Some personal views on the development of DOS - China DOS Union Forum

I've been on this forum for quite a long time now, and I've learned a lot. At least before, I had never thought about developing DOS. But here, I saw the enthusiasm for developing DOS, so I ended up with some thoughts of my own. I'm posting them here—just personal opinions, just something to look at.
As an operating system, DOS naturally has its own place. Not too many years ago, DOS and computers were almost the same thing in meaning. If you didn't understand DOS, you couldn't really say you understood computers. But now, systems like WINDOWS and LINUX have all surpassed DOS in status. The reasons are nothing more than that WINDOWS is simple and easy to use, attractive and friendly, while LINUX has powerful networking functions (all UNIX-like systems have this trait), and they are all multitasking, which is also extremely important. Think about it carefully: being able to make this post while listening to music, maybe also copying some files, and having QQ open to chat with friends—no matter what, that's better than just making a post, right? (Under DOS, maybe you can listen to music while going online, but you still can't copy things or open other programs at the same time, can you?) It can be said that using DOS lowers a person's efficiency, because at any given moment only one task can be completed, so the waiting time becomes very long, wasting people's time (even with TSRs, there is still a lot of waiting). So DOS was very successful in the past, when computer resources were precious and it was an era centered on the computer itself, but now the situation is different.
So if DOS is to be developed, multitasking absolutely must be supported. That would require rewriting the kernel, or at least making a system similar to WINDOWS9X. Only then can those of us who like DOS proudly say that we are using DOS to get online, listen to music, process files... and also proudly say that whatever WINDOWS can do, DOS can do too!!
As for multi-user support, for many individual PC users it isn't really all that necessary, but security definitely has to be considered, and that is because of the development of networking.
The development of networking has raised computer applications to a new level. What a computer without a network is like compared with one that has networking—I believe I don't even need to say it, everyone understands. But the trouble of going online under DOS, and how weak the functions are, everyone knows that too. No matter what, this is something that must be solved. And this also requires rewriting the kernel, or making very powerful programs to support it.
So personally, I feel that continuing to discuss MSDOS is not very meaningful. At most it is only useful for solving problems in today's WINDOWS systems. For many people, that is enough, but for a group whose purpose is to develop DOS, it is far from enough.
As for FreeDOS, since I haven't used it myself, I don't have many opinions. But its code is open, so we can study it, and it is also strongly compatible with MSDOS, so discussion of it ought to be greatly increased.
As for the development of DOS, it has to be developed from the fundamental core. It's not enough just to discuss applications of MSDOS, or simply make DOS boot disks. And as for discussions about what programs can save a little more memory, I am doubtful about how much meaning that really has.
I don't have much skill, and the above are only some of my personal views. Everyone can just take a casual look.

PS: It's rare for me to be serious for once, so I hope nobody flames me... ：）

Well said! I completely support it..

Good~~
But the compatibility between FreeDOS and MS-DOS can't be said to be necessarily very good...

Not very good?
Hehe, since I haven't used it, I've only heard about it, so I have no right to speak...

As for compatibility, at present it's at least above 95%. But FreeDOS still has some bugs right now, so a small number of programs can't run normally..

Hehe, after I get back to school I'll install it on my own computer and give it a try :）

I think that even if FreeDOS and other DOSes may have certain problems, that doesn't affect their promotion and use at all..

Just talking about MS-DOS boot disks really isn't very useful, especially DOS maintenance boot disks centered on WIN—they're of no help at all to the development of DOS. As for my purpose in making the "Super DOS Boot Disk," it's that I want to build an ultra-powerful DOS platform for everyone to use.. I think we should strengthen discussion in this area..

I think we also definitely can't relax on the side of dealing with beginners, because this after all counts as promotion
Discussion of practical use is of great help for everyone to understand DOS and use DOS

Support, but how are we supposed to promote it??

Actually, there are quite a few people who like DOS and think DOS is important; at least I've seen several. But because getting started isn't easy, they gave up very quickly.
To create a big atmosphere of using DOS, a unified version is very important. At least when talking about problems, there can be a common standpoint. As for other versions, after using one version for a period of time, using others won't be too difficult either.
Then there need to be tutorials for this version of DOS. If we want more people to learn DOS and use DOS, it can't just be enough for a few people who understand DOS to use it. So there should be tutorials from newbie entry-level ones to relatively advanced ones, including detailed material on system development, so that people who can develop DOS can be cultivated, not just people who use DOS. This requires the support of a website (at least there has to be a place to put those tutorials). The tutorials don't have to be written all at once; they can be gradually improved, but there definitely has to be relatively fast updating.
In addition, DOS can be promoted through promoting the website—making links, and also recommending it to the people around us. (Of course, if he/she/it doesn't like DOS, then forget it. Wait until his/her/its computer has a problem, solve it for him/her/it, and then talk about it. Then he/she/it will understand ^_^) Use all kinds of ways to promote it, attract people to pay attention, and use good content to make them stay

As for specific methods, I'm afraid this isn't something that can be completed in a day or two.

