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From: marshall@wind55.seri.gov (Marshall L. Buhl)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: Need input for future DOS release
Keywords: future DOS release
Message-ID: <1990Mar22.202023.25752@seri.gov>
Date: 22 Mar 90 20:20:23 GMT
References: <53686@microsoft.UUCP> <2017@clyde.concordia.ca>
Sender: news@seri.gov (news [NO CHARGE])
Organization: Solar Energy Research Institute
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>>   ***  Gordon Letwin asks for desired DOS enhancements.  ***

smw@maxwell.Concordia.CA ( Steven Winikoff ) writes:

>In any case, off the top of my head, some things I'd like to see:

>1) A way that works, consistently across all commands (built-in or otherwise),
>   to change the switch character and path separator character (so that I can 
>   make DOS look more like Unix!)

This would be a bitch.  I know I hardcoded these characters in my sorted
directory listing program.  I'm sure others have too.

Have you considered using the PROMPT command to remap those two keys?

If DOS swapped the characters and you used your PC (like me) to log into
a *nix box, wouldn't your terminal emulator send "\"s instead of "/"s,
thus screwing up your *nix session?

>2) Interpreting the asterisk in wildcard expressions similarly to how it's
>   done in Unix (eg handle things like *X.* by generating a list of all
>   files whose names end with the letter X, regardless of extension --
>   something that DOS 3.3 provides no way to accomplish).

Oh, please, please, please.

Anyone ever "DEL *X.*"?  Pissed, weren't you?

>3) Aliases and some sort of command history (currently provided by third
>   parties, of course, but there's no standard mechanism).

And the software interferes with other apps.  I'll take this one too.

>4) An easy, standard way to express search paths of arbitrary length (subject
>   to environment space limits, of course!)  

Gee, do you think we can afford a whole 1KB environment instead of 132 byte 
one?  Nothing like being cheap in all the wrong places.  ;-)

>                                             It would also be nice, IMHO, to
>   have a (separate?) search path for data files.

It seems to me this is the responsibility of the applications developers.
I have programs which use environment variables to tell them where to look
for data files.


Additional requests from me:

5)  A decent batch language with console I/O and better branching.  Also
    integer and real math.

6)  The ability to SET PATH=C:\NEWDIR;%PATH% outside of a batch file.

7)  A 4 GB address space.  Aw, heck.  Let's go for a full TB.  ;-)  I
    remember when 64K seems like more than anyone could ever put to use.

8)  32-bit operating system.  Hooks for future 64-bit.

9)  An OS where developers don't have to cheat to get decent performance.

10) Verified deletes.  Branch deletes.  Move files without copying.

11) A FULL SCREEN EDITOR.  Wow!  What a concept!  Do you think it can be 
    done?  ;-)  EDLIN is EMBARRASSINGLY pathetic.  This should have been 
    done in version 2.  I was using editors as powerful as EDLIN back in 
    the early 70s.  Surely progress has been made since then.  I hate
    trying to help others on their PC without my favorite editor.  If
    DOS included a good one, then we would be assured of being able to
    work on other's PCs.

12) Windows built in.

13) A good, standard way to load/unload TSRs.  Also, be able to use holes 
    in RAM.

14) A TREELOOK like program.  TREE is a joke.  It would also be nice if
    it would print the amount of space used within each directory and
    another number which is the total of all its subdirectories.

15) Push and Pop directories.

16) Virtual memory management.

17) And, of course, all of this without using up any more precious memory,
    faster, more compatible, more powerful, and easier to install and use.


Basically, I'd like DOS to include all of my favorite add-ins as standards.


Gee, maybe I should try Unix or a Mac.  8-)
--
Marshall L. Buhl, Jr.                EMAIL: marshall@wind55.seri.gov
Senior Computer Engineer             VOICE: (303)231-1014
Wind Research Branch                 1617 Cole Blvd., Golden, CO  80401-3393
Solar Energy Research Institute      Solar - safe energy for a healthy future