The following letter has long responses all over. If you're bored
with this kind of stuff, you can jump to the end of the letter and
read the conclusion starting from the mark that I placed, which looks
like a pair of 'equal' characters: ==
On Mon, 20 Sep 1999 12:25:02 EDT, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
> If the quoted paragraph above doesn't make it clear, I'm not sure I can
> do any better.
> on some kind of media from which it can be installed. It's necessary to
> store the software itself and the user-created documents in some format.
> DOS file structure, with its directory trees and file allocation table,
> is a common standard on personal computers. Why create a new standard?
Its not the "new standard" thingy. Its the fact that NewDeal
does not have its own file managment. And it could have its own
file managment without creating a new type of a file system.
If it was an "OS", then it should have had the file system implemented
inside its files instead of using an external software allready defined
as an OS.
I do not call NewDeal and Windows 3.x/9x an OS, because both
are using the service of another software which is allready called
an "OS". Once a certain software require another software which is
allready defined as an "OS", that software cannot be an OS, but
a program. In NewDeal's case, an interface shell.
And no, Linux is an OS. Yes, it can use DOS to boot. But DOS
doesnt remain once Linux is booted. It is deleted, and DOS is not
used in any way by Linux. It is deleted from Memory. Also, Linux
can boot without DOS (which is default). The "DOS boot" is an option
and not an internal feature.
Which also means that Windows 95 is not an OS. Windows use DOS to
run, but it also remains as Windows loads. And DOS is being used while
Windows is running. Windows also quit to DOS once terminated. And
it cannot boot without DOS.
> Well, it's an issue of semantics and definitions. What is your computer? Is
> it your processor chip? Is it the memory chips? Is your mouse part of your
> computer? Is your printer part of your computer? What about your scanner?
My computer is a collection of electronic and mechanical parts.
The Processor and memory chips, are calulcation and data manipluation
units. The mouse is an interface input unit. The printer is an output
unit for printing data on paper (or other objects). The scanner is
an input device for visual data, normally storged in graphic files,
however can be used for other purposes (such as OCR reading).
All of these units are part of the machine named Computer.
And btw, that doesnt mean that the shell program is part of the OS.
For example, COMMAND.COM is not part of the OS. It is a default
command shell, which can be replaced by, for example, 4DOS's command
shell replacement. The OS is in IO.SYS and MSDOS.SYS, both are the
basic files used for the OS. COMMAND.COM is not a basic file, so is
NewDeal.
==
So the big question is either if an "OS" is just a vague name you
give for a whole bunch of parts, or the name that is used to
describe the main portions. The word 'computer' is given to the
main parts and the rest of the auxileries, but you cant be sure
that this is the same about OS. I like to determine only the most
basic parts as the OS.
Even then, NewDeal is not an external OS utility. It is not
a device file or a command.com replacement. It is ran and quited
as a normal DOS software. So just like most people wouldnt call
TSRs or a mouse driver an OS, even though it provide you a certain
"service", I do not call NewDeal an OS, but an Interface software.
Or Botton
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
- "Truth is stranger than fiction, because fiction has to make sense."
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