> What I still don't understand is, why use binary .com files for links > instead of .bat files? In my C:\FreeDos\Links directory I have 6 .bat > files and 9 .com files. What is the difference between creating a > link file as a batch file vs creating it as a binary .com file?
An executable file (.COM or .EXE) might operate a little bit faster than a batch file, but in most cases I doubt that you would even notice the difference in speed (unless you were running from a floppy). An executable file would be harder to change when you wanted/needed to since you would need to modify the source code and then compile/assemble. Batch files are interpreted instead of compiled so you don't need the extra step of creating an executable file -- all you need is the "source" (.BAT) file itself. Needing a compilation would make it harder for someone to "accidentally" change things, which can either be good or bad depending on exactly what you're trying to accomplish. In terms of actual operation, though, it does make a little bit of difference. Inside a batch file if you have a line that contains an executable file name (.COM or .EXE) or an internal DOS command name (like DIR or COPY) when the execution is finished DOS automatically returns to the original batch file and continues running. If the line contains the name of another batch file you must CALL the second batch file or it never returns to the original batch file (it JUMPs instead of CALLs). You can use this "trick" to exit a batch file early (e.g., create a QUIT.BAT file that doesn't do anything and when you want to exit a complicated batch file early just enter a "QUIT" instead of a "CALL QUIT"). There is also a limit on how many nested batch file CALLs you can have going on at the same time (IIRC it's six). You can also "nest" executable files (using something called the EXEC function), and in theory you could do more than six levels, but EXECing can use a LOT of memory while nesting batch files doesn't. In short, there are advantages and disadvantages to both methods. _______________________________________________ Freedos-user mailing list Freedos-user@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-user
