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EDR-DOS repository (Announce)

posted by ecm Homepage E-mail, Düsseldorf, Germany, 12.10.2023, 19:04

> > I took the opportunity to create an EDR-DOS repo on our server, at
> > https://hg.pushbx.org/ecm/edrdos (I interpret the new CP/M and
> derivatives
> > license agreement as of 2022-07-07 as including EDR-DOS, so it should be
> > fine to host it. This license agreement is in the file license.htm in
> the
> > repo's root directory.)
> >
> > > PS: I noticed that you are also working on the RxDOS kernel. Is it
> > stable?
> >
> > No, far from it. And I'm not technically working on it currently.
> Haven't
> > in a long time. You can view the current state in the repo:
> > https://hg.pushbx.org/ecm/rxdos-7.2x/
>
> I'm happy to see this updated EDR-DOS 7.01.08 WIP! EDR-DOS repository also
> got a Github mirror.
>
> Now that the
> license is
> opened - it
> would be great if the EDR-DOS branch gets reunited with
> DR-DOS 7.07.
This would require, at least, either descriptions of what changed, or actual files of that version. Preferably both. Neither seems to be provided in that thread.

> Matthias Paul
> once
> wrote:
>
> > I still have not completely lost hope, that at some fine day in the
> future the current owner of the DR-DOS assets may decide that its
> commercial life is finally over and that it is due to open source the
> system. This would make it possible to reunificate the different code
> branches to create the most advanced DR-DOS ever for all its fans. Well,
> well... ;-)
>
> So, if he gets contacted (e.g. via
> his
> Wikipedia talk page?) in these improved license circumstances, maybe
> he can help with:
>
> - DR-DOS 7.07 (Kernel and drive tools?) - binary/source?
> -
> WinGlue/WinBolt
> (ability to run Win9x) - in case that's not possible in DR-DOS 7.06 and
> 7.07.
> -- binary/source?
Never seen any of either.

> -- is combined BIOS+BDOS file mandatory? Or separate files IBMBIO.COM,
> IBMDOS.COM, MSDOS.SYS (settings text file), IO.SYS (if such kind of
> placeholder/redirect is needed) can exist at the same time?
I don't think it is required to combine the file. It is good for other reasons though.

> -- can DR-DOS 7.07 boot from Win9x/Me boot sectors? Does DR-DOS 7.07
> include all functionality from DR-DOS 7.06?
> -- boot logo, etc. Win9x settings in
> MSDOS.SYS/WINBOOT.INI - any issues with those?
> - optionally loadable multi-user security extension - (World/Group/Owner)
> access permission system - DR DOS "Panther" BETA 1 - birnary/source for
> that?
Never seen.

> - DR-DOS 7.03 source (Kernel or full software package)?
Also never seen.

> Did you ask Bryan Sparks (the DRDOS owner) if he can help with any of
> these?
No, I did not yet.

> Also, what about:
> - DR-DOS 8.0/8.1 - are there any Kernel/IBMBIO/IBMDOS/COMMAND.COM changes
> in comparison with 7.01.06 and 7.03? FAT32 DELWATCH and SHARE, but those
> are external files?
> - RxDOS - are there any changes not yet implemented in the EDR branch?
RxDOS isn't a "branch" of anything. It is not based on any other existing 86-DOS version. So this is very confusing.

> - What about functionalities from lDOS not yet implemented in the EDR
> branch? What is lDOS, actually?
lDOS is my name for a DOS that would be completely developed by me. Some components of it are actually implemented:

Most notably the ldosboot boot12/boot16/boot32 (with FSIBOOT) boot sector loaders and the multi-protocol iniload which is the initial stage of a kernel that can be loaded as MS-DOS v6 kernel, MS-DOS v7 kernel, IBM-DOS kernel, FreeDOS kernel, Multiboot1 or Multiboot2 specification kernel, or lDOS kernel. This is used for recent RxDOS revisions and more importantly (and usefully) for bootable lDebug. There is also some additional stages like fdkernpl (load wrapped FreeDOS-style kernel) and inicomp (compressed payload, depack during triple-mode execution) that can be added to iniload.

Another component is ldosmbr, which provides two different MBR loaders both based on original sources from syslinux but improved.

Finally there is the ldos repo which provides a few partial bits and bobs. This has some sectioning stuff, some relocations of DOSDATA (UMA/LMA) and DOSCODE (HMA/UMA/LMA), entrypoints using the relocated sections, and a replacement memory allocation (LMCB/UMCB) subsystem. This repo is integrated into the most recent revision of RxDOS. During development I called the combined kernel lRxDOS, but it's back to just RxDOS (in the file RXDOS.COM) more recently.

RxDOS is very immature in any case. The only things it definitely does better than EDR-DOS is the ldosboot stages and single-file kernel loading. To implement single-file loading requires some knowledge of the DOS memory maps at various points in the load process. (I don't have this knowledge for (E)DR-DOS.) The other advantage is it builds with NASM, rather than a hodgepodge of JWasm (open source but not free software), WarpLink (public domain with NASM sources but runs in DOS), and free-but-no-sources software RASM and linker.

---
l

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