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[Saccade]

[this is a very long way of saying, "but it's kinda free anyway."]

Dude - I have recently built a PC, old-skool IDE and stuff, and tried to get Win98, Win95+Dos and Dos 6.22/7.10 to run on it.

It's a fucking nightmare, I had forgotten how slow everything was and how impatient I have become.
Not only did I have to contend with switching memories for different games, loading cd/mouse/graphics/scsi/sound drivers for each one (as they all require different ones and to get the memory free - 32Mb - was difficult at times), I had to go out and buy a whole new load of hardware.

None of the post 98 stuff really worked with earlier OS...
Then, it's locating drivers for all that new gear and getting that to work. And nothing's as simple as that - no USB (without hassle), so all on CD's, disc, network (which is hassle) or physical hard-drive to copy data.

No Wireless...

Believe me, it was a joy when I finally installed Win 3.11, so I had a decent GUI (not that Commander isn't great...) to organise my discs.

And in gaming terms - Other emulators tend to suck, as the games sucked in the first place.
I've got a megadrive and a 3DO and the PC em's are shit, imo. If Dosbox is an emulator, then it's pretty good at replicating that's out for the thing it's emulating, as it's practically the same.
Other emulators are using totally different hardware. FreeDO sucks worse than 3DO. At least you have the original gaming stuff with the console.
DosBox is pretty much designed for games...
It's way easier, more compatible and stable and less hassle than Dos.

So, seriously - Why the fuck would you want Micro$oft to release some code from some OS that we all left quite willingly for better functionality, just to try and shrink Bill's man-balls a bit?
Especially when you and I *both* know that we can get it for free, anyway.
Not that Abandonia or anyone who uses it condones that sort of behaviour, sonny jim.

His nuts are so big, we can chisel hardened pieces of excess, accidentally made (only for the sake of preserving and examining the code) software off them, and he doesn't even notice.
(ie - this is my first ever, legitimate copy of Windows, ever. And that's only cos I got it from work. Bill Gates never noticed *my* little indiscretion with his lope-de-lope, I don't think.)

[arete]

Ubuntu. I gotta love Mark Shuttleworth. Opensource is the way forward. Who wants windows 98? Even NT was uselessium.

[dosraider]

Originally Posted by Saccade

So, seriously - Why the fuck would you want Micro$oft to release some code from some OS that we all left quite willingly for better functionality, just to try and shrink Bill's man-balls a bit?

Not 'all' left that ol'MSDos.
It's still alive and kicking for industrial uses.
Or do you think someone gonna pay for a Windows PC when he only needs a 200-5000 lines of code to steer a small robotic device? Or a small PLC? CNC? Step motors? Whatever and whatnots.
FYI: industrial 486 mobos/PCs are also still manufactured....... and 386 chips, and 8088s... etcetera.

[Edit]
One of many:
http://www.esapcsolutions.com/indust...ards-c-45.html

[The Fifth Horseman]

Originally Posted by dosraider

Not 'all' left that ol'MSDos.
It's still alive and kicking for industrial uses.
Or do you think someone gonna pay for a Windows PC when he only needs a 200-5000 lines of code to steer a small robotic device? Or a small PLC? CNC? Step motors? Whatever and whatnots.
FYI: industrial 486 mobos/PCs are also still manufactured....... and 386 chips, and 8088s... etcetera.

[Edit]
One of many:
http://www.esapcsolutions.com/indust...ards-c-45.html

Sounds like something us old-school gamers should look into, eh? Fully functional hardware from early 90's is becoming scarce.

[Saccade]

Good point, Dos... I hadn't thought of that.
You'd only need a PCB, a few chips and CRT monitor to send control to servos and stuff.

I think I'd use Dos 7.10 if it came to industrial use, as it's fairly good and free.

I recently had to get an old Soundblaster Card for my rebuilt old PC...
I had no idea that they still made those chips.

[ed]
Cheers for the link, btw - those ATX M/b's are a lot cheaper than getting a 2nd hand one from the local computer collector's shop in town.
I paid 99pence for a PS2 mouse so I didn't have to use USB.
I wouldn't mind a motherboard with built-in USB2, so I didn't have to piss around with drivers. Besides, I need the IDE slot for the SB.

[Lulu_Jane]

This is the only petition that matters.

[the exterminator]

Microsoft to release their source code? HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
More chance of cat saying woof.

I use Dos7.10 for source code is available at sourceforge.]There are also many other projects similar style (nature).

[the exterminator]

Originally Posted by The Fifth Horseman

Sounds like something us old-school gamers should look into, eh? Fully functional hardware from early 90's is becoming scarce.

Yes. But not in my house. It is filled with old computers that still jog (run) some are even from early 80's. My prized (valued) possestion is that of a commodore console. it was never released in my country in the 80's. Even though the C64 has cartridge (magazine) slot this machine only has cartridge slot and joystick ports (harbours) weighs about less than 1 kg. Only issue (problem) now is that D-slot joysticks are rare. It ever break and I don&ampt know what I would do.

[KrazeeXXL]

imo a needless idea for a petition.

The guys and gals who created Freedos and/or the Dosbox achieved so much w/o this source code. And these project are getting improved as we speak.

I read this source code request-problematic often b4 regarding very different kind of programs. It is requested mostly from ppl who aren't programmers, who also aren't involved in any kind of project and who wouldn't even understand tiny bits of the source code at all.

Seriously, when you're a programmer you dislike to comb through thousands of pages of other ppl's work. You just want to do something new by yourself.

(there are always exceptions ofc)