On Sun, Jul 18, 2021, 3:31 PM Jerome Shidel <jer...@shidel.net> wrote:
> Hi, > > Couple quick questions… > > Is this a “(hopefully) ready-to-ship" version? Or, an intermediary > “ready-to-test (more changes/fixes coming)” version? > ready-to-ship, but I sent the announcement to the dev list for wider feedback. I tested it, but I am still improving the testing > I’ve never examined the code. But, based on your email… All someone needs > to do to make a version of FreeCOM for another language is “copy /b > command.cln + strings.lng command.com” for their language. Yes, where strings is a specially formatted binary version of translations using fixstrs program to provide meta data and proper ordering. That implies that all of the translation text is just tacked onto the end. > If so, it should be relatively easy to not require splicing the language > file onto the end. But, instead to dynamically load it when the shell > initializes using a new command line option. Something the config.sys file would end up with > something like: > > shell=c:\fdos\bin\command.com c:\fdos\bin /e:2048 /p=c:\fdauto.bat /nls:de > > Then when it starts, it could just load a command.de (or maybe freecom.de) > file from the c:\fdos\bin directory into that same memory location. > > Or possibly, include it as a full file/pathname. Then this translations > could live in the NLS directory along with the others. Like, > > shell=c:\freedos\bin\command.com c:\freedos\bin /e:1024 > /p=c:\autoexec.bat /nls:c:\freedos\nls\command.es > > You could even “bake-in” the default English translations and just > over-write it if the user specifies a different language. > > I don’t foresee doing that as being very difficult and there would be > numerous benefits. > > It would be far less work for the installer to just install the one > version of FreeCOM and tweak the config setting for it. Basically, it > already does all of that no anyhow. Only the config.sys templates would > need a minor change. Also, there would be no need to “ship” multiple > versions of FreeCOM and have the installer or user pick the correct one. > > :-) > > Jerome > > So FreeCom's design is pretty cool. The critical error handler and messages are appended to the end of the main executable, with a trailer that allows finding and using the additional components. It should be able to load the strings from a standalone strings.dat file in the same directory as command.com as well if not embedded. I believe it should be pretty easy to adjust so English is included but a command line changes so it loads strings from a specified file instead. That way the program can be copied and remain usable, but allows more flexibility in loading translations. I will look into it and post a follow up email. Jeremy
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