*BSD News Article 19070


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From: "Robert P. Myers" <rm6w+@andrew.cmu.edu>
Newsgroups: comp.os.coherent,comp.os.msdos.programmer,comp.os.os2.programmer.porting,comp.unix.bsd,comp.unix.programmer,comp.os.386bsd.development
Subject: Re: Need advice: Which OS to port to?
Date: Fri, 30 Jul 1993 21:06:23 -0400
Organization: Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA
Lines: 49
Message-ID: <cgKQKDC00WB7Qtd4Ax@andrew.cmu.edu>
NNTP-Posting-Host: po2.andrew.cmu.edu
In-Reply-To: <1993Jul30.091217.9321@cs.nott.ac.uk>

Excerpts from netnews.comp.os.os2.programmer.porting: 30-Jul-93 Re: Need
advice: Which OS t.. by Neil L Cook@trellis.cs.n 
>In article <233o0b$sr9@access.digex.net>, kbennett@access.digex.net
(Keith R. Be
>nnett) writes:
>|> 1) stay with DOS, but use DOS extender (no multitasking here)
>|> 2) OS/2
>|> 3) Unix/Xenix
>|> 4) Coherent
>|> 5) QNX
>|> 
>|> 
>|> We need to run in DOS graphics mode, and need to be able to take over
>|> the screen completely.  The user interface is our own; we cannot use
>|> any OS-native user interface conventions.
> 
>Hmm, I can only see this happening in an OS which has DOS emulation.
>Then your code will still be running under DOS and there would seem to
                     ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^Not True
>be little point in making the change. If you were prepared to put a

It is still possible to take control of the full screen under OS/2 (I
know - I've done it). For this to work under OS/2, a) The initialization
and exit code must be rewritten so that the video system is given to the
program and then released back to OS/2
 b) All access to the hardware must be done via in/out instructions (not
int calls) - it may be possible to call the video BIOS, but I don't know
how

Optionally (but highly recommended) - the video routines should be
written such that they occassionally give control back to OS/2.
Otherwise, the user can not switch to other applications. 

Hope this helps,
Rob M.

.............................................................................
Robert Myers a.k.a Wallace |    DOS isn't an operating system...
rm6w@andrew.cmu.edu        |    It's a file system with an attitude.
                           |  
   Alpha Phi Omega         | Any sufficiently advanced technology is
Cheap EZ and proud of it!  | indistguishable from magic - Arthur C. Clarke
       Kappa               |
                           | Any sufficiently arcane magic is
                           | indistinguishable from technology - ?
#include <clueless.h>      |    (from Trinity - Infocom)
                           |
                           |    Happy OS/2 user :)
.............................................................................