CoolOS 2007!

[speewave]

I'm Starting on a new OS called CoolOS 2007. After Seeing some all the stuff when i was installing an old windows 98 system i thought i could design a new type of system. My OS Somewhat planned out. I wanted a User Freindly GUI. A System that is Compatable with FreeDOS (or Any DOS System) and SDL and Allegro Support. Being that there won't be any new apps for my system i was going to design a new Programming language and a Suite with other apps i made for it. I Wanted to have My OS Fit at least the GUI Routines on a floppy. And Text\Graphical Installers for PC's with crappy CD-ROM drives like 6x my old pc has 16x. Also I Want to have obviously Drivers (FAT File System\DPMI for 32bit apps for dos\DVD Play\Soundblaster) ... So If anyone would like to contribute help. that would be appericiated... So What tools to i need to start programming... i have some knownledge of C++ and Basic (QB\FB\VB\VB6)

[Candamir]

I would have a look at ASM... it's definitely worth at least understanding it... I mean, you can catch up code snippets here and there (the FAQ ;D), but it's always nice to understand what everything is about, hehe...

If you want to do your os in C++, check BareBones C++ in the FAQ (to get to the FAQ, click at the banner at the top of this very page).

Tools... I myself use a GCC Crosscompiler and Cross-binutils, NASM, vfdwin and Bochs with Cygwin/Win XP (everything in the FAQ); that's a very common toolchain and it is also very well documented.

I would also check the various foreword, the introduction, etc. in the FAQ, they're all quite helpful.

So, digging up all those links in the FAQ will keep you busy quite a while, ;D... But this is the nasty part everybody has to go through; I mean, what would you do without a compiler...

Candamir

[Pype.Clicker]

i suppose you'll be interested in the VBE specs too, if you want to get GUI running quickly. And if you want your system to be compatible with FreeDOS, the easiest will probably to start from FreeDOS, no?

[speewave]

what do you mean by starting on freedos? i was probably going to have like what Win 95-ME (no NT) Which is DOS Mode... Some DPMI Drivers for Extened GamePlay especially for running games like Duke Nukem 3D (the 2nd best dos game in my book... 1st is SimCity Enchanced) and games written in FreeBASIC Dos... if any thing i might just have bochs supplied.

So i wanted to have a more powerful Entertainment OS like Win98 but also having Scripting and Programming Capabilities for developers. and Good software for Students\Teachers\Big Buisness\Small Buisness\ and something for Home Companies like my own (Speewave Software Inc.,) that i work from my Laptop Computer.

I Also wanted SDL (SDL_ttf\SMPEG\SDL_gfx\SDL_image\ect..) and Hopefully Allegro... and a programming language of my own: AW - AppWriter! with SDL and Allegro... being that allegro is a biiiiiig pain to compile i might just have SDL but help is needed for both.

And Easier Networking with DialUp\56k\dsl\cable\t1\t2\t3. Internet with Flash (hopefully) Telnet for BBS's. and my brother uses puTTY to accses his FreeBSD Server. DVD and MP3 Capabilites and some free games i saw online. Use for any OS 386 and Better.

Also I Want to have it fully customizable with written in Basic Coloring for Floppy Apps and a disk switch for my installer and Floppy Programs... I might just call run as a program run time : Floppy Runtime with lesser features and RMR Removable Media Runtime for CD\Booting or running from DOS usb stick\ Zip Drives.
Due to Disk Space...

RW Programs to Record\Rewrite CD's\DVD's

Also for installig i might include Zip++ Extracter for Packages like FreeBSD Pakages or Windows Installer Cabnets. and CoolSetup for other installations + Advanced features like Version Check... I might get a Sourceforge site+server for a new versions of System Software - Extension Updates - Device Drivers

and whats VBE... I'm new at making an OS... I made small Apps but not a new OS...

[Candamir]

You're quite ambitious... ;D I would anyway recommend you to take the NT architecture as an example rather than the DOS architecture, because the DOS history is like piling up features till everything falls down (Win ME).

