This is a very interesting point regarding the keyboard. I have a standard USB keyboard (actually from Microsoft) that is connected to this iMac and standard HIC USB mouse that works with I think everything (including a few FPGA computers I run retro stuff on.
With such a setup, the keyboard works at the system level. I can type commands, NC/NDN works and when I compile apps with Watcom standard keyboard related functions from stdio/stdlib work too (getch(), etc). But when I try to assess port 0x60 for keyboard events directly this mechanism does not trigger anything at all. Also mouse does not work, microsoft mouse.com and ctmouse both say I don't have a device connected to my computer. One of the prereq. exercises I wanted to check is to try some code I found on the internet to directly connect to my USB mouse interface and discover it without PS/2 emulation VGA + VESA (graphics) works. It's discovered VESA 3.0 with LFB, all the resolution that this Mac supports on Windows/Mac are enslisted via video mode enumerator. I had no time yet though to check how completely VESA 3.0 standard is implemented. Sound card related experiments are still in front of me but I cannot find anybody and anything over the internet that can tell me somebody successfully implemented HD Audio interface for DOS programs. -- Now back to the exception I'm getting. Interesting fact is that it's triggered when I launch dos4gw (1.97) apps. Launching the stub itself generates the exception as well. I assume that inside dos4gw there is some dos/16m code and error messaging that just shows up. Is it a bug in the dos4gw or it just does not know how to interpret this environment including BIOS services provided by rEFInd? Subject of further investigation. Definitively PMODE/W apps work, CWSDPMI and DOS32 work positively as well. DOS4GW 1.97 is the trigger. Interesting additional note though. I have tried to open Heretic in that setup, no sound of course but just to check if it will work (as I know doom engine was compiled using watcom and dos4gw). It uses DOS4GW 1.97 and it works... keyboard does not as it uses 0x60 port so hard reboot was required to come back to the OS ;-) That's what I know so far. My investigation continues. Thanks for the hint that it may be actually an incomplete BIOS emulation that rEFInd provides. CSM, I assume it should be part of rEFInd implementation, right? How can I check its capabilities to follow your suggestion regarding CSM? /h1 On Sat, Nov 14, 2020 at 12:10 AM Eric Auer <e.a...@jpberlin.de> wrote: > > Hi! > > > After quick reboot my steps to repro the problem are as following: > > -> FreeDOS boots up, I enter NDN, browse to OpenWatcom 1.9 BINW folder > and > > type 'wmake' > > > > [Result] > > App shows all the info it should for no targets specified, I assume on > exit > > it just crashes and hangs the whole system with a message: > > DOS/16M error: [26] 8042 timeout > > DOS/16M error: [26] 8042 timeout > ... > > The 8042 is the keyboard controller. You are using the rEFInd boot > manager on iMac, without Bootcamp. I assume that means you had to > load some CSM, either provided by Apple or by rEFInd, to have BIOS > services for FreeDOS? Apparently it does not simulate a keyboard > controller, while DOS/16M, the DOS extender of your app, is trying > to access the keyboard without relying on BIOS services for that? > > DOS itself expects mostly BIOS services to exist, it does not use > much hardware directly. Exceptions could include the PC speaker for > FreeCOM command com beeping. DOS apps tend to rely on DOS, but in > particular for graphics, they may expect VGA hardware and not just > VGA BIOS services. For sound, barely any DOS app uses the BIOS and > BIOS sound services such as VBE/AI are not supported by classic DOS > sound cards predating them. > > So it is a very interesting question what works and what does not > work with your iMac setup. I would hope that at least some graphics, > disk, keyboard and mouse do work? Please tell me more about your > CSM or similar components and their DOS support. > > While it is not exactly DOS/16M, you could try DOS4GW alternative > DOS32A https://dos32a.narechk.net/index_en.html for improved > compatibility or pre-load DPMIONE or at least CWSDPMI to force > other DOS extenders to rely on the pre-loaded services instead. > > Regards, Eric > > >> *[1] How did I install FreeDOS on iMac* > >> That was relatively easy once I installed this boot manager: > >> https://www.rodsbooks.com/refind/ > >> With it I can install Linux, Windows and FreeDOS from a bootable CD or > USB > ... > > > > _______________________________________________ > Freedos-user mailing list > Freedos-user@lists.sourceforge.net > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-user >
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