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diff --git a/msdos/README.msdos b/msdos/README.msdos deleted file mode 100644 index 3a5c38fcae..0000000000 --- a/msdos/README.msdos +++ /dev/null @@ -1,195 +0,0 @@ - Notes on the MS-DOS Perl port - - Diomidis Spinellis - (dds@cc.ic.ac.uk) - -[0. First copy the files in the msdos directory into the parent -directory--law] - -1. Compiling. - - Perl has been compiled under MS-DOS using the Microsoft -C compiler version 5.1. Before compiling install dir.h as -<sys/dir.h>. You will need a Unix-like make program (e.g. -pdmake) and something like yacc (e.g. bison). You could get -away by running yacc and dry running make on a Unix host, -but I haven't tried it. Compilation takes 12 minutes on a -20MHz 386 machine (together with formating the manual), so -you will probably need something to do in the meantime. The -executable is 272k and the top level directory needs 1M for -sources and about the same ammount for the object code and -the executables. - - The makefile will compile glob for you which you will -need to place somewhere in your path so that perl globbing -will work correctly. I have not tried all the tests or the -examples, nor the awk and sed to Perl translators. You are -on your own with them. In the eg directory I have included -an example program that uses ioctl to display the charac- -teristics of the storage devices of the system. - -2. Using MS-DOS Perl - - The MS-DOS version of perl has most of the functional- -ity of the Unix version. Functions that can not be provided -under MS-DOS like sockets, password and host database -access, fork and wait have been ommited and will terminate -with a fatal error. Care has been taken to implement the -rest. In particular directory access, redirection (includ- -ing pipes, but excluding the pipe function), system, ioctl -and sleep have been provided. - -[Files currently can be edited in-place provided you are cre- -ating a backup. However, if the backup coincidentally has -the same name as the original, or if the resulting backup -filename is invalid, then the file will probably be trashed. -For example, don't do - - perl -i~ script makefile - perl -i.bak script file.dat - -because (1) MS-DOS treats "makefile~" and "makefile" as the -same filename, and (2) "file.dat.bak" is an invalid filename. -The files "makefile" and "file.dat" will probably be lost -forever. Moral of the story: Don't use in-place editing -under MS-DOS. --rjc] - -2.1. Interface to the MS-DOS ioctl system call. - - The function code of the ioctl function (the second -argument) is encoded as follows: - -- The lowest nibble of the function code goes to AL. -- The two middle nibbles go to CL. -- The high nibble goes to CH. - - The return code is -1 in the case of an error and if -successful: - -- for functions AL = 00, 09, 0a the value of the register DX -- for functions AL = 02 - 08, 0e the value of the register AX -- for functions AL = 01, 0b - 0f the number 0. - - See the perl manual for instruction on how to distin- -guish between the return value and the success of ioctl. - - Some ioctl functions need a number as the first argu- -ment. Provided that no other files have been opened the -number can be obtained if ioctl is called with -@fdnum[number] as the first argument after executing the -following code: - - @fdnum = ("STDIN", "STDOUT", "STDERR"); - $maxdrives = 15; - for ($i = 3; $i < $maxdrives; $i++) { - open("FD$i", "nul"); - @fdnum[$i - 1] = "FD$i"; - } - -2.2. Binary file access - - Files are opened in text mode by default. This means -that CR LF pairs are translated to LF. If binary access is -needed the `binary' function should be used. There is -currently no way to reverse the effect of the binary func- -tion. If that is needed close and reopen the file. - -2.3. Interpreter startup. - - The effect of the Unix #!/bin/perl interpreter startup -can be obtained under MS-DOS by giving the script a .bat -extension and using the following lines on its begining: - - @REM=(" - @perl %0.bat %1 %2 %3 %4 %5 %6 %7 %8 %9 - @end ") if 0 ; - -(Note that you will probably want an absolute path name in -front of %0.bat). - - March 1990 - - Diomidis Spinellis <dds@cc.ic.ac.uk> - Myrsinis 1 - GR-145 62 Kifissia - Greece - --------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - Revisions to the MS-DOS support in Perl 4.0 - Tom Dinger, 18 March 1991 - -The DOS compatibility added to Perl sometime in release 3.x was not -maintained, and Perl as distributed could not be built without changes. - -Both myself and Len Reed more or less "rediscovered" how to get Perl built -and running reliably for MS-DOS, using the Microsoft C compiler. He and I -have communicated, and will be putting together additional patches for the -DOS version of Perl. - -1. Compiling Perl - - For now, I have not supplied a makefile, as there is no standard for - make utilities under DOS. All the files can be compiled with Microsoft - C 5.1, using the switches "-AL -Ox" for Large memory model, maximum - optimization (this turned out a few code generation bugs in MSC 5.1). - The code will also compile with MSC 6.00A, with the optimization - "-Oacegils /Gs" for all files (regcomp.c has special case code to change - the aliasing optimizations). - - Generally, you follow the instructions given above to compile and build - Perl 4.0 for DOS. I used the output of SunOS yacc run on perly.y, - without modification, but I expect both Bison and Berkeley-YACC will work - also. From inspection of the generated code, however, I believe AT&T - derived YACC produces the smallest tables, i.e. uses the least memory. - This is important for a 300K executable file. - -2. Editing in-place. - - You will need the file suffix.c from the os2 subdirectory -- it will - create a backup file with much less danger for DOS. - -3. A "Smarter" chdir() function. - - I have added to the DOS version of Perl 4.0 a replacement chdir() - function. Unlike the "normal" behavior, it is aware of drive letters - at the start of paths for DOS. So for example: - - perl_chdir( "B:" ) changes to the default directory, on drive B: - perl_chdir( "C:\FOO" ) changes to the specified directory, on drive C: - perl_chdir( "\BAR" ) changes to the specified directory on the - current drive. - -4. *.BAT Scripts as Perl scripts - - The strategy described above for turning a Perl script into a *.BAT - script do not work. I have been using the following lines at the - beginning of a Perl *.BAT script: - - @REM=(qq! - @perl -S %0.bat %1 %2 %3 %4 %5 %6 %7 %8 %9 - @goto end !) if 0 ; - - and the following at the end of the *.BAT script: - - @REM=(qq! - :end !) if 0 ; - - If you like, with the proper editor you can replace the four '!' - characters with some untypeable character, such as Ctrl-A. This will - allow you to pass any characters, including ".." strings as arguments. - -4. Things to Come - - * Better temporary file handling. - * A real Makefile -- Len Reed has one for Dmake 3.6 - * Swapping code -- swaps most of Perl out of memory (to EMS, XMS or - disk) before running a sub-program or pipe. - * MKS command line support, both into Perl, and to other programs - spawned by Perl. - * Smarter pipe functions, not using COMMAND.COM. - - - Tom Dinger - tdinger@East.Sun.COM - Martch 18, 1991 |