OSDev.org

Hello once more, continuing from http://forum.osdev.org/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=22021

Aprom is a modular 32bit OS with tightly bound design, that i have been developing every now and then over the years.
An interesting OS needs a GUI. A working GUI. Just the thing that wasn't a focus before, resulting in an emulator-only slow and buggy.

You can get it here:
http://orbides.1gb.ru/aprom_100626.zip
Contains a floppy image and a grub script for other options.

What is it about:
Right now i want to know, whether the VESA driver works properly on various real PCs with VESA-supporting graphic cards. Properly means no artefacts, holes in image, missing parts, etc (except for flashing mouse cursor).
So, if you have a system that meets the description, feedback is welcome.

HowTo:
-At start you can select which mode to run, auto will detect and select 800x600 LFB mode.
If that fails, manual would allow you to pick a mode yourself (- before mode number disables LFB). If some of the programs are causing problems (lack of memory+no fixed sequence=everything loads before GUI server gets a chance, for example), there is a manual, no-autorun mode, which will only start a file browser and a shell. Lastly, there is a currently-useless console mode (you can run the GUI from it with "gui & zterm" command).

-The tasks are switched by the rectangles in the upper-left corner.
If the mouse doesn't work, Caps Lock toggles them one by one.

-In LFB mode, the general expectation is responsiveness and fluid motion (unless PC is really slow), in banked mode - only correctness, things should appear more or less like in screenshots below.

Test apps:
Sin wave animation. No controls, expected fluid motion.


Variety of controls, FASM not included, so won't do much. Should appear and behave correctly, and be responsive.


Two OpenGL tests. Fluid animation expected.


Particle pool. Left mouse button attracts, right - repels.


File browser. Arrows to select, enter to execute or go in. Should be responsive.


Generic graphics test. Mouse moves the image. Should be reasonably fluid, look for edge artefacts.


Console. Should be responsive (as all of them ), other than that - not consistent enough for useability. Supports minimal bash-like tokens. No current dir - ls only accepts full path like /bin/hello.

I get a reset on the first computer I try, almost immediately after grub transfers control to the kernel. I can't spot any output besides that of grub. I'm sorry, but it seems that VBE testing is not going to be done today.

(For specs, see Amalthea)

Combuster wrote:I get a reset on the first computer I try, almost immediately after grub transfers control to the kernel. I can't spot any output besides that of grub. I'm sorry, but it seems that VBE testing is not going to be done today.

Unexected would be the right word.
Can you see font change before it crashes?
Would it get to the run-level menu if you replace init on floppy with this: http://orbides.1gb.ru/ape-init-novm.zip ? (V86 monitor disabled, likely no use trying anything further. Only thing i can think of failing).
Also, with 32mb you'd like to start it in manual-no autorun, since all the apps at once would take more than that.

No change at all. I can't spot font changes either, but that doesn't mean it crashes before the screen gets updated.

Combuster wrote:No change at all. I can't spot font changes either, but that doesn't mean it crashes before the screen gets updated.

Sounds bad. Any luck with other systems?

I have nothing with better specs that's both connected and available for testing - unless you are actually looking for a 486 clone. You'll have to wait until next weekend before I can try that.

So, anyone?

Sorry, I forgot to do my promised testing batch Using the original image:

Saturn: Resets in the same way as Amalthea.
Io: Only resolutions up to 640x480 get reported for selection - the card can do much better. Also, there's a serious latency between the mouse and GUI functions for real hardware (the whole thing runs at about 3fps).

Do you in any way depend on a local apic/io apic being present? Because that's the only real difference between the crashing machines and the working machines I can find right now.

Combuster wrote:Saturn: Resets in the same way as Amalthea.
Io: Only resolutions up to 640x480 get reported for selection - the card can do much better. Also, there's a serious latency between the mouse and GUI functions for real hardware (the whole thing runs at about 3fps).

Do you in any way depend on a local apic/io apic being present? Because that's the only real difference between the crashing machines and the working machines I can find right now.

Okay, let's see.
Here is a newer image:
http://orbides.1gb.ru/aprom_100707.zip

In there there are two img's - a.img is the regular demo like the one before, b.img is a minimal hello world with the same kernel.

Please try a.img as before, and if it keep crashing, try b.img where it does. Latter should blank the screen and write a string on it's top. Hopefully, it will at least tell if the crash happens early in the kernel, or somewhere down the line in the user space.

local/io apic's are not used, so it's probably unrelated.

About the working case - does it say LFB or Banked in green font at middle-right of the top panel? If latter, does the content look correct?
Then, does the mode selection options improved in any way with the new image?

And, btw, thank you for the efforts.