On Mon, 9 Aug 2004, Vassilis Prevelakis wrote:
> MS-DOS is really a program loader, which is actually extremely important
> since PCs do not come with monitor program.
It also has a crude API (extended from the CP/M API).
Are you saying that it is not an OS because you don't like the API?
Or because the multitasking functions in the API are
undocumented and crude?
... and it has DEBUG (the most powerful and important
program to ever run on MS-DOS)
> I have a VMware VM running MSDOS with network support and I use this
> to compile TurboC programs (for some reason the tcc linker does not run
> in a Windows 2000, or later DOS box, it does run on MS-DOS-based systems
> like Windows 95/98/ME).
I run the TurboC (2.0x) IDE on Win2K and on WinXP.
I teach C Programming at College Of Alameda, where the lab is
entirely Win2K, and at Vista College, where the lab is entirely XP.
I make the students do one program using a command
line compiler. I demo with, and offer them the use of,
DeSmet/PCC, but they may substitute another command
line compiler of their choice. The first assignment
(getting the tools to work) is to write a program to
put their name on the screen. That is significantly
better as a first assignment than "Hello, world",
since the personalization gives them more personal
satisfaction on completion, and forces every one of
them to do their own compile, instead of turning in
a copy of somebody else's.
Then I make them do one program using a crude IDE.
I demo with, and offer them the use of TurboC V2.0,
but they may substitute another crude IDE of their choice.
THEN, and only then, I let them use any compiler
that they want for the remainder of the course.
Many immediately attempt to use Visual C.
> Of course, I wouldn't use such a system for any real work :-) I am amazed
> that people actually did so.
depends on what kind of "real work" you WANT to do.
It works [sort of] as an application launcher.
But most of all, IT WILL GET OUT OF THE WAY when you
want to do "real work".
--
Grumpy Ol' Fred cisin_at_xenosoft.com
Received on Mon Aug 09 2004 - 13:40:00 BST