From: Brandon S. Allbery (bsa@kf8nh.wariat.org)
Date: 03/30/93 

From: bsa@kf8nh.wariat.org (Brandon S. Allbery)
Subject: Re: DPMI under dosemu (was Re: DOSEMU Success list!!)
Date: Wed, 31 Mar 1993 02:20:48 GMT

In article <1993Mar22.142016.866@microware.com> adam@microware.com (Adam Goldberg) writes:
>bsa@kf8nh.wariat.org (Brandon S. Allbery) writes:
>
>>As for VCPI: VCPI is a wonderful way for multiple 386 operating systems to
>>run at the same time. But the only thing that makes this possible is that DOS
>>is too stupid to be an operating system... (now you know why Microschlock
>>bills MS-Windows 3.1 as an "operating system"). As soon as you want to
>
>VCPI is a wonderful way for multiple DOS programs to each exist in
>protected mode. That's a long way from 'multiple 386 operating
>systems to run at the same time'. An OS must be able to assume that
>it's the only OS running, otherwise it could crash at any time. The
>only way to have multiple 386 OSs running at the same time would be to
>have a Virtual 80386 (not V86), and emulate the protection registers,
>etc., while isolating each OS from the others. VCPI does not do this.

You missed my comment about DOS being too stupid to be an operating system.
The point is, *especially* with 386 programs under DOS each program must
supply all of its own "OS" features except the filesystem... and they'd
benefit enormously from doing that (no need to switch back to 86 mode to
invoke INT 21) were it not for the need for protected mode disk drivers.

++Brandon 

-- 
Brandon S. Allbery                                       bsa@kf8nh.wariat.org

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