How is using the Virtual 8086 mode any different than what OS/2 2.x
provided? It too ran 16 bit DOS and DOS applications in Virtual 8086 mode,
making OS/2 serve as the supervisor layer.
The advantage would be that you would be able to run several DOS programs
on a single machine at once. Each DOS machine in basically its own
isolated sandbox, which is what the Virtual 8086 mode does. And for that
you'd have to implement something that serves as a supervisor - a full OS
that manages the memory, CPU, and I/O devices and arbitrates between the
different Virtual DOS Machines.
Am I interpreting what I am reading correctly?
If you want to run multiple virtual DOS machines at the same time use an
existing solution that already has the Virtual 8086 mode, or even an entire
virtual machine. I really can't see the advantage that you would be
getting by reinventing a very big, heavy, and complex wheel. It is not as
trivial task.
The part about a kernel sensing the hardware it is on and being able to
decide to boot in classic 16 bit mode or go full 32 bit and behave as a
supervisor is technically feasible. But I don't think it's going to fit on
a floppy disk. There is a reason why Ferrari's are not used for freight
shipments and freight trains do not have race tracks. One size fits all is
extremely naive.
----
Just out of curiosity, who is signing up to work on a 32 bit FreeDOS
derivative, whether for the $2500 Kickstarter or just for the technical
challenge? Who out there with the skills to do this kind of work is
actually standing up to do the work?
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