Name: Bicephale Date: November 13, 2007 at 21:44:06 Pacific Subject: Virtual Machines OS: As long as it's for a PC. CPU/Ram: From the venerable XT and Model/Manufacturer: Over two dozens of them..
Comment:
Hi,
It's been some time since i've read about "pure" DOS running on virtual machines, i wonder if there's anything new under the sun... VirtualBox can be installed under Windows or Linux and provides most of the peripherals a real machine would have but the parallel port which is still being worked on, if i'm not mistaking. I like it a lot since i can install the packet- driver and revive my old DOS InterNet hobby but i miss my missing parallel port because i used to have InterLink working between my machines so i'd like to know: is there something that feels the same as a legacy PC with a virtual sound-card, a virtual NIC, etc. and which includes a virtual parallel port that i can connect to the "real" world? I've heard of 'QEmu' but haven't tried it yet, any comments?...
Well sll the software you mention is Windows/Linux based not much relevence to "REAL" Standalone **-DOS. Surely you should ask the users of these types of software rather than people who still run standalone **-DOS??
I discussed this topic here before but lets go for it once more... The Windows/Linux guys will argue that their forum isn't the place to discuss Stand- Alone DOS - which is what i have. the fact that i run Windows or Linux behind doesn't change a thing to how i used to load a packet-driver for the NIC, etc. I find it a bit louzy to pose a judgement on nothing but the apparent connection to other OSes, especially when these are made this transparent...
Allow me to repeat more clearly. Considering that comparisons between 'VMWare', 'QEmu', 'VirtualBox' or similar aren't different from comparing a Tandy or IBM, etc. when it comes to the peripherals, can somebody here give me advice on the "model" i must get in order to run my favourite DOS applications?
In this very case: 'InterLink' from MS-DOS v6.20.
As far as i'm concerned it doesn't matter that you have a HardWare PC while i want mine to be made of a piece of SoftWare called VirtualBox or whatever: the fact that VirtualBox has no parallel port just isn't different from having a Tandy 1000 with some custom parallel connector for which you can't find a suitable cable anymore... I wrote this question here because i want to debate DOS, not VirtualBox, QEmu or whatever but i'd like to know which is the best alternative; certainly, it had nothing to do with Windows XP, and much less Linux, when someone asked which of a Tandy, an Epson, etc. was best to to run some favourite DOS applications back in the good old days. So, please, look closer at what my initial question is about before you post again!!!
Euh... And by writing DOS i mean a "PURE" DOS i'm able to enjoy as if i were back in to mid-eighties with no apparent restrictions comming from a win32 command interpreter, etc. I want to configure the memory manager myself, the sound-card, NIC and all just the same! Nothing about some hypothetic post which wouldn't fit in the Windows or Linux forums.
Try it, you'll find that it has nothing to do with Windows or Linux to partition a Hard-disk and then to format it in order to install DOS at all. This is the best thing which could happen to DOS for it to survive and i'm against trashing this resource.
In MS Virtual PC you can redirect an emulated parallel port to an physical one, but that's it. COM ports seem to be way more versatile, though, as they can be redirected to a named pipe and a file, besides a physical COM port.
Thank you. Well, i don't suppose there's any Linux flavour of MicroSoft' VM, unfortunately, but i was reading a lot lately and i finally found some mentions about a parallel port (is LPT1 SPP, ECC or ECP?) on 'QEmu'. There's one serial port too (COM1's synthetic UART chip is unknown so far, is it a cheap FIFO-less 16450 or a 16550 instead? I wonder)... Three sound cards are possible (SoundBlaster 16, Ensoniq AudioPCI ES1370, Yamaha YM3812), video is from either a Cirrus Logic GD5446 PCI or VGA-VESA type of virtual card, USB devices might become accessible via UHCI for the Intel 82371 and i will get NetWorking access using one of three NICs (RealTek 8139 PCI, NE2000 PCI or, perhaps, AMD PCNet). CD-ROMs are no issue but floppies work as image-files only. ...ah, and the mouse would be a classic PS/2. Now, i hope there are no unpleasant surprizes waiting, i'm thinking of my gamepad: an analog 2-axis 4 buttons unit with a DB-15 connection to a real SB Live! 5.1 sound card. The rest of the details is beyond virtual HardWare chat and will fall into Linux territory so it could be long before i can post again about my project as i need a "front-end" to work with 'QEmu' to make this practical!...
The only thing that feels like a machine/OS is that machine/OS. I used Virtual Machines for far too long, there is nothing like saving up your pennies and actually buying that chunk of nostalgia for yourself.
Not only that, but most emulators out there suck, or are near damn impossible to use unless you are the einstein of computer-geeks. Take Bochs for instance. Looks like it was born in 1990. Hello, it's the 21st century here! You could try the good old Virtual PC or VMware btw.
I had support from a Slax Linux Live CD in mind so MicroSoft Virtual PC, even if free, is out of the question. VMWare is superior to the rest of the emulators relatively to peripherals from what i can see but this is a commercial product and i'm not sure i can manage to install the late bloated version on a Live CD anyway... I was disapointed with VirtualBox because i started my BBS hobby using InterLink and it's just required for me when i work under DOS so the missing parallel port is a major handicap. QEmu is my best alternative but i've been very buzy lately so i don't know yet how easy it is to install but at least there seems to be a GUI "front-end" and a parallel port is available.
As for using the "real" thing, the last time i made an inventory i had twenty-six of them but i want to get rid of that mess because all i do with it is to collect dust: the room has become too small and just walking there is hazardous, i prefer mouse clicks...
Actually why not just multi-boot one PC using a Boot Manager ? Save all the hassles !! Yes motherboards can be had with ISA slots and parallel ports which support Socket 478:
Does Linux as in "Linux Live CD" ring a bell?... Linux must support Virtual PC, not the other way around. Now, what was i reading about that front lip again?
Since you mention ISA support i could have mentioned that all my PCs but one IBM machine were built with ISA support, including the one i'm using right now. That doesn't mean i'm not gratefull for the links you've submitted to my attention, on the contrary: i'll use them with expectation!
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