Re: [ros-dev] Trying to push ideas (again:) )

[Wesley Parish]

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
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>  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.
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You ask, what is the most important thing?
Maku e ki, he tangata, he tangata, he tangata.
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