                • WASM - lucho, 16.10.2007, 18:41
        • NOT Responsible For Other Assemblers!! - Jack, 16.10.2007, 16:11
          • MASM 5.10, RxDOS, DOS-C - lucho, 17.10.2007, 08:47
            • MASM 5.10? No! - Japheth, 17.10.2007, 10:06
              • DOS-C, RxDOS, EDR-DOS, MASM 5.10 - lucho, 17.10.2007, 12:24
                • Quantity issues - Japheth, 17.10.2007, 12:54
                  • 99% of DOS users run DOS in a Virtual Machine ?!? - lucho, 17.10.2007, 13:29
                    • 99% of DOS users run DOS in a Virtual Machine ?!? - Japheth, 17.10.2007, 14:19
                      • Real DOS is still alive! - lucho, 17.10.2007, 14:32
                  • Quantity issues - Khusraw, 17.10.2007, 17:20
                    • Hello - Japheth, 17.10.2007, 18:21
                      • Hello - Khusraw, 17.10.2007, 18:31
                        • Hello - Japheth, 17.10.2007, 19:12
                          • Asynchronous synchronisation to ethics - lucho, 17.10.2007, 19:33
                            • Asynchronous synchronisation to ethics - Japheth, 17.10.2007, 19:55
                              • The German proverb about flies and something censored twice - lucho, 17.10.2007, 20:26
                                • The German proverb about flies and something censored twice - tom, 17.10.2007, 20:33
                                  • Efficiency still counts! - lucho, 17.10.2007, 20:55
                                • The German proverb about flies and something censored twice - Japheth, 17.10.2007, 21:08
                              • Asynchronous synchronisation to ethics - Khusraw, 17.10.2007, 21:33
                                • Asynchronous synchronisation to ethics - Japheth, 17.10.2007, 21:41
                          • Hello - Khusraw, 17.10.2007, 19:48
                  • Quantity issues - DOS386, 24.10.2007, 02:41
                • PRIDE Issues!! - Jack, 17.10.2007, 13:31
                • Anyone Want a 1.75K UIDEJR?? - Jack, 17.10.2007, 20:09
            • MASM 5.10, RxDOS, DOS-C FreeDOS kernel ASM vs C - DOS386, 24.10.2007, 02:58
              • MASM 5.10, RxDOS, DOS-C FreeDOS kernel ASM vs C - Japheth, 24.10.2007, 15:08
                • RxDOS. ASM vs C kernels. Cluster alocation of FreeDOS - lucho, 24.10.2007, 15:57
                • MASM 5.10, WASM, Po-ASM, convincing "dialects" - DOS386, 25.10.2007, 06:41
                  • MASM 5.10, WASM, Po-ASM, convincing "dialects" - Japheth, 25.10.2007, 07:55
                    • MASM 5.10, WASM, Po-ASM, convincing "dialects" - Rugxulo, 26.10.2007, 02:32
              • recompiling the FreeDOS kernel -- easy as pie - Rugxulo, 26.10.2007, 04:15
                • recompiling the FreeDOS kernel -- easy as pie - DOS386, 26.10.2007, 08:18
                  • recompiling the FreeDOS kernel -- easy as pie - Rugxulo, 27.10.2007, 14:20
                    • RxDOS - lucho, 27.10.2007, 17:35
                      • RxDOS - Rugxulo, 28.10.2007, 02:01
                        • RxDOS | C vs ASM | purism | empty RX at SF ? - DOS386, 28.10.2007, 02:09
                          • RxDOS vs DOS-C - lucho, 28.10.2007, 09:45
                            • RxDOS vs DOS-C - tom, 29.10.2007, 11:23
                            • RxDOS vs DOS-C - Rugxulo, 29.10.2007, 13:53
                        • RxDOS - Steve, 28.10.2007, 04:57
                          • RxDOS - rr, 28.10.2007, 17:30
                            • RxDOS - Steve, 29.10.2007, 00:33
                              • RxDOS - Rugxulo, 29.10.2007, 13:55
                                • RxDOS - rr, 29.10.2007, 14:29
                                  • RxDOS - rr, 31.10.2007, 15:36
                          • RxDOS - rr, 29.10.2007, 14:46
                            • RxDOS - Rugxulo, 30.10.2007, 05:26
                              • RxDOS - rr, 30.10.2007, 10:56
                                • RxDOS - Rugxulo, 01.11.2007, 03:11
          • "C" For Systems Work Is ... - Jack, 17.10.2007, 13:13
            • Bloatware! - lucho, 17.10.2007, 14:27
              • Please not another C vs. ASM debate! - Japheth, 17.10.2007, 16:02
                • Bloatware is not just "C vs. Assembler" - lucho, 17.10.2007, 19:13
              • Then "Keepen Zie Mouth SHUT"!! - Jack, 17.10.2007, 16:09
            • "C" For Systems Work Is ... - Steve, 25.10.2007, 15:12
      • MASM 5.10 - Jack, 15.10.2007, 18:22
  • Corrected UIDE Available. - Jack, 14.10.2007, 14:44
    • Corrected UIDE Available. - lucho, 15.10.2007, 07:28