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FreeDOS Kernel Notes

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Todo

• look through dev kernel for more changes to merge into stable kernel
• see Blog.Jerm

Released (FreeDOS [FD]) kernels:

• 2035, by last official maintainer Bart Oldeman
• 2035A, by interim maintainer Jeremy Davis
• 2036, compiled 2006/07/26 or later, this one will be the FreeDOS 1.0 kernel
• 2037, the latest unstable kernel revision - discontinued as part of FreeDOS proper
• 2038, to be made available shortly pending some testing and patch cleanup

These kernels have the following features:

• FreeDOS specific menu system in config file
• 8086 support (succesfully verified on PicoXT emulator) - http://www.picofactory.com/free/software/pc-xt-emulator/(approve sites)
• FAT12 and FAT16 support
• FAT32 support, may be compiled out if desired
• DOS version (faked M$-DOS version) numbering support:
  • fat32: 7.10
  • fat12/16: 5.00

Development (DOS-C [DC]) kernels:

• 2035B-CVS, daily builds by Jeremy Davis. Much like 2035A {FD}
• 2035W-CVS, daily builds by Jeremy Davis {FD}
• 2037, uploaded on ibiblio {FD}
• 3.x, to be released {DC}

Currently has the following additional features:

• Improved support for l10n (country, NLSFUNC, MODE, CHCP)
• Windows 3.1 support
• More stuff.

Alternate (Enhanced DR-DOS [EE]) kernels:

• 7.01.08 WIP, Udo Kuhnt's enhancements to the OpenDOS (DR-DOS) kernel

See drdosprojects.de

Just to remember:

l10n = localization (country-specific settings such as how to represent numbers, dates, money, ...). Specific to kernel, drivers and applications that support it.
i18n = internationalization (translations), application / distribution specific instead of something kernel specific

How I do I build the kernel?

If you want to have a custom script, just make a custom.bat with below mentioned parameters and a CALL command: @CALL BUILD.BAT LIST 186 FAT32 /D WIN31SUPPORT On Windows, it's wise to end this custom.bat file with a PAUSE command.

I build the kernel a lot (sometimes several dozen times in a row when testing), but most of the time I use the Dev kernel and the command line of:

• where build of course initiates the compiling and other steps to generate a working kernel (compile, link, optionally compress, statically relocate)
• list causes the assembly files to generate a listing (output file that shows original source, line #s, and generated bytes)
• 186 causes the compiler to generate code for 80186 or newer computers (slightly smaller code but still runs on my 286 based computers)
• fat32 enables support for FAT32 filesystem (all kernels have FAT12 and FAT16 support)
• /D WIN31SUPPORT enables windows 3.x to run (really need to add win option to build.bat)

What I am currently working on

• Windows 3.1 enhanced and DOS boxes support
• currently my dev kernel has fnodes removed and uses SFTs, but it has some bugs I need to work out before committing

Future plans

• create an IFS (Installable File System - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Installable_File_System(approve sites)) kit based on RIFS
• use the IFS kit to support Lean filesystem
• NTFS support
  • use IFS kit for general support, based on Linux NTFS project
  • add boot time support - add hook to kernel so can use boot sector(s) NTFS load support to load IFS NTFS version
  • resources: Linux NTFS project, Reactos NTFS (relsoft.net)

other probably non FreeDOS stuff on my todo list

• czar
  • fix multiple processor support for syscall redirector
  • work on syscall implementations

• AbiWord
  • native win32 libs
  • new msvc makefiles to avoid breaking MinGW build or change to use build
  • update plugin API to use COM-like api (use pure virtual base classes and similar layout so any Win32 C++ compiler can be used to create plugins and perhaps other programming environments)

• fdos
  • commit something
  • finish updating ...

• atapicdd
  • finish cdrom driver portion
  • write ASPI over ATA / ATASPI portion

• pdtree
  • rewrite so doesn't use so much memory

• win32 on DOS
  • play with WDOSX and HXDOSX, see about using for Abi, etc. on DOS

• OEM IDs? for DOS Get Version (Int 21h fn 30h) [From 4DOS & Ralf Brown]
  • 00h PC-DOS (IBM), Novell DOS/Caldera OpenDOS?/some DR-DOS versions
  • 01h Compaq
  • 02h - MS Packaged Product ?
  • 04h AT&T
  • 05h ZDS (Zenith Electronics)
  • 44h Wendin-DOS
  • 06h Hewlett-Packard
  • 07h Zenith Data Systems (ZDS, Groupe Bull), for DOS 5.0+
  • 08h Tandon
  • 0?h AST (AST Europe Ltd.)
  • 0Ah Asem
  • 0Bh Hantarex
  • 0Ch SystemsLine?
  • 0Dh Packard-Bell
  • 0Eh Intercomp
  • 0Fh Unibit
  • 10h Unidata
  • 16h DEC
  • 17h Olivetti DOS
  • 23h Olivetti (may have been a typo, since 23 = 17h)
  • 28h Texas Instruments
  • 29h Toshiba
  • 33h - Novell (Windows/386 device IDs only)
  • 34h - MS Multimedia Systems (Windows/386 device IDs only)
  • 35h - MS Multimedia Systems (Windows/386 device IDs only)
  • 4Dh Hewlett-Packard (HP)
  • 5Eh RxDOS (Mike Podanoffsky)
  • 66h PTS-DOS (PhysTechSoft? and possibly Paragon Technology Systems Corporation)
  • 98h - DOS-ROM (GSVER) ?
  • 99h General Software's Embedded DOS
  • CDh S/DOS (Paragon Technology Systems Corporation - \"Source DOS\" S/DOS 1.0+)
  • DBh ROM-DOS (Datalight)
  • DCh DOS-C (current FDOS kernels)
  • EDh - reserved for future OpenDOS/DR-DOS based projects http://www.drdos.org(approve sites)
  • EEh DR DOS/Enhanced DR-DOS
  • EFh Novell DOS
  • FCh X-DOS
  • FDh FreeDOS (official kernels, derived from DOS-C kernel)
  • FEh LZ-DOS
  • FFh MS-DOS (Microsoft), Phoenix

Others or corrections to above list? Please correct me.