Date: Mon, 6 May 1996 20:35:17 +0400 (MSD)
From: Maksim Stolyarov <mns AT td DOT lpi DOT ac DOT ru>
To: David Hampson <David AT johnhamp DOT demon DOT co DOT uk>
cc: djgpp AT delorie DOT com
Subject: Re: DOS4GW
In-Reply-To: <5pCABDA6rfjxEwxr@johnhamp.demon.co.uk>
Message-ID: <Pine.BSF.3.91.960506195737.11023A-100000@td.lpi.ac.ru>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII



On Mon, 6 May 1996, David Hampson wrote:

	Hi!

> Can anyone tell me what DOS4GW is?

	DOS4GW is a DOS-extender, i.e. the program that fools MS-DOS
	and allows your 32-bit protected code to use 'so-called extended
	memory, (i.e. above 1M)' under MS-DOS. go32 (DJGPP), run386
	(PharLap?) does the same.

	In more details, from the point of MS-DOS' view it starts
	"dos4gw <yourprog>" as odinary MS-DOS program with a parameter.  
	Extender loads your program and become and interface between
	the operating system and the program (when program needs
	video, disk, memory, etc.)

	DOS4GW was used by ID-software for DOOM, DOOM2 (as far as I
	remember).

> Is it some kind of graphics interface for DPMI?

	No, it's not a graphics interface (see above) - maybe better,
	more than that interface (see above). 

	Watcom's Fortran/C/C++ compilers (v 9.5 and up) this extender
	gives you good chance to write graphics code that works under
	DPMI server (i.e. in DOS-sessions under Win, OS/2, etc) both in
	window and full-screen modes. Bad that Watcom is very expensive.

> If so will DJGPP ever incorporate it or

	No comments :-) Does go32-v2 works bad? I suppose it is better.

> is it very 'un-free' software?

	It seems to me that I saw this extender in a couple of
	freeware/shareware products. Maybe it is free (see my remark
	on DOOM(s) above).
> 
> David Hampson
> David AT johnhamp DOT demon DOT co DOT uk
> 

	Best regards, Maksim