From: rugxulo@gmail.com   
      
   Hi,   
      
   On Wednesday, November 22, 2023 at 5:33:51 AM UTC-6, Paul Edwards wrote:   
   >    
   > > Didn't the 16-bit pmode stuff from Borland Pascal use NE?   
   > All Win 3.1 programs do, as far as I know.   
      
   No, I meant DOS programs. I guess I mean RTM / DPMI16 whatever.   
      
   > There is no reason why MSDOS 2.0 couldn't have    
   > used that NE format right from the start though,    
   > and in that theoretical situation, you break    
   > the 8086 limitation and move on the 80286,    
   > then 80386 (still PM16) with no change to your    
   > executable.   
      
   Have you heard of this? It used NE (and real mode) but limited to 640 kb.   
      
   * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MS-DOS_4.0_(multitasking)   
      
   > >> The solution appears to be to use the NE format.    
   > >>    
   > >> So probably when PDOS/286 exists one day, I will    
   > >> probably create a flavor of PDOS/86 that uses the    
   > >> exact same NE executables.    
   >    
   > > Wasn't Win2k the last to support OS/2 1.x textmode apps?    
   > > Try using OpenWatcom to build one.   
   > OS/2 1.x uses a new API. I was talking about    
   > getting INT 21H to work.    
      
   Okay, so you want to "standardize" on NE and "int 21h" for PDOS for all   
   x86 family of computers (8086, 286, 386)?   
       
   > But yes, that's basically what I'm talking    
   > about beyond that - putting (cut down) OS/2 1.x    
   > or similar onto an 8086. As well as on the    
   > original 80286.   
      
   Windows 3.0 [sic] could still partially run on an 8086.   
      
   > > Surely you're aware of OS/2 family/bound apps too, right?    
   > > The 1996 DOS + OS/2 build of mawk is one example.   
   > Yes, but I'm not aware of what they did.    
   >    
   > Did it require an 80286 processor, even though    
   > it ran under MSDOS?    
      
   Not sure, but I don't think so (at least not all).   
      
   > Or did they keep it in RM16 and get a stub to    
   > get the DLL references resolved?   
      
   Probably.   
      
   > > The HX extender's HXDEV16 should have some OS/2 emulation.    
   > > So hdpmi16 and NE and DOSCALLS or whatever. (I don't know much.)    
   > > Again, OpenWatcom is your friend.   
   > The support I want would need to go into Freedos,    
   > although HXDEV16 would also be fine if it stayed    
   > in RM16 and used only 8086 instructions. Do you    
   > know if it can run on an 8088?    
      
   No, I specifically meant (from limited experience) building NE pmode   
   286 apps in DOS with it (using a limited form of OS/2 API emulation).   
       
   > That would then be conceptually the same as what    
   > I want, and the only change is that I don't like    
   > DLLs and intend to provide a new API (PDOS-generic).    
      
   Okay. Good luck.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)