25 Sep
2008
25 Sep
'08
12:57 p.m.
My bad. I only noticed the date after I'd sent it off.
My humble apologies.
Wesley Parish
On Thursday 25 September 2008 09:18, Alexandru Lovin wrote:
I wrote that e-mail ONE YEAR ago. Whiskey Tango
Foxtrot ?!
Since then, I kinda found a way to solve them without being cursed at by
ROS devs (well, yeah, they didn't actually curse). The ROS Media Center
would combine Mediaportal (stability), VirtualDub(video editing),
Dscaler(many useful filters) and MythTV(cluster-capable). All open-source.
This doesn't need to be the ROS media center, just a cool software
application. Maybe I'll be able to convince the Alter team (alter.org.ua)
to do it someday.
VxD compatibility is not needed - thank GreatLord and oiaohm for
illuminating me - because probably all the devices with Win '95-only
drivers also had NT 4.0 drivers. End of story.
16-bit operation is not needed, either. After the OS gets really stable and
feature-rich, I guess it'll be a fun challenge to make it run on a 386,
maybe even a 486. Operating on a 286 can be done as well, but I'm not going
to say how, because most developers look at it as it's evil alien
technology that nobody needs, or even worse, that would destroy the OS or
something. I asked some of them and they sounded reserved to say the least.
However, being able to run 16-bit Windows applications should be done, but
I think that's really not the current issue right now.
Glide compatibility on non-3dfx hardware: I will be able to convince the
guy making Glidos to give the ROS team the sources. That's for DOS Glide
games and generally DOS games as well. For Windows Glide games there are
open source projects already underway, as far as I know.
Descent: there's a Windows port out there, Dxx-rebirth that managed to do
exactly the music files thing. I bothered them for a while, but they did
it.
I'm watching and waiting for whenever I can voice out requests such as
these. A friend has some sort of design doc for a very functional telephony
application that would manage every feature modems have, manage faxes,
dial-up connections etc. But the devs are still working on the networking
part and I assume they really don't want to get into telephony right now.
But right now people are fixing bugs and updating the OS. I really can't
insist with such "advanced" issues.
And by the way, I can't code. Nor do I have Stefan Ginsberg's amount of
time on my hands, to stick around and learn how to. I can work in the
graphics but mf is kinda always closed-doors and seemingly unwilling to
start the work on re-doing the interface, due to reasons I'm unaware of.
And it's not my business as to what they actually are, so I can't really
contribute right now.
On Wed, Sep 24, 2008 at 12:13 PM, Wesley Parish
<wes.parish(a)paradise.net.nz>wrote;wrote:
> On Saturday 15 September 2007 05:16, James Tabor wrote:
> > Hi!
> >
> > Alexandru Lovin wrote:
> > > Hello everyone,
> > >
> > > Aleksey suggested that I discuss this here, on the mailing list.
>
> <snip
>
> > > 7. Running on 16-bit systems like 286/386/486 in a "ReactOS
>
> Essentials"
>
> > > (equivalent to a stripped-down XP) mode *
> > > *
> > >
> > > It should be the same operating system, but in 16-bit mode only.
> > > That's an ideal scenario and I'm sure it cannot be done no matter
how
> > > good the programmers are. So, what can someone do on a 286 ? Listen
> > > to mp3's ?
>
> No
>
> > > way. Listen to audio CD's, yes, and hopefully digital playback, too.
> > > Watch TV ? Yes, if the user can find an ISA TV tuner (ATI made such
> > > tuners, but they required a PCI ATI video card, and if you have PCI
> > > why not get a better tuner?). Record TV shows ? Not on that kind of
> > > computer. Browse the internet ? That may be possible, with some
> > > really outdated, 16-bit browser, like the Internet Explorer for
> > > Windows 3.1. And I don't know how many sites will work on it. Play
> > > games ? Yes, either old DOS or Windows 3.1 ones or the ones that come
> > > with ReactOS, written in 16-bit especially for this mode. Join a hive
> > > as either
>
> master
>
> > > or slave ? Hopefully it will be possible, but probably in the year
> > > 2015 at least. Use office applications ? Sure, if the user can find
> > > that
>
> last
>
> > > Microsoft Office or maybe Microsoft Works version compatible with
> > > Windows 3.1. Run a web server ? I know a guy who had a server running
>
> on
>
> > > a 386 system, on Windows 3.11. So yes, it is possible, only I don't
>
> know
>
> > > what software he used to actually serve the data. Act as a router ?
