Hi, I'd like to announce the new pre-release of FreeDOS KEYB 2.0, implementing a lot of new features to ease operation. A brief changelog respect to the pre-release 2:
+ ADD: Support for libraries of data files (libraries of KL files), that contain information for more than one layout. These files are similar in function to Microsoft's KEYBOARD.SYS, but tend to be smaller because contain pure data. So you can have now 100% commandline compatiblity, as you do KEYB GR,,C:\FDOS\BIN\KEYBOARD.SYS to load a German keyboard layout (which has codepage support). Furthermore, you need the new library or KL files created with the tools released some days ago. + CHANGE: if you do not specify a data file, then KEYBOARD.SYS is sought, both in $PATH and in the same folder as KEYB.EXE. For example, by placing Henrique's KEYBOARD.SYS in the same folder as KEYB.EXE you can just do KEYB GR (remember that the codepage can also be omitted, and if you have DISPLAY loaded, the codepage will be asked to DISPLAY.SYS and you don't have to worry about that; thus you never get odd characters printed on screen) + ADD: The keyboard data is now automatically loaded into separate Memory Blocks. This allows KEYB to load and replace layouts without unloading KEYB. That is, if you now do KEYB FR then you change your layout to French, without problems and not leaving rubbish. The data is loaded on a new Memory Block, by default an UMB. + ADD: If you don't want the data to be loaded in UMBs, but in convenctional memory, then you use the switch /NOHI. For example: KEYB IT /NOHI + ADD: There is a new switch, /V (Verbose), used to display more verbose information on loading time, including the manufacturer and description of the library data files, if you use one. + ADD: There is now extra support for Japanese keyboards, which can be optionally loaded from the data file (that you should compile with an special flag). With this falg, FD-KEYB emulates Microsoft's KEYB for Japanese MS-DOS. Notice that, although Japanese KEYB (FD and MS) operate byte-wise, Japanese users will also need to make use of a FEP (Front-End Processor) software to fully operate in Japan. Thus, if anyone knows of an open-source FEP, we would be very grateful to add it to the FreeDOS distribution, that could then happily launch to Japan, too. Note that this cannot be applied to Korean or Chinese, that would need keyboard drivers to produce two characters. FD-KEYB could do this by using Strings, but this would be a hard work. However I imagine that Henrique would gladly accept such Chinese/Korean layouts. And regarding FD-KEYB, any hints on how to easily get Korean or Chinese support would be welcome. Japanese support is optionally loaded. If you don't make use of it, it won't stay in memory, and your memory footprint won't grow. + FIX: The information about currently loaded layout is displayed when no layout name is given, even if other switches are used. + FIX: KEYB /I crashed without a layout name. + FIX: /ID:nnn needs not be capital letters + FIX: Minor cosmetic changes to the /? help screen You can get the driver from here: Binary: http://www.ibiblio.org/pub/micro/pc-stuff/freedos/files/dos/keyb/kb2pre3x.zip Source: http://www.ibiblio.org/pub/micro/pc-stuff/freedos/files/dos/keyb/kb2pre3s.zip If there is someone here also subscribed to FreeDOS/V or mailing lists for FreeDOS in Japanese if he or she could please forward this mail to those lists, in case there are Japanese users interested in this news. There is only a known bug that may cause some miliseconds delay if you use STRINGS, as Interrupt 9h is hooked even on AT class keyboards. This has very low impact, not only because 99% of the users won't use STRINGS, but because it will still work. It will be fixed in the next release. However, there are two interactions with other bugs in other programs that are worth to note. (1) A bug in the external LOADHI program will not allow FD-KEYB to load high. To prevent this you are suggested to use FreeCOM's internal LH program (2) A possible bug in FreeCOM+XMSSwap makes FreeCOM crash when FD-KEYB loads its data into UMBs. I was unable to test this myself (because I am on holidays), but this is yet to be investigated a bit more, but this does not apparently happen under MS-DOS. If you suffer from this, please make use of the /NOHI option of FD-KEYB so that the keyb data is loaded to convenctional memory. Thanks in advance for feedback and bug reports, and happy keyboard operating! Aitor ------------------------------------------------------- SF.Net email is Sponsored by the Better Software Conference & EXPO September 19-22, 2005 * San Francisco, CA * Development Lifecycle Practices Agile & Plan-Driven Development * Managing Projects & Teams * Testing & QA Security * Process Improvement & Measurement * http://www.sqe.com/bsce5sf _______________________________________________ Freedos-devel mailing list Freedos-devel@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-devel
