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@paradise.net.nz> 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
>
>
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> Ros-dev@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.
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