Re: DOS, how long?
From: GP (gpredl_at_syspredl.at)
Date: 10/05/03
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Date: Sun, 5 Oct 2003 11:46:37 +0200
1) Clean DOS-programs are working quite fine in XP. Even within a LAN in
multiuser mode accessing databases on a server. A lot of problems with the
execution of DOS jobs in W2k have actually been fixed in XP! Only drawback:
Printers have to be connected by net use commands within a batch-file, there
is no way like in Windows 9x to assign an LPTn: to them. But, that's not
really bad.
2) So, you don't need any old DOS-machine to execute DOS programs! However,
some old interpreters and other programs will not run in Windows XP. But
many DOS programs f.i. compiled with VBDOS 1.0 or PDS 7.1 or other are
running quite OK.
3) The 'DOS'-prompt just SEEMS to be a DOS-prompt. Actually, it is a console
prompt of the 32-bit console within Windows. From that prompt, you can start
all types of programs, including windows exes using the GUI-system.
4) As you probably know, you can write 32-bit Windows-programs without using
the GUI. These programs look and taste like DOS-programs, but aren't. They
are called CONSOLE-programs and can actually use the full memory of the
computer. Console programs have - they are 32-bit - full access to the
Windows API. Example: Power Basic for Windows plus a bunch of other
programming languages, who do not take use of the GUI. Console programs are
not slowed down by the GUI-system. Really fast Windows-programs run in
console mode if the graphics part is unimportatnt.
5) In XP, like NT or W2k, DOS programs are executed within a DOS-emulator
and may run relatively slower than in Windows 9x, where the
DOS-configuration is done during startup of the Windows system. Thus, you
have to fiddle with CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT in Windows 9x in order to
get enough free space for your DOS-program. Windows ME is an exception,
there it is near to impossible to get it well-configured for DOS jobs. XP is
different. It comes out of the box with 625k execution space for DOS jobs.
However, any additions to your DOS-configuration have to be done in
CONFIG.NT and AUTOEXEC.NT in \windows\system32. You can even have SETVER
working ..
6) Afaik, there's no danger of losing the DOS-mode in a future desktop
Windows. Thousands and thousands of DOS programs are still in use, some of
them, because they are such big beasts, could be converted to GUI only by
real big investments of time and manpower.
7) Windows support of dot-matrix printers is poor, but lots of big companies
need their multi-part forms to be printed by such printers. DOS-programs
support such printers in a very oldfashioned but viable way, even within a
modern LAN using Windows XP computers. Windows programming languages are
using the windows drivers of the printers and never take care of a simple,
but fast printing dot-matrix printer or line printer. In fact, you have to
resort to utilities like PRINT DIRECT in order to have fast printing
dot-matrix printers within a LAN.
"machine99" <core99@delite.dk> schrieb im Newsbeitrag
news:3f7faf72$0$24687$edfadb0f@dread14.news.tele.dk...
> Will windows keep DOS in the future and for how long?
>
> I have already trouble running DOS programs on WinXP!
>
>
> If DOS was removed from the future windows versions, would it be possible
to
> emulate it with a program so ones old DOS programs would still work?
>
>
>
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