Just my opinion, but here it is ... Trying to do a new OS that resembles DOS but has modern features is not feasible and not going to happen. The biggest problem is DOS compatibility - as soon as you start messing with the memory management, APIs or fixing the "bugs" then existing DOS software will break. You can have a DOS-like operating system that supports INT 21 calls, direct access to hardware, and some other attributes, but if you can't load DOS device drivers, TSRs, or take advantage of weird DOS specific features then it really isn't DOS anymore.
DOS is so intertwined with the early PC hardware that it is nearly impossible to modernize it. DOS also tried to remain backwardly compatible to a fault, hence the support for FCBs even though file handle based I/O should have replaced it back in the mid 80s. It's a kludge on top of a kludge, and that's what makes it DOS. Fixing the kludges makes it something else. I think that most of us who have thought about DOS have thought about how to provide modern hardware and peripheral support - video cards, USB, hard drive controllers, etc. And most of us probably don't want to re-invent Linux again. If we don't use another OS as a base then we need to re-implement all of those device drivers in DOS, and that's not feasible either. We have a limited number of people programming. I think our resources are better utilized by making sure we have modern software for DOS that keeps the machines and DOS relevant. Trying to fix architectural limitations of DOS is futile - you might as well just start with text mode Linux. Mike ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Live Security Virtual Conference Exclusive live event will cover all the ways today's security and threat landscape has changed and how IT managers can respond. Discussions will include endpoint security, mobile security and the latest in malware threats. http://www.accelacomm.com/jaw/sfrnl04242012/114/50122263/ _______________________________________________ Freedos-devel mailing list Freedos-devel@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-devel
