Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!samsung!uunet!microsoft!jonka From: jonka@microsoft.UUCP (Jonathan KAGLE) Newsgroups: comp.os.os2.programmer Subject: Re: Beginner's questions Message-ID: <59898@microsoft.UUCP> Date: 17 Dec 90 20:59:24 GMT References: Reply-To: jonka@microsoft.UUCP (Jonathan KAGLE) Distribution: comp Organization: Microsoft Corp., Redmond WA Lines: 59 In article melling@cs.psu.edu (Michael D Mellinger) writes: >I have several questions that I am hoping someone can answer. >First, I am using MS C 6.0 and OS/2 1.2. >1. How can I compile a file that will run under DOS, Windows and OS2? > I would like to include EGA resolution graphics with color. The > program also includes BIOS calls. I set the compiler flags -G2 -Lr > -AL(plus many others) and then tried to use the BIND command, but it > gave me an invalid executable file error. This is not possible without writing a special layer to intercept BIOS and graphics calls under OS/2 and Windows. Due to their very nature, OS/2 and Windows will not allow direct access to video RAM or BIOS. You must use system calls to perform these functions. BIND will only work on OS/2 programs that use family API calls. These are unfortunately limited to text. Microsoft sells a Software Migration Kit that allows easy porting of Windows code to OS/2. Since DOS does not have any built-in graphics support, you must write your own video drivers or use GRAPH.LIB that comes with Microsoft languages. >2. Is there a Unix make available? NMAKE that comes with C6 is _very_ similar to UNIX make. It can run almost all UNIX makefiles with few if any changes. >3. Is Emacs(GNU flavor) available? I am currently using Freemacs in > DOS mode. It is pretty good except that it doesn't have an undo. > Can Microsoft's M editor be made to emulate Emacs? Also, can I > swap the Control and Caps Lock key in OS/2? I believe that there was an OS/2 EMACS posted to comp.binaries.os2 a while back. You can edit the key bindings in M or PWB and write editor extensions and macros to add functionality, but they cannot totally emulate EMACS. I would highly recommend using PWB instead of M under PWB. It provides far greater functionality (help, menus, extensibility) with few disadvantages (especially if you leave it running in the background). I don't know of any utilities that can remap the CAPS LOCK key under OS/2. >4. Can the OS/2 DOS box be run in a window instead of full-screen? No. :-( >I am presently making modifications to a program that was written in >DOS, and I would like to move from Windows 3.0 to OS/2 as my >development platform. Any help or other suggestions in how to make >OS/2 a more productive platform will be greatly appreciated. If your DOS program uses custom graphics routines, you will have quite a bit of work ahead of you. Once you have converted your application to Windows, You will find that the transition to OS/2 (or the Macintosh, for that matter) is not too tough. >Thanks, >Mike You're welcome, -Jonathan