The question really is: Do you want to write all of your OS yourself? You might write the kernel and then port existing apps to your OS, rather than writing them all yourself... (I mean, you mentioned DVD playback - that's fairly easy, just port dvdlibcss (or however it's called ))

I mean, from the expectations you have of your OS it seems that you want to have a general purpose OS with lots of apps right out of the box, right? (Don't want to discourage you, but it's going to be much easier if you know what you want...)

Candamir

[Pype.Clicker]

what do you mean by starting on freedos?

I mean pick the source code of FreeDOS and build on that. you'd have core functions ready, a framework for device drivers, support of DOS programs/games virtually for free.
You could then build a graphical shell on top of it.

and whats VBE... I'm new at making an OS... I made small Apps but not a new OS...

VBE stands for VESA BIOS Extensions. That's a standard to get screen resolutions higher than 640x480x16cols.

And Easier Networking with DialUp\56k\dsl\cable\t1\t2\t3. Internet with Flash (hopefully) Telnet for BBS's. and my brother uses puTTY to accses his FreeBSD Server. DVD and MP3 Capabilites and some free games i saw online. Use for any OS 386 and Better.

You should realise that networking isn't a piece of cake, and that achieving networking (even on client side) without multitasking is a real challenge due to the way network inherently behave.

[distantvoices]

@speewave:

I don't want to discourage you, but I recommend that you cut down your big ambitions down to smaller pieces like:

I want to boot something from disk which initiates a gdt, a IDT, activates protected mode and outputs some stuff to screen.

then: I want to capture events like: exceptions, HW Irq's, SW irqs.

then: I want to manage memory: physical, virtual, heap space.

and so forth.

That's the way most of us are starting. You won't be happy with all your big intentions. It's better to keep them in mind but do the design and developping stuff step by step.

Regarding networking: That alone is worth at least a year of research, believe me. (have needed six months -beside study and work - to grasp it)

STay safe and on earth with both feet.

[speewave]

i truely wasn't expecting all of this soon (some of it though)...
Especially SDL\Dosbox\an Office Suite\Small Games\ and Media Player.

How do i start a kernel that has a gui?
What tools are needed?
How can i but SDL in my system so apps can be ported easily?

You're quite ambitious... I would anyway recommend you to take the NT architecture as an example rather than the DOS architecture, because the DOS history is like piling up features till everything falls down (Win ME).

This is true... WinNT is good so this might be a good idea with maybe porting dosbox for Running MS-DOS games. yeah ME Suxx my freind has it. he said it's slower than 98!!!. so how do i write an NT Archetecture.

Maybe cutting down apps and features until latter might be ok. but if i get multitasking is that going to make running at least a browser?

I might write most of the programs but have SDL have portability. I Mostly want to create..\

• A Office Suite with a word\excell\powerpoint\and netbrowser for e-mail checking and other small things
• Multimedia Player (like WMP)
• Some Free Games
• Multitasking
• Net Browser
• Development Suite for Writing\Porting\Distrubuting apps

Basically out of my CoolOS API (CoolAPI) for windowing that i want to have customizable. I am going to have CoolAPI for Floppy Drives which might have less features for booting unless the other pc has CoolOS on it.

I want to boot something from disk which initiates a gdt, a IDT, activates protected mode and outputs some stuff to screen.

then: I want to capture events like: exceptions, HW Irq's, SW irqs.

then: I want to manage memory: physical, virtual, heap space.

and so forth.

What the heck did u say... what the heck does all that crap mean....

[Pype.Clicker]

i truely wasn't expecting all of this soon (some of it though)...
What the heck did u say... what the heck does all that crap mean....

all that "crap" is the very wording of the processor's internal. I suggest you have a look at the OSFAQ if you want to learn a bit more about them, or that you focus on the userspace applications.

And yes, you'll realise that most of these are tedious bits that you have to manage in order to get something looking half like DOS written ... Welcome to the real world.

