Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!asuvax!ncar!boulder!stan!marvin!imp
From: imp@marvin.Solbourne.COM (Warner Losh)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.dec.micro
Subject: Re: Rainbow EchoMail Digest
Message-ID: <1990Sep18.181936.4321@Solbourne.COM>
Date: 18 Sep 90 18:19:36 GMT
References: <9009161251.AA14995@remote.dccs.upenn.edu>
Sender: news@Solbourne.COM
Organization: Solbourne Computers Inc.
Lines: 47

In article <9009161251.AA14995@remote.dccs.upenn.edu>
GTHEALL@penndrls.upenn.edu (George A. Theall) writes: 

>Date:     09-12-90 (08:27)
>To:       ALL
>Subject:  BASCOM 7.0
>From:     FRANK ZSITVAY
>
>does anyone know if you need code blue to run the microsoft languages
>on a rainbow??

I think that you do, but you may also need one other thing.

>it appears that the compiler (and all code it produces) needs to run on
>a machine with a similar interrupt structure to the ibm.  does code blue
>remap all interrupts to their ibm counterparts in such way that the
>microsoft languages can function??

Some compilers (I don't know exactly which ones) rely on using
interrupt 18H to do some function (don't have a clue what).  Code Blue
is very good about emulating PC interrupts, however, it doesn't do a
thing with INT 18 (since that is a ROM basic interrupt that has long
since moved elsewhere).  However, INT 18 is basically used by the
rainbow to talk to its hardware.  So, if the comiler establishes an
INT 18 handler for whatever reason, the machine will instantly crash
(or will crash the next time the screen or the keyboard is touched by
the program.  I can't tell for sure since I stepped through the stuff
using DEBUG).  However, all hope is not lost.

There is a program that I wrote that you can install for those
compilers that don't *NEED* code blue to work.  Turbo C and Turbo C++
(and I think Turbo Pascal 5.x) are some examples.  However, there are
some comilers that do require code blue to run (eg TC++ IDE).  It has
been reported to me that the way that I fool the program breaks these
programs because it also fools code blue (a very anti-social thing to
do).

I've been working on a fix, but I don't know when that will be
working.  The fix is basically a rewrite to allow either a TSR mode,
or a command line mode.  I hope in the next week or so.  I've been
swamped at work, so I haven't had a chance to work on RABIT for a
while now.

Warner
--
Warner Losh		imp@Solbourne.COM
Me?  I'm the onion rings.