Subj : Re: Copy to file or directory? Help? Calling MS-Dos? To : nonvalid_email From : Steve Date : Sun Feb 03 2002 03:22 pm From: Steve@f3.n342.z1.cereal.mv.com (Steve) Subject: Re: Copy to file or directory? Help? Calling MS-Dos? From: "E. S. (Steve) Fabian" nonvalid_email@yahoo.com wrote: > > Just because you can replace part of the OS does not mean the replaced > part is not a part of the OS. This is illogical. Replace command.com > with 4DOS and it is no longer MSDOS, but 4DOS. No software producer > will support an altered version of thir product. All guarantees, if > any, will be null and void. > > It seems many 4DOS users see it otherwise. I suggest you an experiment > as in the example above and decide for yourself. There is no room for > discussion in this group on this particular topic. Just form your own > opinion. This cowardly author, who uses varying psedonyms, including those of famous personalities, but refuses to provide his or her own name, refuses to accept what a freshmen of Computer Science and of Software Egnioneering are taught, and is also published by Microsoft Press, the "Microsoft MS-DOS PROGRAMMER'S REFERENCE The Official Technical Reference to MS-DOS", quoted below (thanks to scannner and OCR): Chapter 1: Introduction 1.1 About This Manual This manual describes the system functions, interrupts, and structures of the MicrosoftR MS-DOSR operating system. These features enable MS-DOS programs to use the operating system to carry out tasks such as reading from and writing to files; allocating memory; starting other programs; and using the key-board, screen, and communications ports. Topics include overviews of the MS-DOS system functions; a comprehensive reference to the system functions, interrupts, and structures; an explanation of device drivers; and a description of the function interfaces for MS-DOS exten-sions, such as print spooling, national language support, and task switching. MS-DOS system functions, interrupts, and structures are designed to be used in assembly-language programs or in assembly-language modules that can be incorporated in C, Pascal, and other high-level-language programs. Therefore, to get the most from this manual, readers should be familiar with the architecture of the 8086 family of microprocessors and have some experience programming in assembly language for the 8086 microprocessor. Although this manual presents the basic concepts and tasks associated with the system functions, it is not intended to teach programming in the MS-DOS environment. The manual does not provide detailed information about interfaces that are features of a given computer, device adapter, or software extension. For additional resources about MS-DOS and related topics, see Section 1.5, "Further Reading." Note that there is not one word about command processors, such as PERL, COMMAND.COM, 4DOS.COM, or any others. The book's Index lists 3 references to COMMAND.COM: 1) describes the special features of the environment of a (binary) prgoram which is started by COMMAND.COM; 2) a discussion of parent and child programs, with COMMAND.COM as an example of a parent. 3) a short paragraph about (binary, not part of OS) programs requiring COMMAND.COM to load and run batch files (this is also the only indexed reference to batch files). I hope that this direct quotation from Microsoft's own documentation will put to bed the issue of what is and what is not part of the MS-DOS operating system. Note also that eraly IBM PCs could be started without any operating system, running ROM-based BASIC, and were able to access all peripherals, including getting a disk directory. -- E. S. "Steve" Fabian ESFabian@BellAtlantic.net POB 1540, Cherry Hill, NJ 08034 Telephone: 856-354-1752 EMPIRE Consultants, Inc. Director, Software Development ------------------------------------------------------------------- -- |Fidonet: Steve 1:342/3 | | Origin: The Cereal Port BBS (603)899-3335 199.125.78.133 (1:132/152) --- # Origin: (1:132/152.4) * Origin: Baddog BBS (1:218/903) .