Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!ogicse!cvedc!nosun!qiclab!m2xenix!puddle!p2.f70.n226.z1.fidonet.org!Jon.Guthrie
From: Jon.Guthrie@p2.f70.n226.z1.fidonet.org (Jon Guthrie)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.modula2
Subject: Re: ANSI.SYS Install Detection
Message-ID: <6767.266A76F6@puddle.fidonet.org>
Date: 2 Jun 90 05:29:59 GMT
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 > Well, we know the names for the ANSI emulators which are likely to show 
 > up in CONFIG.SYS, so why can't they all be checked?  If ANSI is installed 
 > but called something really abnormal, then why bother trying to find it?  
 > What's the point of using a standard if one departs from it so far that it 
 > doesn't resemble the original?

You don't seem to understand.  Even a strangely named ANSI driver (you could  
call it ZZZZZZZZ.ZZZ, and it would still load properly) DOES resemble the  
original.  At least it does in every important way.  What is really important  
is independent of the name with which the driver is loaded.  In any case, you  
would also have to worry about what happens if the ANSI driver was actually a  
TSR (like ANSI.COM) which would be put in AUTOEXEC.BAT rather than  
CONFIG.SYS.  

I am convinced that the best way of checking for ANSI is Bob Stout's method:     
Take over the BIOS video interrupt.  Send a "report cursor position" command    
to the screen.  If the interrupt is tripped, then "ANSI.SYS" is not  installed.  
 Return the interrupt to it's regularly scheduled vector.  Simple,  huh?  And   
no garbage, either. 

...You trust them with your fortunes, let them guard your lives

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