[ros-dev] Trying to push ideas (again:) )

Wed Sep 24 23:41:00 CEST 2008

Honestly I think that coding for the 286 would almost be out of the question
considering the fact that the processor can only physically address 16MB of
ram.... Just my thought.

2008/9/24 Alexandru Lovin <thypope at gmail.com>

> I wrote that e-mail ONE YEAR ago. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot ?!
>
> Since then, I kinda found a way to solve them without being cursed at by
> ROS devs (well, yeah, they didn't actually curse). The ROS Media Center
> would combine Mediaportal (stability), VirtualDub(video editing),
> Dscaler(many useful filters) and MythTV(cluster-capable). All open-source.
> This doesn't need to be the ROS media center, just a cool software
> application. Maybe I'll be able to convince the Alter team (alter.org.ua)
> to do it someday.
>
> VxD compatibility is not needed - thank GreatLord and oiaohm for
> illuminating me - because probably all the devices with Win '95-only drivers
> also had NT 4.0 drivers. End of story.
> 16-bit operation is not needed, either. After the OS gets really stable and
> feature-rich, I guess it'll be a fun challenge to make it run on a 386,
> maybe even a 486. Operating on a 286 can be done as well, but I'm not going
> to say how, because most developers look at it as it's evil alien technology
> that nobody needs, or even worse, that would destroy the OS or something. I
> asked some of them and they sounded reserved to say the least.
> However, being able to run 16-bit Windows applications should be done, but
> I think that's really not the current issue right now.
>
> Glide compatibility on non-3dfx hardware: I will be able to convince the
> guy making Glidos to give the ROS team the sources. That's for DOS Glide
> games and generally DOS games as well. For Windows Glide games there are
> open source projects already underway, as far as I know.
>
> Descent: there's a Windows port out there, Dxx-rebirth that managed to do
> exactly the music files thing. I bothered them for a while, but they did it.
>
> I'm watching and waiting for whenever I can voice out requests such as
> these. A friend has some sort of design doc for a very functional telephony
> application that would manage every feature modems have, manage faxes,
> dial-up connections etc. But the devs are still working on the networking
> part and I assume they really don't want to get into telephony right now.
>
> But right now people are fixing bugs and updating the OS. I really can't
> insist with such "advanced" issues.
>
> And by the way, I can't code. Nor do I have Stefan Ginsberg's amount of
> time on my hands, to stick around and learn how to. I can work in the
> graphics but mf is kinda always closed-doors and seemingly unwilling to
> start the work on re-doing the interface, due to reasons I'm unaware of. And
> it's not my business as to what they actually are, so I can't really
> contribute right now.
>
> On Wed, Sep 24, 2008 at 12:13 PM, Wesley Parish <
> wes.parish at paradise.net.nz> wrote:
>
>> On Saturday 15 September 2007 05:16, James Tabor wrote:
>> > Hi!
>> >
>> > Alexandru Lovin wrote:
>> > > Hello everyone,
>> > >
>> > > Aleksey suggested that I discuss this here, on the mailing list.
>> <snip
>>  > > 7. Running on 16-bit systems like 286/386/486 in a "ReactOS
>> Essentials"
>> > > (equivalent to a stripped-down XP) mode *
>> > > *
>> > >
>> > > It should be the same operating system, but in 16-bit mode only.
>> That's
>> > > an ideal scenario and I'm sure it cannot be done no matter how good
>> the
>> > > programmers are. So, what can someone do on a 286 ? Listen to mp3's ?
>> No
>> > > way. Listen to audio CD's, yes, and hopefully digital playback, too.
>> > > Watch TV ? Yes, if the user can find an ISA TV tuner (ATI made such
>> > > tuners, but they required a PCI ATI video card, and if you have PCI
>> why
>> > > not get a better tuner?). Record TV shows ? Not on that kind of
>> > > computer. Browse the internet ? That may be possible, with some really
