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Where we’ve been, where we’re going

Where we’ve been, where we’re going. Jim Hall, Founder, coordinator The FreeDOS Project. O’Reilly 2001. Overview. How DOS got started How DOS evolved The FreeDOS Project The future of FreeDOS. The Beginning. DOS History. CP/M: Intergalactic Digital Research Seattle Computer Products

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Where we’ve been, where we’re going

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  1. Where we’ve been, where we’re going Jim Hall, Founder, coordinator The FreeDOS Project O’Reilly 2001

  2. Overview • How DOS got started • How DOS evolved • The FreeDOS Project • The future of FreeDOS

  3. The Beginning

  4. DOS History • CP/M: Intergalactic Digital Research • Seattle Computer Products • May ‘79: print card for 8086 running CP/M

  5. DOS History • New version CP/M delayed • Let’s write our own • Aug ‘80: SCP develops QDOS 0.10 • QDOS=“Quick and Dirty Operating System”

  6. DOS History • Oct ‘80: IBM prepares to release IBM-PC • Need operating system • CP/M: industry standard • No agreement with DRI • IBM talks to Microsoft

  7. DOS History • Microsoft licenses 86-DOS 0.30 (“QDOS”) • “Microsoft Disk Operating System 1.0” • IBM helps identify, fix bugs • “IBM Personal Computer DOS 1.0”

  8. DOS History • DOS 1.x • 160k and 360k floppy • 64k memory • No hard disks • No .bat files

  9. DOS History 1980- QDOS 0.1 MS-DOS 1.0<----- QDOS 0.3 IBM Per.Comp.DOS 1.0<----|<---(?)--- QDOS 1.0 : | IBM 1.1<---- MS-DOS 1.1 : MS-DOS 1.24 : MS-DOS 1.25 IBM 2.0<----------| : MS-DOS 2.01 1984-

  10. DOS History • DOS 2.x • One 10MB hard disk, max • Subdirectories • Device drivers • I/O redirection • DOS 3.x • Up to four 32MB drive partitions (128MB disk) • 640k memory

  11. DOS History 1984- : | IBM 3.0<-------| IBM 3.1<- MS-DOS 3.05 : | Digital Research : | /|\ : | | | | IBM 3.3<-------| | | | | MS-DOS 3.30 | | | | MS-DOS 3.31 | | | 1988-

  12. DOS History • DOS 3.3 • COM1 - COM4 • 3.5” floppy • 1.2MB floppy • Foreign language support

  13. DOS History 1988- | | Digital Research XDOS | | | | | | IBM 4.0 ------>| | | | : MS-DOS 4.00 | | : MS-DOS 4.01 DR-DOS | : | | RxDOS | | | | | | IBM 5.0 MS-DOS 5.0 | | NSSDOS | | Novell | | 1992-

  14. DOS History • DOS 4.0x • Memory support >640k • 2GB hard drive • DOS 5.0 • Re-write • Early DOS and CP/M functions dropped / re-written • Geared for Windows

  15. DOS History 1992- | | Novell | | IBM 5.01 | | | DOS/NT | MS-DOS 6.00 | RxDOS | IBM 6.1 MS-DOS 6.20 | | | | IBM 6.3 MS-DOS 6.21 | | | : | MS-DOS 6.22 | | | FreeDOS | : | | | | | IBM 7.0 : | | | | | | | Windows 95 OpenDOS | | | | | 1996-

  16. The Middle

  17. FreeDOS • Jul ‘94: Microsoft to stop supporting DOS • Migration to Windows • DOS still strong • Services, banking, data entry, kiosks

  18. FreeDOS • “Will there be a free DOS, like Linux?” (1994) • “If hackers can write Linux (a free UNIX kernel for the PC) then surely we should be able to write our own DOS.” (1994)

  19. FreeDOS • PD-DOS Manifesto (public domain) • Command.com (Tim Norman) • SPOOL (replaces PRINT) • File utilities (Jim Hall) • A few developers • sunsite.unc.edu

  20. FreeDOS • Free-DOS Manifesto (free software) • Most under GNU GPL • DOS/NT becomes DOS-C (FreeDOS Kernel) • More developers! • www.freedos.org • Book: The FreeDOS Kernel • Pat Villani

  21. FreeDOS • FreeDOS Alpha1 - Alpha5 • No installer • Single .zip file • Incomplete • FreeDOS Beta1 - Beta6 • Installer / boot floppy • Packages • More complete

  22. FreeDOS • FreeDOS Beta6 H1 Mini/Full • “Hot” releases (“Ripcord”) • Very complete • Well-received • SEAL • FreeDOS 1.0?

  23. FreeDOS • Why use FreeDOS? • Low system overhead (memory, disk) • Runs on old hardware • Console apps • Legacy software

  24. FreeDOS • Who uses FreeDOS? • Educators • Embedded systems (pinball!) • Hobbyists • Developers

  25. The Future

  26. What’s next • Emulated environments • DOSEmu • VMWare • Bochs / Plex86 • Embedded systems • Single-chip PC • DOC (Disk On Chip) • Kiosks, handhelds, set-top

  27. What’s next • Biggest challenge: International support • Original users spoke English • Today: multi-national community • China, Japan (multi-byte) • Italy, Spain, Germany, Brazil, Russia • 4 ways to add support

  28. What’s next 1. Re-map keyboard • XKEYB • Still adding languages • Doesn’t require updating the app

  29. What’s next 2. ASCII extended character set • Set code page • CHCP • Doesn’t require updating the app • Any volunteers?

  30. What’s next 3. Locales • Display date, time, currency, sort order • COUNTRY (config.sys) • API to interface with COUNTRY • setlocale() not fully implemented in most C compilers, or provide generic “C” locale only • Any volunteers?

  31. What’s next 4. Message catalogs • Display messages in user’s native language • catgets() or MSGLIB • Requires updating the app

  32. Discussion Jim Hall <jhall@freedos.org>

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