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From: arno@fb14vax.cs.uni-sb.de (Arno Schmitt)
Newsgroups: comp.text.tex,comp.os.msdos.apps
Subject: tex3.1 on MSDOS machine
Keywords: tex3.1, gcc, 386 instructions
Message-ID: <9505@sbsvax.cs.uni-sb.de>
Date: 21 Feb 91 13:18:47 GMT
Sender: news@sbsvax.cs.uni-sb.de
Followup-To: comp.text.tex
Lines: 38


Hello,

I'm trying to compile tex3.1 on an IBM compatible machine using 
Keisuke Yoshida's  gcc C-compiler for MSDOS. I've managed to compile
the program, but, unfortunately, it will not run correctly. To be
more precise:
1. I obtain a running version of INITEX. INITEX is able to read
   e.g. the file lplain.tex and produces a file lplain.fmt.

2. I obtain a version of VIRTEX. But when starting it with the
   lplain.fmt file, it won't give me the LaTeX version number, and
   so on. Moreover, it doesn't recognize any LaTeX command.

I have compiled the version I used for my PC on a Sun and both programs
worked without any trouble.

Now my questions:
- Is there anyone who got tex3.1 working on a 386-based MSDOS machine
  such that tex uses the protected mode and the 386 machine instructions?
- Does anyone know about bugs of the gcc mentioned above?
- Does tex depend on byte ordering?
- Are there any functions that have to be changed in order to make tex
  work under MSDOS? (Note that I have already changed the code in such
  a way that reading and writing of files takes place in binary mode)

My machine is a 386-IBM clone with 4.7 Meg ram and an ATI-EGA wonder 
graphics card, if this is of any interest.

I know that there are a lot of tex-versions for PC's, but I want to have
one using the capabilities of the 386 processor. I've tested the 
gcc mentioned above with several applications using a lot of floating
point operations and the test programs were 2-3 times faster than the
same program compiled with Turbo C.

Thank you very much for your help
arno
(arno@cs.uni-sb.de)