OSDev.org

I was searching through my exploding folder of OS info and came across a printout of my very first post on the topic of operating system development.

Mega-Tokyo THoover 16-Jul-05 `Tring to make an OS, need help.` wrote:I am Tring to make an OS with its own File System, I need to learn how to make a boot code.

Here is a list of drivers I need:

Mouse
SoundBlaster 16
VGA 256 color 800X600

I am tring to make it with C (C-FREE 32-bit compiler)(MIRICLE C 16-bit compiler), BASIC (FIRST BASIC 16-bit compiler) (ASCI 16-bit compiler)

And that's with all the spelling mistakes - it was actually hard to even type that poorly now.
I must have been looking at the word compiler to have spelled that correctly when I couldn't even spell trying...

You know that thread got 25 replies I was 13 then and thought I knew way (way, way) more than I did.

And the first (actually second) post here http://forum.osdev.org/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=22146 (I was 18 then...)

I also still haven't took the advice given on those last two posts. I learned everything I know about C (and ASM now) with OSDev, I never stopped to make an application first.



But wow, looking back on it, you realize you have come a very long way. I now know 2 new languages, how the x86 cpu functions (to a certain degree), how a stack works, how pointers work, even how to debug code, let us not even start on the different pieces of hardware I understand (or at least support)...

So do you remember your first OSDev post? And if so how much have you improved in all things OSDev?

I joined OSDev in 2010, but the first post I can find was from 2012. It was a post asking about how to find some VirtIO documentation.

(Ironically, I also posted a few weeks ago about finding some more VirtIO documentation... go figure.)

Since then, I've learned that a) most specifications are way too verbose, as the important information could be listed in just a few pages, but most spec documents are over 50 pages, b) that finding documentation about hardware is an adventure unto itself, and c) virtual machines do not follow the specifications, and simply implement just enough functionality to get Windows to boot.

I don't remember the first, but google groups should show something from around 1998-2000 in alt.os.development.

BASICFreak wrote: And that's with all the spelling mistakes - it was actually hard to even type that poorly now.

Your spelling mistakes are nothing compared to my grammar mistakes in the first posts!

BASICFreak wrote: I learned everything I know about C (and ASM now) with OSDev...

I started learning C at about the same time as I started exploring osdev as well.

BASICFreak wrote: But wow, looking back on it, you realize you have come a very long way. I now know 2 new languages, ...

Which ones? I learned English and Spanish. :p

Roman wrote:Will that code load the first 512 bytes of the first floppy to 0x1000?

And a list of code after it... I was a newbie at the moment, not even a good newbie, I didn't even understand segmentation, which is described on the wiki. I also remember a later effort - the XNC compiler - it was a mess, because I understood nothing about compilers that time. I also wanted to develop an operating system, which would use a single address space, execute byte code and implement protections on the software level - it was just because I didn't get the architecture that days.

Unlike the majority of posts made by newbies, I didn't ask a question. Rather, I had a GRUB "secret" to tell. (I've removed that stupid post now.)

I don't remember my first post, I joined years ago but took a break and when I got the itch again, my account password didn't survive some migration or something and it was attached to a email address I no longer use, so I just made a new account. I'm kind of glad though, I found a couple of posts from back then and I think I’ve definitely grown a lot since.