> > > Again, hopefully. That is, if the entire network is on 10 megabit,
> > > because I don't think there are ISA 100 megabit network cards (ISA
> > > bandwith is not enough). 2D graphics ? It was possible in Windows
> > > 3.1, why not ? Maybe the first Photoshop versions actually were
> > > 16-bit. 3D graphics ? The first 3D Studio Max (that is, 3D Studio)
> > > was for DOS only. That probably means 16-bit right from the start,
> > > and that should mean yes, you can do it, with the DOS compatibility
> > > layer. Web design ? If you can find a 16-bit application, yes.
> > >
> > > A separate ReactOS for 16-bit only, or just all the 16-bit
>
> functionality
>
> > > included in the normal ReactOS ? Things look better when it works out
>
> of
>
> > > the box, but it's a waste of space to include applications written
> > > for 16-bit only. People that really need the 16-bit version will not
> > > mind paying extra attention to actually download this one and not the
> > > normal one. Besides that, ReactOS is free. And the presence of such a
> > > version would mean a selfless devotion to people. An act of charity
> > > for real. Allowing people to use their computers and do as many
> > > modern things as possible on them.
> > >
> > > An open source Windows 3.11 with better compatibility and adherence
> > > to standards. Compatible with all the 9x and ME. Has been tried in
> > > Free
>
> Win
>
> > > 95, oiaohm said "dead and staying that way" about it, but maybe
VxD
> > > documentation and whatever else you would need will appear (or be
> > > reverse engineered by someone). Once a bigger effort will be done,
> > > the missing info is probably easier to uncover.
> > >
> > > Those are my suggestions. They are not for now, they are not easy to
>
> do,
>
> > > etc. Just don't discard them, please.
> > >
> > > Alex
> >
> > Well that is allot! I like ideas too! But~ need more developers here.
> > The best we will do for now is NT/2k/Xp/2k3/V. Downward compatibility
> > is WOW and we don't have WOW. If you want! Come and help us.
> >
> > Now for win311,,, Take FreeDOS and Wine 16 bit retool the wine code
> > base
>
> it
>
> > on information from "Undocumented Windows by A. Schulman, D. Maxey and
> > M. Pietrek". You will have a good project there! I would like to play
> > with that but~ I have to much right now.
>
> "Unauthorized Windows 95" by Schulman for the info on the vmmd32.vxd, and
> the
> *.vxd info.
>
> Wesley Parish
>
> > Thanks,
> > James
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > Ros-dev mailing list
> > Ros-dev(a)reactos.org
> > http://www.reactos.org/mailman/listinfo/ros-dev
>
> --
> Clinersterton beademung, with all of love - RIP James Blish
> -----
> Gaul is quartered into three halves. Things which are
> impossible are equal to each other. Guerrilla
> warfare means up to their monkey tricks.
> Extracts from "Schoolboy Howlers" - the collective wisdom
> of the foolish.
> -----
> Mau e ki, he aha te mea nui?
> You ask, what is the most important thing?
> Maku e ki, he tangata, he tangata, he tangata.
> I reply, it is people, it is people, it is people.
> _______________________________________________
> Ros-dev mailing list
> Ros-dev(a)reactos.org
> http://www.reactos.org/mailman/listinfo/ros-dev
--
Clinersterton beademung, with all of love - RIP James Blish
-----
Gaul is quartered into three halves. Things which are
impossible are equal to each other. Guerrilla
warfare means up to their monkey tricks.
Extracts from "Schoolboy Howlers" - the collective wisdom
of the foolish.
-----
Mau e ki, he aha te mea nui?
You ask, what is the most important thing?
Maku e ki, he tangata, he tangata, he tangata.
I reply, it is people, it is people, it is people.