Subj : Learning to code for MS-D
To   : Dennisk
From : Arelor
Date : Wed Jul 01 2020 04:50:52

  Re: Learning to code for MS-D
  By: Dennisk to Arelor on Tue Jun 30 2020 10:51 pm

 De> Depends on the language you want to use. You will probably want to use C,
and De> maybe Assembler if you want to write low level code, in which case, you
 need a De> C compiler and an assember. I would recommend for DOS Open Watcom
available at De> http://openwatcom.org. There are other free compilers, DJGPP
which is for 32 De> bit development and there is a freeware version of Turbo C.
 De> I installed Open Watcom on a 486 just last week. It also has an assembler,
 but De> I would probably use NASM or FASM. Microsoft Assembler was used back
in the De> day, and I think there is a free version you can use, albeit
stripped from the De> full featured suite it was then, but NASM or FASM is
better to use now. De> As to documentation, you can either pick up a good
second hand book for De> programming from the DOS era (if you can find one), or
 look online. If writing De> in C or C++, then its not that different to
writing code for Linux, except for De> the different toolchain and libraries. I
 learned C using Turbo C, and just De> going through the help files included
and piecing together how the language De> worked from that. De> If you want to
try assembly, look for the online book "The Art of Assembly".  De> Not only
does it cover assembly language, but also MS-DOS, PC Graphics, the De> BIOS,
etc. Quite comprehensive. De> ... MultiMail, the new multi-platform,
multi-format offline reader!Thanks for the tips. Knowing which compiler to
choose among is a good first step.I have noticed a lot of DOS stuff was done in
 assembly, which is a bit stricking since you mostly see high-level languages
these days, heh.I will have a look at The Art of Assembly. It looks like a good
 thing to have around. I am a bit more of a C dude ad that is not saying much,
though.

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