BasdP wrote:BenLunt wrote:The second image is a Windows XP app that helps me make the fonts for the GUI.
I'm planning on buying your books to take with me on my vacation (I'm unable to let OS dev go, even when I don't have access to a computer
), but this line worries me a bit. If you developed this for Windows XP, which is 15 years old and isn't even supported anymore for over two years, how up to date and accurate is this book? It seems like it is just published, but I can't see a reason for anyone to still use Windows XP, let alone develop something for it, today.
I can understand your concerns. However, I use WinXP as my development host, not the target host.
As for the source code to the font builder, it is written so that it will compile for any Windows host. Though I have not compiled it for a Linux host, I believe that with a few minor modifications, it will compile and run on a Linux style host as well. It does not use Microsoft's MFC library or any other host dependent code.
To make matters worse, as far as your comment is concerned, the demo GUI included with the CDROM (available upon request) is written for DOS, which is a bit older than WinXP. However, please note that the only reason I use DOS is for the simplicity of it has a host. Be assured that the demo code does not rely upon any host system calls except for the memory management, file access, and text screen output, all which your OS development should already have at this point.
It is my intent to write the code as to show you how to accomplish the task, not to create the GUI for you, and I use WinXP and DOS to do that. If you, as the OS developer, have a working knowledge of OS development, and you should at the time of the GUI phase, my choice of WinXP and DOS as the demo hosts will have no effect on the code or your ability to take the code and learn to integrate it into your own.
On a side note, and I hope not to start a war here, I have been using WinXP since its release and have never had the desire to change. It isn't broken so I am not going to fix it. If it isn't broken, I am in no need of the support that is no longer available for it. I don't have any excess software install, only the necessities. I do have a machine with Win8 and absolutely hate it. Win8 is a nightmare in my opinion. I have not seen Win10. Besides, a host that must skip a version number (Win9) due to the fact that older software might interpret it as Win95 or Win98, doesn't interest me. Just my humble opinion.
If and when you purchase the book, please be sure to let me know, following the instructions at
http://www.fysnet.net/the_graphical_user_interface.htm for properly requesting the CDROM, and I will be more than happy to send it to you. Also, if you have any questions about the code, the book, and/or your integration of the code, be sure to let me know.
Thanks,
Ben