Hi Eric, > Yes, I mean that post. However, I have only quoted part of > the post and not mentioned the name because my impression > was that just publicly shouting how horrible and disgusting > FreeDOS is cannot be the start of a productive discussion:
ACK > https://www.bttr-software.de/forum/board_entry.php?id=17794 > > I do not think that FreeDOS 1.3 aims to be a competitor to > Hiren or any of the Linux based "boot this and get a toolkit > full of easy to use apps to repair your system" Live CDs. +1 > However, FDISK obviously does look as ugly as the MS DOS 1990s > version which makes it look horrible compared to GPARTED and > very unfriendly to use compared to the average modern Linux > installer which says "I see you have Windows 10 here, should > I shrink the partition and install Linux next to it? Or is it > okay to delete everything and use the whole drive for Linux?" > with only a small footnote saying "if neither of those two > choices are what you like, you can partition manually here". > > I do NOT think that DOS can achieve that and I do NOT think > that we should port GPARTED and all the tools which it calls > in the background to DOS. Whoever wants to resize partitions > for dual-booting DOS with Windows 10 can simply boot a Linux > tool Live CD once. No worries, they are easy to use. And even > then, DOS has no tools which would be able to automatically > create a foolproof dual boot menu. +1 > I had not been paying attention that Laaca advertised a system > information screen in his own BLOCEK app here, but given that he > has added that, he could also make a stand-alone sysinfo tool to > include in the distro, for those who do not know that they have > to look for that information inside a text editor. Blocek is a 32-bit app. A good sysinfo tool should (also) run in 16-bit real-mode on a 8088 CPU. Probably with a limited feature set. Maybe it's easier to have separate versions. One for <386 PCs, because of limited storage and a full-featured version for anything newer. > Alternatively, which system information tools with suitable open > source license could be included? As RayeR already wrote on BTTR, > HWINFO (which? note the Linux open source one, I assume), NSSI > (Navrátil Software System Information, mirrored on BTTR actually: > http://www.bttr-software.de/freesoft/system.htm ), VC (NC style > file manager, last update 2001?) etc. are not open source. BTTR > also lists AIDA (benchmarks and sysinfo), PC Diagnostics, etc. Once I received source code for <http://web.archive.org/web/20070608155633/http://user.rol.ru/%7Edxover/speedsys/> under "do whatever you want this it, but don't bug me". I think, it's a 1.75 WIP version, so I'm not sure, it works or even builds. (Requires TASM to build.) 386+ required. > I remember that MS DOS came with MSD (and MEMMAKER, a wizard to MSD is really nice for early hardware and easy to use. I remember using Dr. Hardware very often, which is still around, but still payware: https://www.dr-hardware.com/pghgretro.htm Shareware version 10 for DOS (English): http://www.drhardware.de/download/drhdose.zip Shareware version 10 for DOS (German): http://www.drhardware.de/download/drhdose.zip > optimize your config/autoexec for TSR/driver order in UMB etc.) > but I also remember that MSD was not particularily useful when > you compared it to classics such as Quarterdeck Manifest MFT. > > As you can guess, FreeDOS is missing cool apps here. How about > > https://www.ibiblio.org/pub/micro/pc-stuff/freedos/files/util/system/compinfo/ > > Would COMPINFO be sufficient? Pros: - FOSS (GNU GPL & GNU LGPL) - it's already there Cons: - no docs - C and Pascal versions avaiable - "unfree" toolchain (Turbo Pascal) Also "unfree" toolchain (TP+ASM): INFOPLUS by Andrew Rossmann, last updated in 1993. License is public domain. https://ftp.sunet.se/mirror/archive/ftp.sunet.se/pub/simtelnet/msdos/sysinfo/ifp1p158.zip (binary) https://ftp.sunet.se/mirror/archive/ftp.sunet.se/pub/simtelnet/msdos/sysinfo/ifp1s158.zip (sources) There are probably more gems at https://www.sac.sk/files.php?d=13&l= > How about file managers? NDN (Necromancer's DOS Navigator at > ndn.muxe.com) apparently has closed sources, but even supports > 64-bit DPMI in DOS now? A free version of DOS NAVIGATOR, with > sources: https://www.ritlabs.com/en/products/dn/ > > The https://sourceforge.net/projects/doszip/ Doszip Commander is > yet another Norton Commander clone, as is the open source CONNECT > shell from http://www.dorlov.no-ip.com/Connect/ Some of the file > managers already are packaged for FreeDOS distros on ibiblio: I list some more on: https://www.bttr-software.de/links/#fileman > So... Suggestions please :-) Which 1. SYSINFO TOOL, 2. FILE MANAGER > and 3. PARTITION EDITOR should be installed by default, used during > installation, be made available on the Live CD, etc.? SI: - Info+ - (one day...) System Speed Test FM: - DOSZIP - DN OSP - Explorer PC? -- Although it might (!) be a copyright problem, because it *looks* very much like Windows Explorer, of course. PE: - Ranish? Cheers, Robert -- +++ BTTR Software +++ Home page: https://www.bttr-software.de/ DOS ain't dead: https://www.bttr-software.de/forum/ _______________________________________________ Freedos-user mailing list [email protected] https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-user
