Mail Archives: djgpp/1997/01/24/11:22:12
Bill Currie <billc AT blackmagic DOT tait DOT co DOT nz> wrote:
>Ove Kaaven wrote:
>>
>> Bill Currie <billc AT blackmagic DOT tait DOT co DOT nz> wrote:
>>
>> >I'm working on an os myself (infact I wrote the bootstrap loader
>> >mentioned above). I've got it so it can call the bios from protected
>> >mode (v86 mode) and handle hardware interrupts/cpu exceptions.
>>
>> OS writing is fun, don't you all agree?
>I agree. But I also find it a bit frustrating when I don't know where
>to
>go from where I am.
I know. Here's my suggestion for a 3-step way to solve this:
1. Decide on the general design and structure. (The decisions you make
here will forever limit the future potential of your system though,
just consider "640K should be enough for everyone")
2. Create a TODO-list with all the things you think you will need to
do. Make it so it's possible to select one task at a time, and number
them for use in step 3.
3. As the last resort: throw a dice to choose.
Nah, really, when stuck, I find it helpful to get other people's input
on what's done so far and what should be done with it next.
>> Then I've come a little further than you... I call the BIOS in a VM,
>> naturally multitaskable so disk accesses etc don't delay anything
>> else, it multitasks (I think), it has page mapping, it has a
>> "universal" file system driver, where FAT is implemented, it's
>> completely message-driven (and designed for reliability), it has a
>> basic console driver, a complete (almost) keyboard driver, a simple
>> shell, and naturally lots of loose ends, non-implemented features and
>> a few bugs. I'm currently working on the serial driver, to make myself
>> able to make a comms program to combine development and "net surfing".
>Significantly further. However, I have some serial port (one minor bug
>with cleaning up the port on initialization) and keyboard (seems to
>be fine) code I'm very willing to share if you're interrested.
Serial port programming isn't that big a deal, I suspect porting it to
my use would be more work than writing it myself. And my keyboard
driver is complete enough already.
(I don't have a boot loader for it though, I don't think I'll bother
with that until it's reasonable stand-alone (can run djgpp by itself,
and can maintain its own HD partition (sys d:)). For now, I load it
from DOS by loader.com)
I hope nobody minds me borrowing djgpp libc code for having a usable
libc base to create apps with, for now...
>> Of course, nobody developing an OS nowadays can count that their
>> system will become any great hit, there's just too many of them. But
>> it's fun, makes good experience, and it's a way to channel one's
>> disgust of the Bill Gates empire. And with all this effort in this
>> area, maybe one will eventually be able to be Windows' successor.
>A million monkeys...
I could probably make public my source to aid the 999 999 other
monkeys, if they would have any interest in it, especially if they
would like to work on it too.
Hmm, on the other hand... what would happen if all the monkeys put
together their pieces to make the ultimate djgpp-OS? ("Windows NT, go
to bed, we are the world" (die Gates) "Linux, you were a worthy
challenger, but you just weren't good enough" (in my opinion, UNIX is
not modern enough, that's why people prefer Microsoft...))
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