Subj : Re: 4BATFAQ Update To : Steve From : Dr John Stockton Date : Wed Jan 30 2002 02:51 am From: Dr John Stockton JRS: In article <3C56F7BA.FB659E26@BellAtlantic.net>, seen in news:alt.msdos.batch, E. S. (Steve) Fabian wrote at Tue, 29 Jan 2002 19:29:48 :- > >Just because MS hardcoded COMMAND.COM, the name of their command >processor into the operating system as the DEFAULT command processor, it >does not make it part of the OS. If I rename COMMAND.COM to some other >name, it will still be a command processor, and if I point the >environment variable COMPSEC to it, any program can invoke it. If you >look at Microsoft's own book, "MS-DOS Programmer's Reference" (subtitled >"The Official Technical Reference to MS-DOS"), its over 500 pages have >just 3 references to COMMAND.COM. That should be conclusive proof that >not even Microsoft considers COMMAND.COM to be PART OF MS-DOS. Would you >consider DELTREE.EXE or SCANDISK.EXE as part of the MS-DOS _OPERATING >SYSTEM_? For many MS-DOS releases before Win95 both were part of the >software bundled with MS-DOS, but not essential to its functioning. I have a cardboard box, supplied by Microsoft, and marked "MS-DOS 6.2 UPGRADE Operating System". There is no reference to it containing any other software. ISTM that one should accept the manufacturer's definition of what comprises the MS-DOS Operating System - the *entire* software contents of that box (plus anything inherited during upgrade, believed to be nothing much). -- C John Stockton, Surrey, UK. jrs@merlyn.demon.co.uk Turnpike v4.00 MIME. C Web - FAQqish topics, acronyms & links. PAS EXE TXT ZIP via My DOS - also batprogs.htm. --- BBBS/NT v4.01 Flag-2 * Origin: Mach2 Systems (1:342/3) .