Hi Jim, hi everybody, > I'd like to see us continue that with a FreeDOS 1.1.
I agree :-) > 1. FDUPDATE (FreeDOS Updater.) > Mateusz's excellent update utility can help to keep your system > current with the latest releases of FreeDOS packages... Even more useful is the fact that the collection of updates available on his page is a big step forward in updating the FreeDOS distro ISO itself. As soon as all BASE updates are in the collection, you can use the files there to update the FDBASECD ISO itself :-). Of course ALL updates would be even better, but BASE is a realistic goal for this summer :-). > http://mateusz.viste.free.fr/fdupdate/ has the collected updates - already in "freedos packaging" (appropriate zip file directory structure, with metadata) > www.freedos.org/cgi-bin/lsm.cgi?mode=dir&dir=base and > http://rugxulo.googlepages.com/fdpkgnew.txt show which packages got updated since 1.0: Dozens of updates, including many BASE ones. It would be great if somebody could have a look at those lists and check which of the mentioned updates are already available on Mateusz' page. As next step, somebody can take the list of "not yet available" things and download them from their normal homepages, "freedos package" them and finally let Mateusz add them to his collection. > 2. An updated Install program. > While more of a nice-to-have rather than a need-to-have... > Our Install program definitely needs a facelift. It should > still run in text-mode, since FreeDOS is really a command-line OS If you look at the wiki, mainly at: > http://fd-doc.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php?n=FdDocEn.FdInstall > http://fd-doc.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php?n=FdDocEn.FdDependencies then you can see that the installer works smoothly for most of what it does but that several small things really need fixing... Basically all of those can be fixed by minor BAT file edits, and those fixes should be part of FreeDOS 1.1 :-). > anyway. Aitor has been updating the DFLAT+ library used in FreeDOS > EDIT, and I think this library would make a good base for a new > Install program. Not looking for new functionality, just a refresh > on the Install program. Can anyone help here? Honestly I would not rewrite the installer - too little manpower. But as always in open source: If somebody wants to do it, it is certainly welcome. Especially if writing a fresh installer version does not distract that somebody from other FreeDOS work... ;-). > 3. An optional floppy-only "Base" install. > This could be a 1.44MB emergency boot floppy image (like BALDER, > or ODIN before it) with just the essentials from the "Base" set. > Or maybe it's a multi-floppy (3 disks?) install of everything > from "Base". What would be most useful here? I am a big supporter of the Rugxulo distro for that: It IS NOT an installer based distro but it IS a distro which contains all of "base" plus a collection of tiny open source goodies on only two disks. The three disk version adds things like MPXPLAY and 4DOS :-). You can of course use XCOPY and SYS to install this few-floppy distro on harddisk manually. Keep things simple :-). > http://rugxulo.googlepages.com/ has the distro, both as diskimages and as zips-with-the- files, and it has some tools to make actual disks. What the distro would NEED is some nice howto for making the disks or making bootable CD/DVD or even USB sticks. It does also need somebody who makes a nice big zip with all the sources, or a directory with one zip per package with the sources, so the distro will be "GPL complete". There should also be a zip with "all those docs which did not fit on the diskettes", of course. Talking about docs: Fritz made a really nice HTMLHELP update in English and German. Now he has been waiting for two things: Somebody who verifies that the update describes the current (1.0 or better newer) versions of all BASE components correctly and somebody who has a look whether the translations are okay. Having an up to date (command line and online) help system is a big step forward for a user friendly FreeDOS 1.1 :-). > For FreeDOS 1.1, I think that's it. No major changes. > Let's worry about other, larger changes in later > releases - like an eventual FreeDOS 2.0. I agree. The dynamic duo of "fix the known flaws listed in FdInstall and collect all updates which are already out there" (at least for BASE and for documentation) will already make a very nice FreeDOS 1.1 base distro. Things like "FreeDOS should support NTFS and my 10 GB Quicktime files on Firewire disk" can be cool but would take too long to wait for, so major feature additions better wait for FreeDOS 2.0 for sure... Having our own USB driver, ASPIDISK, improved UIDE (UDMA/SATA/IDE/CD/ DVD/harddisk driver etc) and virtual SB16 on real AC97 are high on my wishlist but can easily be downloaded as separate updates at any later point in time. > What is needed immediately is to identify a FreeDOS 1.1 > release coordinator. I haven't heard from Blair in a while. > (Are you still there?) If Blair isn't available to help > assemble the FreeDOS 1.1 distro, I'm interested in hearing > from volunteers... While we do need a coordinator, you definitely do not have to wait for one to show up if you want to help us with FreeDOS 1.1: Things like making a list of files to be added to Mateusz' fdupdate repository, packaging those files for the repository, proof-reading the new HTMLHELP version and making a source code tarball or howto for the Rugxulo distro will be a big help for updating FreeDOS in general at any time :-). Eric PS: There is also a stable kernel update upcoming but it would be nice if people would start to dust off the unstable kernel as well. While that will not make it stable suddenly, it can start a process of combining the best of both branches. Make unstable more stable, but also add features from unstable to stable branch in a careful, stability-preserving way. Unstable has been frozen for years - after a period of moving too fast to stay in touch with stable, as you might know. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- This SF.Net email is sponsored by the Moblin Your Move Developer's challenge Build the coolest Linux based applications with Moblin SDK & win great prizes Grand prize is a trip for two to an Open Source event anywhere in the world http://moblin-contest.org/redirect.php?banner_id=100&url=/ _______________________________________________ Freedos-devel mailing list [email protected] https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-devel
