DOS ain't dead

freewindows (Announce)

posted by kerravon , Sydney, Free World South, 03.05.2025, 06:55

So the current thing that interests me is whether Freewindows (ie HX, really), is good enough to drive COM1.

I have some comms routines for multiple environments, and the Windows version has this:

/* This is a hack to create a DCB the easy way */
rc = BuildCommDCB(dcbstring, &dcb);
if(rc != TRUE)
{
printf("rc from BuildCommDCB is %lu\n", GetLastError());
errorSet(COMERROR);
return;
}

/* Get the current parameters */
rc = GetCommState(pdcomm->hfile, &dcb);


This is to set the N,8,1 of the modem.


And the modem would have been previously opened with this:

else
{
speed = 0;
if (isdigit((unsigned char)*fileName))
{
sprintf(fileName, "COM%c", *fileName);
}
}
pdcomm->hfile = CreateFile(fileName,
GENERIC_READ | GENERIC_WRITE,
0,
NULL,
OPEN_EXISTING,
FILE_ATTRIBUTE_NORMAL,
NULL);


I don't have a real COM port, but using Virtualbox I hope I can prove that these routines work under Windows 2000 and then I will see if HX has implemented this.

I don't actually need to change the N,8,1 - they should all be set correctly already, and the real link is via Virtualbox TCP/IP, so all I really need is for CreateFile to work.

I already know CreateFile works for disk files under HX.

What I don't know is whether Japheth has implemented the ability for me to reach the outside world.

I have a mainframe OS and emulator that runs under Windows. If Freewindows supports opening a COM port, my mainframe will have access to the outside world. Including zmodem file transfers. Even on an EBCDIC system.

Complete thread:

• freewindows - kerravon, 01.05.2025, 15:31 (Announce)
  • freewindows - kerravon, 01.05.2025, 15:49
    • freewindows - kerravon, 01.05.2025, 16:20
      • freewindows - Oso2k, 01.05.2025, 20:30
        • freewindows - kerravon, 02.05.2025, 02:49
          • freewindows - kerravon, 03.05.2025, 06:55
            • freewindows - Japheth, 03.05.2025, 08:04
              • freewindows - kerravon, 03.05.2025, 08:50
                • freewindows - kerravon, 03.05.2025, 09:23
                  • freewindows - kerravon, 03.05.2025, 14:25
                    • freewindows - kerravon, 04.05.2025, 14:08
                      • freewindows - kerravon, 05.05.2025, 10:12
                        • freewindows - Oso2k, 06.05.2025, 06:04
                          • freewindows - RayeR, 06.05.2025, 19:42
                        • freewindows - kerravon, 06.05.2025, 07:51