New Solar OS released 2004_12_25

[BogdanOntanu]

There is a new version available...
As a Christmas present ...

Binary only is here:
http://www.hostileencounter.com/os/files/sol_os_2004_12_25.bin

The whole sourcecode is under downloads section here:
http://www.hostileencounter.com/os_main.html

New things:
============

Drivers:
----------
PCI Devices Enumeration
Network drivers for Realtek 8139 cards
Floppy Driver improved a lot
COM1 Mouse Driver
Improved ATA HDD and CD-ROM detection
Video Driver improved with 8 bits resolutions

Network Applications:
----------------------------
-Ethernet raw packets send/recive,
-ARP LAN resolver,
-IP Layer,
-ICMP Ping and statistics application
-UDP layer
-DNS resolver Application

GUI Improvements:
------------------------
-Added Icons and GFX as HE Sprites (+Animated)
-Scroll Bars improved + added horizontal
-List Box improved
-Anchor controls bottom/right
-Keep relative size for controls

Applications:
-------------------
Print Screen Application:
-saves raw on floppy
-you must use rawread and IfranView RAW plugin to read image in.

System Colors application
Fdisk Application
Character map application
Debug viewer improved a lot
Text view Application


Other minor changes:
-----------------------------
-Press Alt+A to toggle alpha of selected window
-Ctrl+X clears Edit box contents

[pbrennick]

I think the 'How to Install' page should be fixed as it does not show the correct syntax to make a floppy

rawrite -f os8.bin -d a

is correct, the page forgets to tell the user to use the -f and -d switches

rawrite os8.bin a

is not going to work.

Having said that, the OS is really taking shape!
Paul

[Statix Star]

Thanks for the christmas gift, but I don't know if creating a different OS or merging will help out of the problem which WINDOWS
bloated code has. Until I learn.

[pbrennick]

Unfortunately, it doesn't work on either of my machines.  One is too old (how can that be) and the other has an NTFS file system.  Just when I thought there might be a neat toy to play with, what a shame...

Paul

[Bieb]

Hmm, pretty cool.  I remember using Windows 3.1 when I was 5 or 6, and this feels a lot like what I remember of that.  I don't even want to think of how long it must have taken to create.  I've rearranged my keys to the Dvorak layout, and I have my keyboard remapped by Windows.  You may want to see if you can get it to do that.

[thomasantony]

Hi,
    I hace have had these probs with the previous versions of SOlOs also. I can run it in BOchs but it is very slow. But I can't run it on my system. I suppose i don't have VESA or something!! ::) . I have an Intel 801e motherboard with onboard graphics ( Intel(r) 82810 Graphics Controller ). Any ideas on what to do?

Thomas Antony

[BogdanOntanu]

You can try QEMU - the mouse will work ok but QEMU has some problems with the keyboard (it generates wrong scancodes)
You can also try free trial versions of VirtualPC  or VMware (45 day trial i think)

Or we can work it out steep by steep with me via email ;)
(i do  prefer bogdanontanu at yahoo dot com)

I have no ideea how P1's NTFS filesystem could stop SolOS from running ...
Since i do not read files from HDD until HDD explorer ask for such actions, so i do not really need a HDD to be present.

The only problem can be non VESA 2.0 video boards but i do support 8bits gray video modes, 16bits 565 modes and 24/32bits modes... so there should be a bunch to choose from

I could add a standard VGA 320x240 virtual screen mode for very old video boards if you guys feel like need it ;)
(i think a i have a start for this in there if you press the X key when choosing vido mode.

For VESA 1.2 there is an example driver (only 1 routine i needed) for Neomagic 128. So if you own an older VESA 1.2 board and you know the bank switching routine --> then you could change the code to make it work with your video board.

I do not see how it looks like Windows 3.1 :P
Since i do have show contents while dragging, translucent windows, 32bits flat memory mode with up to 4G RAM access and you can place icons on the desktop :P

And BTW i have released a new version on 2005_01_08 check it out on the main site.
The HDD Explorer on this new version will detect NTFS partitions (but is not browsing them yet)
And the network applications and drivers have been enhanced
Anyway the NTFS browser is going to come ... sooner or later

[pbrennick]

I think that adding NTFS support is going to be a big plus for your OS.  I am eagerly awaiting it so I can try your OS.  With all the different hardware configurations available these days, it must be a monumental job to get everything to work.

Paul

[Bieb]

Well, I can't remember much what Windows 3.1 was like, this just seems to look something like my vague memories of it.  If you get NTFS browsing and reading working, your OS would make the leap from a fun novelty to a very useful debugging tool for crashed computers, and one that could fit on a single floppy, too,  Keep up the good work.

[BogdanOntanu]

Ok, so then we are decided: NTFS browsing will be next :D

[six_L]

Mr. BogdanOntanu,
:U
great!
it is the first RealTime operation system written by win32asm. my pc without floppy disk need to install your SOLAR OS, but I can't make a bootable CDROM. I hope you write a installing proc. let me install your SOLAR OS into my harddisk with multibootable. and then, I may use a uninstalling proc to resume my system to be original.

best regards.

[Bieb]

Is it possible for third party OSes to browse NTFS, though?  I've heard that Microsoft refuses to reveal exactly how the file system works.

[thomasantony]

Hi,
   I tried QEMU, It has some gfx probelm. The graphics looks sort of pressed together. I will put a screen shot soon.

Thomas Antony

[Ghirai]

Is it possible for third party OSes to browse NTFS, though?  I've heard that Microsoft refuses to reveal exactly how the file system works.

Knoppid-STD has NTFS r/w capabilites: http://knoppix-std.org

And yeah, M$ (:P) doesn't exactly document the format.

[BogdanOntanu]

thomasantony:
============
I have just tried in QEMU PC emulator version 0.6.1, and Solar OS works in all color resolutions
Of course i use the vgabios-cirrus.bin for VESA options.

six_L1
=======
There is a CD-ROM image on site but it is an .NRG file for Nero burn software
You can easyly make a bootable CD-ROM with Solar OS by using the provided os8.bin file or by using the os8.dsk file.
The os8.dsk file is exactly 1.44M in size and it is generated by the full.exe application from the os8.bin

Options for making  the bootable CD depend on the software you use but besides the os image you do not need anything else. And yes CD-ROM version of SolarOS boots almost instantly.

For a HDD instalation you just have to tell your boot manager to load os8.bin SolarOS uses no files on the HDD so there is no need for an uninstall procedure. I plan to investigate and provide an HDD instalation soon but i have no use for it myself. During OS development we do not want to write the HDD all the time ;) but for usage i can understand that.