Uploaded to ftp://ftp.devoresoftware.com/downloads/emm386/ are the files emmx225.zip, EMM386 2.25 and HIMEM version 3.25 memory manager, mostly executable files; and emms225.zip, source code files.
This release of EMM386 and HIMEM works around a bug in some BIOS chips which affects HIMEM, improves compatibility with virtual environments and Ensemble/GEOS automatically without requiring manual addition of options, and adds an advanced NODISABLEA20 option to EMM386 by popular demand. Read on dear reader, if you dare... So that no one can feel neglected or ignored, I'm adding credits to each change remark. Per recent discussion in freedos-devel, there exists a BIOS which appears to corrupt stack values in a nasty way. HIMEM now works around this. All hail Tom Ehlert. The A20 BIOS test was also moved from its front of the line position to follow other tests since it's not 100% reliable. All hail Tom. All hail Norbert. EMM386's NOALTBOOT option is now the default. This doesn't change how it works, it just means it's always there unless you use ALTBOOT to inhibit it. The default change was made because several virtual environments would have horrible keyboarding problems such as missing, doubled, or case-switched keys unless NOALTBOOT was active -- Qemu and VMware, I'm looking at you. Also, Ensemble with GEOS required the option to not crash, now GEOS people don't have to remember to manually put it in their CONFIG. I don't think anything depends on the previous ALTBOOT default, so we should be fine. All hail Eric Auer and me. CR3 is explicitly forced to flush when using MMIO access outside of the standard memory address map. Frankly I'm not sure this is ever needed, but I can't prove it's not, and there may be a rare case where it's needed. Better safe than sorry. All hail Japheth. By multiple request, a NODISABLEA20 option was added to EMM386. It forces EMM386 to never allow A20 to be disabled via its global and local disable A20 routines. All hail Tom, Japheth, and Eric. Although addition of the new option is technically in violation of the hard freeze rules, I received a special dispensation from the Pope, umm, no that was Pope Leo X to the future Pope Clement VII. I keep mixing those Popes up with FreeDOS. OK, I received permission to add the option at this late date from one of the FreeDOS 1.0 release architects. Honestly and truly. For the impending FreeDOS 1.0 release, and the person without whom there would be no "all hail's" to deliver, all hail Jim Hall. Several times. In unison. On the good news front, I am semi-reliably informed via semi-reliable gossip that a new or greatly revised EMM386 model is being worked on. As it should be open source, it can easily serve as the next generation of EMM386 for FreeDOS, (effectively the 3.x already discussed) following a period of testing, stabilization, and user interaction. While the new EMM386 branch may have a different label, that should not be a big concern since FreeDOS has already had several private label changes for various base and support utilities, and the current EMM386 2.x has matured to its final feature set and code base (possibly with minor future tweaks). I feel certain that the developers will allow proper peer review and sustain appropriate mechanisms for bug reports and support feedback. As such, integration into the FreeDOS distribution at a future date should be relatively painless and welcomed by everyone. The future looks promising. Originally, I was going to sign-off the SourceForge lists and move to strictly e-mail consultations on HIMEM/EMM386 issues following release of the (presumed) final EMM386 2.x for FreeDOS 1.0, per all my previous remarks on retiring from this position, a new maintainer, and quest for a commune, but I decided that would be pretty foolish. I need to stick around for a week or so to make sure no catastrophic failures were somehow introduced, and that no new critical items such as the BIOS bug need to be addressed at the last minute. Plus, I'm still helping out a couple of people with issues that may be due to FreeDOS, memory managers, or something entirely different. So, you can't scrape me off the FreeDOS shoe quite yet. Soon, though. Let us all hope that the latest FreeDOS 1.0 test release, this addition, and everything else look so good that the final 1.0 release plans for the immediate future hold. Peace&Love, out. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Using Tomcat but need to do more? Need to support web services, security? Get stuff done quickly with pre-integrated technology to make your job easier Download IBM WebSphere Application Server v.1.0.1 based on Apache Geronimo http://sel.as-us.falkag.net/sel?cmd=lnk&kid=120709&bid=263057&dat=121642 _______________________________________________ Freedos-user mailing list Freedos-user@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-user
