[comp.os.minix] MS-DOS process under Minix???

routh@eltanin.rtp.semi.harris.com (Kevin Routh x622) (02/16/91)

I am considering buying the 80x86 version of Minix and wondered:  Has
anyone been able to get a MS-DOS application to run under a COMMAND.COM
process under Minix?  I assume this is possible because commercial
80x86 Unix versions allow this.  Would this be a huge undertaking or
within the capability of a casual programmer?  Minix sounds like a
great vehicle to learn operating system theory, and I thought this
would be a good project.  Am I dreaming???  
--
Kevin Routh (routh@rtp.semi.harris.com)
Harris Corporation, Durham, NC
(919) 361-1622

jca@pnet01.cts.com (John C. Archambeau) (02/19/91)

routh@eltanin.rtp.semi.harris.com (Kevin Routh x622) writes:
>I am considering buying the 80x86 version of Minix and wondered:  Has
>anyone been able to get a MS-DOS application to run under a COMMAND.COM
>process under Minix?  I assume this is possible because commercial
>80x86 Unix versions allow this.  Would this be a huge undertaking or
>within the capability of a casual programmer?  Minix sounds like a
>great vehicle to learn operating system theory, and I thought this
>would be a good project.  Am I dreaming???  

Very huge undertaking.  You'd have to write a process and a task that puts the
386 in V86 mode.  If you have the bucks, you might be able to license VP/ix
from ISC, but they won't let you publish the source.  :)

     // JCA

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leisner.wbst139@xerox.com (02/20/91)

I've used VP/IX  on a sun386i and was somewhat happy most of the time.

They do lots of "magic" into the kernel to flip around the 386 chip (which
isn't documentented).

I think a good portable Ms-Dos emulator in C would be much more useful.  Also I
heard gcc runs for Ms/Dos (haven't yet seen it).

I basically don't like vendors who hide source code (I agree with rms -- source
code is knowledge -- how many people can do useful things with source code
besides wizards?)

marty
(Knowledge is useful in the Information Age)
(I hate slow, non-intuitive non-creative computer systems)
ARPA:	leisner.wbst139@xerox.com
NS:  leisner:wbst139:xerox
UUCP:	hplabs!arisia!leisner

jai@lab.ultra.nyu.edu (Benchiao Jai) (02/21/91)

In article <45195@nigel.ee.udel.edu> v902155@si.hhs.nl (Velt) writes:
>
>I heard Mr. Benchiao Jai  UUCP: jai@cs.nyu.edu can give you more information
>about this subject.
>
Well, we are running MINIX as an MS-DOS process, not MS-DOS processes under
MINIX.  But we do have a plan on something alike, but we won't be implementing
it until we receive MINIX 1.5 from P-H.

Here I apologize to all who have been waiting for information from me,
I didn't expect this many requests (~30) for NYUMINIX (this is what we
call it), and the requests come from all over the world, so I had to add
back (what I removed for optimizing reason) the conditional compilations
and DUTCH keyboard portion, to reduce the size of the diff list.

My next posting will be a guide for those who already have MINIX 1.3
(running or sitting in the box) to make the necessary modification.
If you don't have 1.3, I'm afraid that I can't help due to the copyright
restriction on the source.

Benchiao Jai
jai@cs.nyu.edu