The above are my personal views. I didn't think them through carefully, just speaking casually, everyone can just take a casual look :）

How can I use batch commands in AUTOEXEC.BAT to make it run a certain file (or program) at a specified time?

What LanE said was very practical.

DOS has two levels. The first is developing DOS fundamentally, and that is actually no different from writing an operating system. The second is developing some application software based on DOS (including so-called GUI). I think the latter may be more realistic. Considering the actual situation, since there are many kinds of DOS, we'd better still focus mainly on a stable and familiar DOS, such as msdos. The others can wait until their kernels become stable. The skill level of the vast majority of domestic programmers still can't reach the point of touching the kernel.

Actually, network support under DOS can also be implemented very well; the key is whether everyone is willing to write programs themselves.
The company I'm with has developed its own applications for networking under DOS, and many protocols such as HTTP/FTP/UDP/TCPIP can all be supported very well. For example, using RTL8019AS for FTP, the transfer speed can reach 600KB/S!
[email protected]

Floor1　LanE	Posted 2003-06-24 00:00
银牌会员　Posts 648　Credits 1,835
I've been on this forum for quite a long time now, and I've learned a lot. At least before, I had never thought about developing DOS. But here, I saw the enthusiasm for developing DOS, so I ended up with some thoughts of my own. I'm posting them here—just personal opinions, just something to look at. As an operating system, DOS naturally has its own place. Not too many years ago, DOS and computers were almost the same thing in meaning. If you didn't understand DOS, you couldn't really say you understood computers. But now, systems like WINDOWS and LINUX have all surpassed DOS in status. The reasons are nothing more than that WINDOWS is simple and easy to use, attractive and friendly, while LINUX has powerful networking functions (all UNIX-like systems have this trait), and they are all multitasking, which is also extremely important. Think about it carefully: being able to make this post while listening to music, maybe also copying some files, and having QQ open to chat with friends—no matter what, that's better than just making a post, right? (Under DOS, maybe you can listen to music while going online, but you still can't copy things or open other programs at the same time, can you?) It can be said that using DOS lowers a person's efficiency, because at any given moment only one task can be completed, so the waiting time becomes very long, wasting people's time (even with TSRs, there is still a lot of waiting). So DOS was very successful in the past, when computer resources were precious and it was an era centered on the computer itself, but now the situation is different. So if DOS is to be developed, multitasking absolutely must be supported. That would require rewriting the kernel, or at least making a system similar to WINDOWS9X. Only then can those of us who like DOS proudly say that we are using DOS to get online, listen to music, process files... and also proudly say that whatever WINDOWS can do, DOS can do too!! As for multi-user support, for many individual PC users it isn't really all that necessary, but security definitely has to be considered, and that is because of the development of networking. The development of networking has raised computer applications to a new level. What a computer without a network is like compared with one that has networking—I believe I don't even need to say it, everyone understands. But the trouble of going online under DOS, and how weak the functions are, everyone knows that too. No matter what, this is something that must be solved. And this also requires rewriting the kernel, or making very powerful programs to support it. So personally, I feel that continuing to discuss MSDOS is not very meaningful. At most it is only useful for solving problems in today's WINDOWS systems. For many people, that is enough, but for a group whose purpose is to develop DOS, it is far from enough. As for FreeDOS, since I haven't used it myself, I don't have many opinions. But its code is open, so we can study it, and it is also strongly compatible with MSDOS, so discussion of it ought to be greatly increased. As for the development of DOS, it has to be developed from the fundamental core. It's not enough just to discuss applications of MSDOS, or simply make DOS boot disks. And as for discussions about what programs can save a little more memory, I am doubtful about how much meaning that really has. I don't have much skill, and the above are only some of my personal views. Everyone can just take a casual look. PS: It's rare for me to be serious for once, so I hope nobody flames me... ：）

Floor2　Wengier	Posted 2003-06-24 00:00
系统支持　Posts 10,521　Credits 27,736
Well said! I completely support it..

