This is purely my personal opinion:
I don't know whether everyone has noticed that most of the discussions on the site right now are about boot disks. In other words, there isn't much in the way of "advanced applications" technology. By so-called "advanced applications" I mean the application of networking technology. Today's networking technology is advancing by leaps and bounds; if DOS wants to catch up with WINDOWS and LINUX, it has to move closer to networking. Isn't that so? Why is it that DOS (meaning FREEDOS) and LINUX are both open and free systems, yet LINUX can stay out in front? Aside from DOS's own limitations, an even more important reason is that LINUX's networking functions are far better than DOS's. It can be said that for any modern operating system, once it is separated from network applications, it is very hard for it to have much room for development. As for the DOS functions we use now, aside from a small number of people doing programming based on DOS, everyone else is only using it for system maintenance, right? How sad! Could it be that this is all DOS amounts to?
The following are a few of my suggestions:
First, start with newbies and form tutorials to teach them how to install and configure DOS, then the installation and configuration of the Chinese-language platform, and installing games under DOS. If they can reach this point, they can be counted as beginners who have gotten started.
For beginners, what they most hope for is nothing more than network applications, such as how to install and configure a network card under DOS, how to load protocols, and how to connect to a network. (A lot of people often get stuck here, because those who have just left school, or those who started working but never had to use this, basically don't know how to do these things.)
Next comes the highest level of DOS network applications: how to set up a WEB SERVER, FTP SERVER, and MAIL SERVER (I just got it working too). Reaching this step definitely means getting to the level of commercial application. Only in this way can the commercial value of DOS be brought out more fully; otherwise it just becomes a toy for hobbyists.
As for DOS programming: everyone can continue to carry forward the spirit of freedom and openness, and provide as much related source code and related programming technology as possible. Only in this way can DOS continue to grow stronger, instead of merely being the strong point of just a few enthusiasts.
I don't know whether everyone has noticed that most of the discussions on the site right now are about boot disks. In other words, there isn't much in the way of "advanced applications" technology. By so-called "advanced applications" I mean the application of networking technology. Today's networking technology is advancing by leaps and bounds; if DOS wants to catch up with WINDOWS and LINUX, it has to move closer to networking. Isn't that so? Why is it that DOS (meaning FREEDOS) and LINUX are both open and free systems, yet LINUX can stay out in front? Aside from DOS's own limitations, an even more important reason is that LINUX's networking functions are far better than DOS's. It can be said that for any modern operating system, once it is separated from network applications, it is very hard for it to have much room for development. As for the DOS functions we use now, aside from a small number of people doing programming based on DOS, everyone else is only using it for system maintenance, right? How sad! Could it be that this is all DOS amounts to?
The following are a few of my suggestions:
First, start with newbies and form tutorials to teach them how to install and configure DOS, then the installation and configuration of the Chinese-language platform, and installing games under DOS. If they can reach this point, they can be counted as beginners who have gotten started.
For beginners, what they most hope for is nothing more than network applications, such as how to install and configure a network card under DOS, how to load protocols, and how to connect to a network. (A lot of people often get stuck here, because those who have just left school, or those who started working but never had to use this, basically don't know how to do these things.)
Next comes the highest level of DOS network applications: how to set up a WEB SERVER, FTP SERVER, and MAIL SERVER (I just got it working too). Reaching this step definitely means getting to the level of commercial application. Only in this way can the commercial value of DOS be brought out more fully; otherwise it just becomes a toy for hobbyists.
As for DOS programming: everyone can continue to carry forward the spirit of freedom and openness, and provide as much related source code and related programming technology as possible. Only in this way can DOS continue to grow stronger, instead of merely being the strong point of just a few enthusiasts.