<timemachine>
back in '98, i laughed at MS's way to name their product after a year that was completed before the product finally gets out. That certainly couldn't occur with "clicker 32" where 32 was named after IA-32. Well, we'll probably all have 64-bit computers before you can run half of your expectations on Clicker 32
</timemachine>

[Kemp]

I Mostly want to create..\

• A Office Suite with a word\excell\powerpoint\and netbrowser for e-mail checking and other small things
• Multimedia Player (like WMP)
• Some Free Games
• Multitasking
• Net Browser
• Development Suite for Writing\Porting\Distrubuting apps

Entire development teams take years getting those things done. To be honest, given your descriptions of what you want, I think you'd be better of using an existing OS. If you're out to write a general purpose one that can do everything you can already do then you'll be spending years to end up back where you started, unless of course your reason for writing it is to learn a serious amount of stuff about how the machines work or to add skills to your CV, but that doesn't appear to be a priority for you. On the other hand, don't let me stop you, but make sure you have realistic expectations and a willingness to learn all that crap.

[distantvoices]

What the heck did u say... what the heck does all that crap mean....

I expect an excuse for this.

edit 31082006: matter settled.

@mods: as soon as this matter is settled I'm gonna either mod this post or delete it.

[Combuster]

I so suggest you take a look at this faq page: http://www.mega-tokyo.com/osfaq/BeginnerMistakes

For the rest, imho i believe this should be in "your os design" since i kinda missed the request for comment part in the first post.

As for staying on topic and answering your questions:

A common kernel has no GUI, only graphical fundamentals. Even in windows and linux your "desktop" is just an application, called "explorer" in windows, and "X" under linux

tools: binutils, nasm, freebasic (forget about microsoft xxxxBasic) and gcc, floppy and image utilities, bochs, the faq, google and wikipedia.

Porting SDL: by the time you get to this you'll probably don't need to ask anymore

as for the summary of that text (actually more of a free interpretation but the idea is the same):
Take OS development in steps, like:
- I wanna message saying "Hello World"
then
- I wanna know when somebody hit the keyboard
then
- I wanna run multiple applications at once
then later
- I wanna be able to put martial law on my programs
and then perhaps SDL
and then perhaps Allegro
and then perhaps a GUI
and then perhaps ...
hope you get the point

[speewave]

What the heck did u say... what the heck does all that crap mean....

Dearest Friend of all the plumes in the world, I take offense on this. You do not in all earnest think, that I let this pass uncommented or without getting at least slightly angry. d*mn it. First you whine around in great sentences about what you wanna do and then, when one tells you the needed requisites, you name tedious and hard to achieve stuff CRAP??!!

Yes, I am offended and I am angry.

I expect an excuse for this.

Wake up. Grow up. Welcome to real world.

@mods: as soon as this matter is settled I'm gonna either mod this post or delete it.

ok... Sorry dude... i am a verry impatient programmer!!!! i just dont understand the terms and whatever.... sorry i offended u or any other programmer who feels that way about calling that stuff crap.. :-[

- I wanna run multiple applications at once
then later
- I wanna be able to put martial law on my programs
and then perhaps SDL
and then perhaps Allegro
and then perhaps a GUI
and then perhaps ...
hope you get the point

What should Go First Gui or Allegro\SDL and how do i port SDL or allegro? oh and allegro will be a pain in the butt i can't get it to run on my DOS (DosBOX) computer on XP.

How do i get it to boot or multiboot with a XP or 95+ system. and with allegro + CGUI for my System it's going to be easier to write apps like my Office Suite.

[Kemp]

What should Go First Gui or Allegro\SDL

As everyone's been saying, what comes first is an OS to port them to. What you're doing here is akin to asking for tips for the paint-job for a car you're making when all you have so far is a guide telling you what size pieces of metal you need to start the construction off.

[Candamir]

If you just want an OS with lots of apps out of the box, I recommend you to also consider building a linux distro...

Candamir