Newsgroups: comp.os.os2.misc
Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!clarkson!grape.ecs.clarkson.edu!towfiq
From: towfiq@FTP.COM (Mark Towfiq)
Subject: Re: OS/2 2.0 Beta and Windows binaries
Reply-To: towfiq@FTP.COM
Organization: FTP Software, Inc., Wakefield, MA
Date: 2 May 91 14:31:35
Message-ID: <TOWFIQ.91May2143135@babyoil.FTP.COM>
In-Reply-To: d88-pfo@dront.nada.kth.se's message of 2 May 91 11:05:51 GMT
References: <1991May1.222608.8493@watserv1.waterloo.edu>
	<D88-PFO.91May2130548@dront.nada.kth.se>
Sender: usenet@grape.ecs.clarkson.edu

In article <1991May1.222608.8493@watserv1.waterloo.edu> tom@mims-iris.waterloo.edu (Tom Haapanen) writes:

Tom> Does the current OS/2 2.0 beta version include the BCL (Binary
Tom> Compatability Layer) for running Windows binaries directly, or do
Tom> Windows apps have to be run inside a DOS box (and thus in real
Tom> mode)?  Or is there any official word from IBM on whether the
Tom> first 2.0 commercial release will have this, or whether it'll be
Tom> in something like 2.1?

>>>>> On 2 May 91 11:05:51 GMT, d88-pfo@dront.nada.kth.se (Peter Forsberg) said:

Peter> The BCL is not in the current beta, but will be in the release
Peter> version, and in later betas.

Just as an interesting exercise, I tried to figure out the Binary
Compatability Layer on our copy of the beta 2.0 here at FTP.  I took a
usual Windows executable (I think it was CLOCK.EXE, either the release
or the one in the windev samples directory), and tried to run it from
a full screen session.  Itstead of getting an error message, I got the
usual PM "snap" from full-screen to PM, and then back to full screen,
with the message "The system cannot find the file .".  I began to
wonder, ran EXEHDR on the executable, and found out it was looking for
THREE DLLs!  The three were called kernel, gdi, and user.  I found
executables by this name in the \windows\system directory on my DOS
machine, so I copied them over and looked at those with exehdr, and
they were exporting the very functions which the clock program was
trying to import.

So then I tried renaming the gdi, user, and kernel executables to
DLLs, but of course that didn't work.  Nevertheless, the point I
wanted to make is that it seems as though they are just going to
furnish DLLs in OS/2 which map the native windows stuff to PM --
pretty snazzy huh?

--
Mark Towfiq, FTP Software, Inc.                                  towfiq@FTP.COM
Work No.: +1 617 246 0900			      Home No.: +1 617 488 2818

  "The Earth is but One Country, and Mankind its Citizens" -- Baha'u'llah
