> On Oct 2, 2024, at 5:13 AM, Liam Proven via Freedos-devel > <freedos-devel@lists.sourceforge.net> wrote: > > On Tue, 1 Oct 2024 at 23:10, Jerome Shidel via Freedos-devel > <freedos-devel@lists.sourceforge.net> wrote: >> >> PGME has a crazy level of customization support. It could be configured to >> appear with a very simplified layout, no effects, two colors and a >> completely different way of interacting with menu options. But, such a >> “theme” would deviate widely from the current ones provided. > > I am aware of this. I am trying to gently and politely suggest that > you apply some minimalism and maybe follow the KISS principle. > >> There is very detailed documentation provided on how it is done. However, it >> is not an easy task and has a steep learning curve. > > Which is why the KISS principle exists. > >> Based on what you want to do and the appearance you want, I don’t think PGME >> is a good fit for you needs. It’s kind-of like using a Bulldozer to plant >> flowers in your garden. Extreme overkill for what is wanted. > > I am aware. But, as I said, it's the tool that is there by default and > it's the one that seems to be functionally complete, in contrast to > all the other app-menu tools included in FreeDOS.
Unfortunately, I think my goals and the desires of most of PGME’s users is at odds with what you want. Although, PGME could be configured to resemble something along the lines of the visual aesthetics you mentioned (similar to the KIOSK theme and mode), it would be a lot of effort to create that theme and it probably would not exactly fit your needs. Also, I would not be willing to make a theme like that the default. However, all hope is not lost. I do see the validity in what you want from a menu. Therefore, I will most likely create a different menu program at some point. One that is extremely simple to use, less visually overwhelming and without all of the features provided by PGME. > >> I think a better solution is to utilize V8Power Tools. It is what makes the >> FreeDOS installer work. > > I'm sorry, but no. > > This is a project to which I have in the order of a few hours _per > year_ to maintain, and learning a new scripting language and writing > my own is 100% out of the question. It is just a DOS batch file that is using a couple of the command line tools from V8Power Tools. But, I do understand not having the time to figure any of that out. If there were a hundred hours in a day, I still would not have enough time to do everything I want to get done. > > The sad thing is that PC-DOS and MS-DOS had a superb and often > overlooked tool for this, DOSShell, and what I want feels to me modest > enough: I want a FOSS DOSShell. As a side note, when you mentioned that the mouse did not work with PC-DOS 2000 using the included Microsoft mouse, I tested it again. I created a fresh virtual machine in VirtualBox and installed PC-DOS 2000 and copied over PGME. I had no issues with the mouse using the included Microsoft driver. So, I’m unsure why you are experiencing problems. _______________________________________________ Freedos-devel mailing list Freedos-devel@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-devel
