Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucsd!nosc!cod!baird
From: baird@cod.NOSC.MIL (John M. Baird)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: Need input for future DOS release
Message-ID: <1845@cod.NOSC.MIL>
Date: 29 Mar 90 16:19:46 GMT
Organization: Naval Ocean Systems Center, San Diego
Lines: 29

In article <53686@microsoft.UUCP> gordonl@microsoft.UUCP (Gordon LETWIN) writes:
> Please note that the DOS operating system has to remain "DOS" in the sense
> that Microsoft already has a strategy for a high end OS which requires that
> programs be rewritten 

I previously mailed this directly to Mr. Letwin, but since no one else has
mentioned them on the net, I am posting them for discussion.

John Baird, Naval Ocean Systems Center, San Diego, CA USA

Wish list things:
1. User configurable KEYBOARD.SYS to handle oddball keyboards. As 
an example of how to set it up, include a DVORAK configuration. 
This could also provide a standard way to switch control and 
caps-lock keys, Escape and ~ keys, etc, etc. and get rid of the 
hundreds of small TSR programs that people have written to do 
these things. Additionally, although this is going much farther, 
it could be used to program keyboard input, replacing the awkward 
PROMPT and escape sequences mess.

2. User configurable determination of what the internal DOS 
commands are. If someone wants to use their own DIR or COPY 
instead of the internal command, let them do it without having to 
patch COMMAND.COM

3. Improve the functionality of ANSI.SYS, so that NANSI.SYS, 
ZANSI.SYS, etc. are not needed. Hopefully, this would include 
cursor configurability (size, blink/no-blink) and border screen 
color control.