From: hamish@waikato.ac.nz
Newsgroups: comp.os.os2.misc,comp.os.os2.apps,comp.os.os2.programmer
Subject: Re: Utils dont work in a window - WHY?
Date: 5 Oct 92 12:00:38 +1300
Organization: University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand


In article <1992Oct02.031942.12161@ans.net>, db3l@ans.net (David Bolen) writes:
> In article <unruh.717986584@physics.ubc.ca> unruh@physics.ubc.ca (William Unruh) writes:
> 
>> How does OS2 know if it is an OS2 or a DOS application?
> 
> There are flags in the executable header.
> 
>>                                                         Why can't DOS
>> applications just run in an OS2 window- esp if they do not use
>> graphics?
> 
> Well, an OS/2 window is attached to an OS/2 session.  Therefore, it
> contains none of the DOS emulation support necessary to execute DOS
> executables.  You need to start a DOS session for that.  Now, I suppose it
> would be possible to start the DOS session in the background, and still
> direct output to the OS/2 window the executable was started from.  However,
> that would be limited to a small number of DOS applications that used DOS
> or BIOS for output, or would entail a decent amount of overhead if it
> trapped DOS screen accesses and adjusted them into OS/2 calls.  Plus you
> get the overhead for the OS/2 process to talk to the DOS process.
> 
> This doesn't mean it can't be done - who knows, maybe IBM is working on it.
> It would certainly be nice for all the simple command line DOS utilities
> out there.
>

A big load of bullocks. Having the VDM code check change its output from one
window to another would be one of the simplest things to re-code. All it has to
do it redirect its output from a window that it would open, to a window that is
already open. There is no need to adjust for different windows etc. If it will
display on one PM window  the API to display on another won't change... If it
does then OS/2 is a mess, and I can't see that somehow. (Even if MS did write
it originally :)


 
> 
> --
> -- David
> --
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>  \              David Bolen             \  Internet: db3l@ans.net      /
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-- 
==============================================================================
|  Hamish Marson   <h.marson@waikato.ac.nz>                             OS/2 |
|  Programmer (n/5), School of Computing and Mathematical Sciences           | 
|  University of Waikato,                                                    |
|  Hamilton, New Zealand.                                                    |
|Disclaimer:  Anything said in this message is the personal opinion of the   |
|             finger hitting the keyboard & doesn't represent my employers   |
|             opinion in any way. (ie we probably don't agree)               |
==============================================================================
  Q. If Nuclear Tests are so safe, why don't the French do them under Paris?
Newsgroups: comp.os.os2.misc