new DOSMerge

[Chris Lewis]

In article <51 at calcite.UUCP> vjs at calcite.UUCP (Vernon Schryver) writes:

Tom Neff answered some of your questions well, but left a little out...

>Interactive tells me that I cannot run INTEL's PLM386 development stuff 
>from a makefile, as I now do with DOSMerge.

You can run any DOS program from a UNIX makefile, but you cannot run the
make in the background or redirect output of the make (VP/IX needs a console).
I do this all the time.

You may have to write a small shell wrapper because make doesn't know
about DOSPATH explicitly, and DOSPATH will need to point at the executable
for the DOS things you want to run (and the DOS things you want to run
shouldn't be in a "DOS disk as UNIX file" like "C:").

>Another restriction of VP/ix is that DOS programs can only talk to devices
>that have drivers in the UNIX kernel.

In older versions (eg the VP/IX that came with ISC 1.0.5) this is true.
In 1.0.6 and later (as Tom points out) there's DDA's and so on that allow
"registered" DOS sessions to reach out and touch the real hardware.  And,
there is now also a way to add DOS drivers to VP/ix.

>It almost works [DOSMerge driver access], but obvious hassles with UNIX 
>drivers make me think that it is a idea which cannot be implemented reliably.

Unrestricted access is one way to completely blow your machine out of the
water.  Which is why I prefer VP/ix.

>Does someone sell DOSMerge for Interactive UNIX?

Both VP/IX and DOSMerge require special kernel hooks - and they're not the
same ones.  (My guesses:) Microport, Bell Tech and SCO supply (or used
to) both sets of hooks (but not necessarily at the same OS level).  AT&T 
and ISC only supply the VP/IX hooks.  (Considering who wrote VP/ix, it's 
no great surprise that ISC wouldn't include support for the competition)

>Is there a version of SVR3 with DOSMerge with fixes since Microport
>3.0e/1.1?

Doubt it - Microport's more or less gone under.
-- 
Chris Lewis, R.H. Lathwell & Associates: Elegant Communications Inc.
UUCP: {uunet!mnetor, utcsri!utzoo}!lsuc!eci386!clewis
Phone: (416)-595-5425