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Hi, I'm new to programming and was wondering if Open Watcom is capable of making an operating system?

Thanks,
JBert

Yes it can be done, but you won't get much support for it if you run into problems

Yes . In fact any 'compiler' can be used to create an os

Regards
Shrek

Shrek wrote:In fact any 'compiler' can be used to create an os

A compiler does not necessarily produce native code (and I'm not talking about stuff like managed code). Generally speaking, a compiler can produce any type of code - for instance AML code can't be used to create an OS, it's used solely for ACPI support.

JBert wrote:Hi, I'm new to programming and was wondering if Open Watcom is capable of making an operating system?

Thanks,
JBert

Open Watcom won't make an OS all by itself. But Open Watcom can be used to compile an operating system that you have written.

Craze Frog wrote:Open Watcom won't make an OS all by itself. But Open Watcom can be used to compile an operating system that you have written.

Pwned

Hmm, Open Watcome seems to be a nice compiler; unlike GCC it even has SEH support. However, there's no 64-bit port yet.

I began an OW port. It went fairly well but there were some strange problems with some hidden RTL function primarily because my kernel relies heavily on C++ features. The hidden functions in the RTL were difficult to locate and port, no documentation. There shouldnt be a problem with hidden RTL functions if youre not using some special C++ features. Check out the WIKI for some OW OS info.