sota@fluke.UUCP (Bruce White) (06/29/85)
< Is this the line that sometimes gets eaten ? > Judging from all of the questions pervading the net about interrupts, execute and stay resident, environment variables, comspec, command.com, switchchar, and other undocumented features in DOS 2.x, it is obvious that a good book on the subject is needed. Is there any authoritative reference book on DOS? Is the IBM DOS 2.x manual the best there is? (I hope not!) Does Microsoft publish a better manual for the generic MS-DOS product? Are software publishers privy to more information than the rest of the unwashed masses? Any information on books, articles, etc., would be appreciated by me, and also the rest of the net, I assume. -- Bruce T. White John Fluke Mfg. Co., Inc. {uw-beaver,decvax!microsof,ucbvax!lbl-csam,allegra,ssc-vax}!fluke!sota
mason@noscvax.UUCP (Nicholas B. Mason) (07/02/85)
In article <776@vax2.fluke.UUCP> sota@fluke.UUCP (Bruce White) writes: >< Is this the line that sometimes gets eaten ? > > > >Does Microsoft publish a better manual for the generic MS-DOS product? > I think so. I have a Zenith-150 and my cohort across the hall has an IBM. We both have the manuals for our machines, HOwever, mine gives all of the codes for ansi.sys, a chapter on *.bat files, how to use the environment, etc. I would suggest getting the microsoft MS-DOS book for the zenith over the ones for the IBM. Nick. All of the usuall disclaimers.....
jim@randvax.UUCP (Jim Gillogly) (07/03/85)
In article <776@vax2.fluke.UUCP> sota@fluke.UUCP (Bruce White) writes: >Is there any authoritative reference book on DOS? David J. Bradley's _Assembly Language Programming for the IBM Personal Computer_, Prentice Hall 1984, has a lot of useful information. It's not primarily a DOS reference, but besides describing how to use the PC macro assembler it has chapters on DOS functions including how to muck about with FCB's, differences between .COM and .EXE, using the 8087, programming the different adaptors (including graphics cards and diskette adaptor), and the ROM BIOS. There's also a section on the terminate and stay resident stuff, including sample code. For straight 8088 assembler hacking I prefer Scanlon's book "IBM PC Assembly Language", but Bradley's book has some instructive code segments. -- Jim Gillogly {decvax, vortex}!randvax!jim jim@rand-unix.arpa
rde@ukc.UUCP (R.D.Eager) (07/05/85)
I haven't seen a great deal on the subject, but two comments may be of interest: * The documentation given to OEMs looks only slightly better than that given to the poor end user * One book which I can recommend (although it doesn't go as far as some of the net articles) is the "IBM PC-DOS Handbook", by Richard Allen King (published by Sybex) I find it depressing that a firm like Microsoft, having obtained a stranglehold on the marketplace (more by accident than design it seems) produce such awful documentation. The latest MASM documentation is an improvement, but for example the MSDOS Programmers Manual is a disaster. Are you listening Microsoft? Give me the dope and let me write your manual for you..... -- Bob Eager rde@ukc.UUCP rde@ukc ...!mcvax!ukc!rde Phone: +44 227 66822 ext 7589
greenber@timeinc.UUCP (Ross M. Greenberg) (07/05/85)
You might want to take a look at _The IBM Personal Computer from the Inside Out_, by Sargent/Shoemaker. Excellent! -- ------------------------------------------------------------------ Ross M. Greenberg @ Time Inc, New York --------->{ihnp4 | vax135}!timeinc!greenber<--------- I highly doubt that Time Inc. they would make me their spokesperson.