>> > > outdated, 16-bit browser, like the Internet Explorer for Windows 3.1.
>> > > And I don't know how many sites will work on it. Play games ? Yes,
>> > > either old DOS or Windows 3.1 ones or the ones that come with ReactOS,
>> > > written in 16-bit especially for this mode. Join a hive as either
>> master
>> > > or slave ? Hopefully it will be possible, but probably in the year
>> 2015
>> > > at least. Use office applications ? Sure, if the user can find that
>> last
>> > > Microsoft Office or maybe Microsoft Works version compatible with
>> > > Windows 3.1. Run a web server ? I know a guy who had a server running
>> on
>> > > a 386 system, on Windows 3.11. So yes, it is possible, only I don't
>> know
>> > > what software he used to actually serve the data. Act as a router ?
>> > > Again, hopefully. That is, if the entire network is on 10 megabit,
>> > > because I don't think there are ISA 100 megabit network cards (ISA
>> > > bandwith is not enough). 2D graphics ? It was possible in Windows 3.1,
>> > > why not ? Maybe the first Photoshop versions actually were 16-bit. 3D
>> > > graphics ? The first 3D Studio Max (that is, 3D Studio) was for DOS
>> > > only. That probably means 16-bit right from the start, and that should
>> > > mean yes, you can do it, with the DOS compatibility layer. Web design
>> ?
>> > > If you can find a 16-bit application, yes.
>> > >
>> > > A separate ReactOS for 16-bit only, or just all the 16-bit
>> functionality
>> > > included in the normal ReactOS ? Things look better when it works out
>> of
>> > > the box, but it's a waste of space to include applications written for
>> > > 16-bit only. People that really need the 16-bit version will not mind
>> > > paying extra attention to actually download this one and not the
>> normal
>> > > one. Besides that, ReactOS is free. And the presence of such a version
>> > > would mean a selfless devotion to people. An act of charity for real.
>> > > Allowing people to use their computers and do as many modern things as
>> > > possible on them.
>> > >
>> > > An open source Windows 3.11 with better compatibility and adherence to
>> > > standards. Compatible with all the 9x and ME. Has been tried in Free
>> Win
>> > > 95, oiaohm said "dead and staying that way" about it, but maybe VxD
>> > > documentation and whatever else you would need will appear (or be
>> > > reverse engineered by someone). Once a bigger effort will be done, the
>> > > missing info is probably easier to uncover.
>> > >
>> > > Those are my suggestions. They are not for now, they are not easy to
>> do,
>> > > etc. Just don't discard them, please.
>> > >
>> > > Alex
>> >
>> > Well that is allot! I like ideas too! But~ need more developers here.
>> The
>> > best we will do for now is NT/2k/Xp/2k3/V. Downward compatibility is WOW
>> > and we don't have WOW. If you want! Come and help us.
>> >
>> > Now for win311,,, Take FreeDOS and Wine 16 bit retool the wine code base
>> it
>> > on information from "Undocumented Windows by A. Schulman, D. Maxey and
>> M.
>> > Pietrek". You will have a good project there! I would like to play with
>> > that but~ I have to much right now.
>>
>> "Unauthorized Windows 95" by Schulman for the info on the vmmd32.vxd, and
>> the
>> *.vxd info.
>>
>> Wesley Parish
>> >
>> > Thanks,
>> > James
>> >
>> >
>> > _______________________________________________
>> > Ros-dev mailing list
>> > Ros-dev at reactos.org
>> > http://www.reactos.org/mailman/listinfo/ros-dev
>>
>> --
>> Clinersterton beademung, with all of love - RIP James Blish
>> -----
>> Gaul is quartered into three halves.  Things which are
>> impossible are equal to each other.  Guerrilla
>> warfare means up to their monkey tricks.
>> Extracts from "Schoolboy Howlers" - the collective wisdom
>> of the foolish.
>> -----
>> Mau e ki, he aha te mea nui?
>> You ask, what is the most important thing?
>> Maku e ki, he tangata, he tangata, he tangata.
>> I reply, it is people, it is people, it is people.
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>
>
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