Floor3　Dark-Destroy	Posted 2003-06-25 00:00
元老会员　Posts 3,551　Credits 8,312
Good~~ But the compatibility between FreeDOS and MS-DOS can't be said to be necessarily very good...

Floor4　LanE	Posted 2003-06-25 00:00
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Not very good? Hehe, since I haven't used it, I've only heard about it, so I have no right to speak...

Floor5　Wengier	Posted 2003-06-25 00:00
系统支持　Posts 10,521　Credits 27,736
As for compatibility, at present it's at least above 95%. But FreeDOS still has some bugs right now, so a small number of programs can't run normally..

Floor6　LanE	Posted 2003-06-26 00:00
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Hehe, after I get back to school I'll install it on my own computer and give it a try :）

Floor7　hunome	Posted 2003-06-26 00:00
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Mm, that's deep!

Floor8　Wengier	Posted 2003-06-26 00:00
系统支持　Posts 10,521　Credits 27,736
I think that even if FreeDOS and other DOSes may have certain problems, that doesn't affect their promotion and use at all.. Just talking about MS-DOS boot disks really isn't very useful, especially DOS maintenance boot disks centered on WIN—they're of no help at all to the development of DOS. As for my purpose in making the "Super DOS Boot Disk," it's that I want to build an ultra-powerful DOS platform for everyone to use.. I think we should strengthen discussion in this area..

Floor9　LanE	Posted 2003-06-27 00:00
银牌会员　Posts 648　Credits 1,835
I think we also definitely can't relax on the side of dealing with beginners, because this after all counts as promotion Discussion of practical use is of great help for everyone to understand DOS and use DOS

Floor10　Dark-Destroy	Posted 2003-06-27 00:00
元老会员　Posts 3,551　Credits 8,312
Support, but how are we supposed to promote it??

Floor11　LanE	Posted 2003-06-27 00:00
银牌会员　Posts 648　Credits 1,835
Actually, there are quite a few people who like DOS and think DOS is important; at least I've seen several. But because getting started isn't easy, they gave up very quickly. To create a big atmosphere of using DOS, a unified version is very important. At least when talking about problems, there can be a common standpoint. As for other versions, after using one version for a period of time, using others won't be too difficult either. Then there need to be tutorials for this version of DOS. If we want more people to learn DOS and use DOS, it can't just be enough for a few people who understand DOS to use it. So there should be tutorials from newbie entry-level ones to relatively advanced ones, including detailed material on system development, so that people who can develop DOS can be cultivated, not just people who use DOS. This requires the support of a website (at least there has to be a place to put those tutorials). The tutorials don't have to be written all at once; they can be gradually improved, but there definitely has to be relatively fast updating. In addition, DOS can be promoted through promoting the website—making links, and also recommending it to the people around us. (Of course, if he/she/it doesn't like DOS, then forget it. Wait until his/her/its computer has a problem, solve it for him/her/it, and then talk about it. Then he/she/it will understand ^_^) Use all kinds of ways to promote it, attract people to pay attention, and use good content to make them stay As for specific methods, I'm afraid this isn't something that can be completed in a day or two. The above are my personal views. I didn't think them through carefully, just speaking casually, everyone can just take a casual look :）

Floor12　huazai	Posted 2003-07-11 00:00
初级用户　Posts 4　Credits 103
How can I use batch commands in AUTOEXEC.BAT to make it run a certain file (or program) at a specified time?

Floor13　50030	Posted 2003-07-22 00:00
中级用户　Posts 49　Credits 263　From 广东
What LanE said was very practical.

Floor14　zykdos	Posted 2003-08-01 00:00
初级用户　Posts 31　Credits 183
DOS has two levels. The first is developing DOS fundamentally, and that is actually no different from writing an operating system. The second is developing some application software based on DOS (including so-called GUI). I think the latter may be more realistic. Considering the actual situation, since there are many kinds of DOS, we'd better still focus mainly on a stable and familiar DOS, such as msdos. The others can wait until their kernels become stable. The skill level of the vast majority of domestic programmers still can't reach the point of touching the kernel.

Floor15　笑傲江湖	Posted 2003-09-11 00:00
初级用户　Posts 61　Credits 271
Actually, network support under DOS can also be implemented very well; the key is whether everyone is willing to write programs themselves. The company I'm with has developed its own applications for networking under DOS, and many protocols such as HTTP/FTP/UDP/TCPIP can all be supported very well. For example, using RTL8019AS for FTP, the transfer speed can reach 600KB/S! [email protected]