[mikeos-developer] MikeOS 4.0 released

[M Saunders]

Hi all,

Yes, it's here: http://prdownload.berlios.de/mikeos/mikeos-4.0.zip

* Now includes a BASIC interpreter with 24 instructions
* EDIT.BIN text editor can use Backspace, along with F5 to delete
lines and F8 to run BASIC code
* If there's a file called AUTORUN.BIN or AUTORUN.BAS on the disk, the
kernel will execute it at the start

Plus various other changes and fixes since 3.3 -- see the full
changelog at the end of this mail. Thanks to Ian Seyler for the
updated os_string_strip routine, and Glen Henexson for the USB key
information that's now in the User Handbook.

(Only changes from RC2 are a disk.asm bugfix and various 'je/jc/jnc
foo' to 'je/jc/jnc near foo' alterations so that old versions of NASM
(like those supplied with OS X Xcode) don't complain. They're ancient
versions though. Get with it Apple!)


Full changelog:

# MikeOS BASIC included in the kernel; run EXAMPLE.BAS to try it out,
and see doc/handbook-appdev-basic.html for a guide

# os_run_basic call accessible to use programs: takes AX as start of
code location, and BX as size of the code (in bytes)

# App menu and CLI can now run .BAS programs as well as .BIN

# EDIT.BIN can edit .BAS files; press F8 to run the
currently-being-edited code in the BASIC intepreter

# EDIT.BIN: F5 deletes whole lines; Backspace key now functions,
although newlines still need to be removed with Delete; Esc quits
without saving -- press F2 to save (as per bottom bar)

# If AUTORUN.BIN or AUTORUN.BAS exists on the disk, it will be
executed immediately after the kernel has loaded, before showing the
normal program launcher menu

# EDIT.BIN now pops up an error dialog if it can't save a file

# source/features/string.asm: os_string_strip rewritten -- shorter and
saves 256 bytes (thanks to Ian Seyler)

# source/features/misc.asm: rewrote os_pause routine -- it now takes
AX = tenths of a second to wait (so eg AX = 300 = 3 seconds)

# programs/hello.asm and programs/gfxdemo.asm removed (and their
binaries on the floppy) -- old and not useful now

# os_dialog_box no longer raises a fatal error if strings are too long
to fit in the box

# source/features/disk.asm: os_write_file no longer overwrites a file
if it already exists; instead it bails out (carry flag set)

# API version bumped to 12

# source/features/disk.asm: filename checking and file writing bugfixes

# doc/handbook-appdev.html renamed doc/handbook-appdev-asm.html


Cheers,
Mike

-- 
Mike Saunders
http://okachi.googlepages.com