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From: Terry Lambert <terry@lambert.org>
Message-Id: <199601091832.LAA12472@phaeton.artisoft.com>
Subject: Re: DOS File system fixes
To: rnordier@iafrica.com (Robert Nordier)
Date: Tue, 9 Jan 1996 11:32:53 -0700 (MST)
Cc: root@synthcom.com, hackers@FreeBSD.org
In-Reply-To: <199601091029.MAA01438@eac.iafrica.com> from "Robert Nordier" at Jan 9, 96 12:29:26 pm
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> > It would be heinous to support something like DBLSPACE. ;-)
> 
> Hmmm.... :-) 
> 
> Actually, though, I feel that if we can't support the msdosfs _as_it_is_
> used_, then we aren't living up to "FreeBSD is better" and the msdosfs
> support is more something to look good on the features list than an
> actual benefit. I know one of the big gripes about one of the OS/2 WARP
> releases was that it didn't want to have anything to do with compressed
> drives. DBLSPACE should be in there somewhere (though admittedly not a top
> priority).

DoubleSpace is Evil.  So is DriveSpace and DriveSpace 3.

Probably the correct way to use them is to establish a virtual machine
mapping (which means adding TSS support) and load the .BIN from IO.SYS
just like DOS does.

Then make your INT 21 calls in the context of that VM in order to do
your FS I/O.

> Seriously, though, I think the BIOS support needs to be very specific
> rather than general, and only as a last resort for "DOS-specific"
> hardware.

Yes.  A fallback device.


					Terry Lambert
					terry@lambert.org
---
Any opinions in this posting are my own and not those of my present
or previous employers.