Hi all,
I want to announce that a new version of FreeDOS DISPLAY, ver. 0.12 is
ready for download here:
FOLDER: http://www.ibiblio.org/pub/micro/pc-stuff/freedos/files/dos/display/
SOURCE:
http://www.ibiblio.org/pub/micro/pc-stuff/freedos/files/dos/display/disp012s.zip
BINARY:
http://www.ibiblio.org/pub/micro/pc-stuff/freedos/files/dos/display/disp012x.zip
What's new:
(1) Changes in the Codepage Prepare Logic: the Multiplexer API is
enlarged to support the following two "unstandard" function calls:
- Generic IOCTL pseudo-call
- IOCTL Write pseudo-call
Of course, these functions will not be available through the
multiplexer, but through device driver IOCTL in version 1.0 (when it
becomes a device driver).
The immediate consequence: you need a new version of MODE, that has
already been compiled by Eric, and that he will probably make available
in the following days.
With this Eric (with which testings were made) it is possible to load
several codepages to be prepared at once. For example, you replace
MODE CON CP PREP=((850) EGA.CPI)
MODE CON CP PREP=((,858) EGA.CPI)
with
MODE CON CP PREP=((850,858) EGA.CPI)
(2) Bug fixes:
- MS-Graftabl incompatibility
- Using 6 prepare buffers
- Using more than one hardware codepages
Happy font changing!
FUTURE: DISPLAY 0.13 and DISPLAY 1.0. There are really few features
remaining for a DISPLAY 1.0 true device driver. My plan is that all the
remaining features are to be implemented in DISPLAY 0.13, and no new
features will be accepted for DISPLAY 1.0. I just want DISPLAY 1.0 be
the device driver version of DISPLAY 0.13.
Some remaining features:
- Improve DISPLAY/PRINTER.SYS compatibility (easier to write DISPLAY or
PRINTER hardware managers)
- Software codepages take precedence over hardware codepages
- Several switches to allow the ussage of different memory areas (still
being thinking), such as /NOXMS, /BIOS, /HMA
Finally, I have a list of other possible improvements, that I have kept
as wishes, but that I am unwilling to implement, first because I don't
think they are too interesting, second because I don't want to delay
FreeDOS 1.0 because of DISPLAY.
Here you have the list, should you want any of these to be implemented
for FreeDOS 1.0/DISPLAY 1.0 please try to convince me now about it, as
it should be implemented for DISPLAY 0.13 (unaccepted for DISPLAY 1.0).
You'll have to be very convincing, I am not feeling the appeal to
implement them. Of course, code contributors for these are wellcome.
(a) Ability to expand the IOCTL capabilities of more than one device
driver at a simple call. In other words, the ability to sum these:
DISPLAY CON:=(EGA,437,1)
DISPLAY OTHER:=(VGA,437,1)
on
DISPLAY CON:=(EGA,437,1) OTHER:=(VGA,437,1)
(b) Allow to be able to IOCTL-Write a CPI file in more than one chunk
(this makes FD-DISPLAY incompatible with MS-MODE)
(c) PREPARED codepages to be compressed in memory. For this I require
suggestions on assembler compressing code.
(d) Writing a new hardware manager for NEC Pin Writers (for
PRINTER.SYS). I am unwilling, becase despite of having source to watch
out, I don't have such a printer, and it's not IMHO a popular printer
(it would, for example, for IBM ProPrinter).
(e) Ability to use a single XMS handle for all the PREPAREd codepages
(currently using one XMS handle per codepage prepare buffer). I am
unwilling because most people are using just one buffer anyway.
Cheers,
Aitor
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