Hi,
Luchezar Georgiev escribiÃ:
Thank you for this information! However, in order to make the FreeDOS kernel fully compatible with Windows 3.1, a developer or a group specially interested in this must actively work to achieve it. Is there anyone here interested AND competent enough to do it?
Well, that Windows in Standard Mode runs under FreeDOS well is a question of fixing bugs globally in FreeDOS kernel, as one could expect and has been seen.
That Windows in 386 Enhanced Mode runs under FreeDOS requires that FreeDOS kernel communicates with the DOS386 (well, they call it WIN386 in the non-beta versions, and VMM32.VXD when they want to run Microsoft Windows version 4.0+ over it) is much harder and has already been documented by Bart and other people in the list.
If I recall correctly, consists in responding to the "enhanced mode broadcast" calls, by telling Windows which data has to be instanced for each VM.
One could simply rename COMMAND.COM to KRNL386.EXE (the Microsoft Windows boot up file) and try to make FreeDOS compatible with the extender as a first instance.
Not speaking about caveats like (1) Whoever has Windows 3.1 probably has MS-DOS or DR-DOS too; (2) Windows 3.1 will be undistributable until Microsoft frees it or dies - that is, for very long.
I do own MS-DOS 6.2 and Windows 3.1, from times in which you bought the OS software with your machine (and I do have original disks for Windows 3.11 for WorkGroups).
Now they sell them empty (which is BEST) or with that "PREINSTALLED" SHIT, which is WORST, because (perhaps) you do not own the OS, they won't give you the Windows CD anymore, but nevertheless I am sure that you pay for it. They simply give you a CD with which you can completely restore the original contents of your HD (much worse than the ability to install the OS).
To be honest, I have never understood the story about "preinstalled". I don't know if I own WindowsXP Home edition or not, although my PC had it when I bought it from Acer. What is worst, one of the technical support staff person told me by phone that if I had problems with hardware, even within the guarantee period, they cannot be responsible if I change it for another operating system (Windows XP Pro, which is what I wanted to install because at work we have global licenses). Anyway I don't know if this is the official position of Acer of this person was wrong (it gave me the impression that she knew less about computers than I do), but if it is, then it is undoubtedly a shameless position.
One more reason to set about to work for FreeDOS and hope that many other people would sell PCs with FreeDOS preinstalled as Dell Canada guys do: it is free.
Cheers... Aitor
PS: An advice for you not to SUFFER as I am doing: please pay careful ATTENTION to the keyboard when you are about to buy a laptop: I didn't, and my Acer Aspire 1600 series laptop does NOT have HOME and END keys standalone: they can only be obtained through the FN blue key, and it's a REALLY nightmare when editing text. BEWARE!
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