reporting a quirk - 4DOS 8.0

[Czerno]

Hi, Group ! I found what appears to be a small quirk or bug in
4DOS 8.0, is this n.g. approporiate for reporting in the hope
someone can actually look at fixing it - since Mr "Luczo"
retired from the scene. The quirk in question shouldn't be too
hard to locate and fix in the offending source code,
unfortunately I'm not a C programmer :(

Anyway, should anybody be curious, here is a description of the
4DOS quirk I have noticed :

when an external command's parameter line is longer than 126
characters (0x7E), 4DOS (correctly) inserts the first 126 chars
only into the program's PSP, followed by 1 line-feed character,
it (also correctly) copies the entire command line into the
CMDLINE variable; BUT 4DOS sets the line length (at PSP:0x80)
equal to the /original/ untruncated parameter string length,
which is a quirk/bug IMNSHO; potentially breaking command line
processing in some programs! The proper behaviour (as per MS-DOS
Command.com) is to /fix/ stored length == 0x 7F (at PSP:80) in
order to signal it has been subject to truncation.

Hope this report inspires some to try and fix this...

Regards

[Stan Brown]

Post by Czerno
Hi, Group ! I found what appears to be a small quirk or bug in
4DOS 8.0, is this n.g. approporiate for reporting

[snip]

Post by Czerno
Hope this report inspires some to try and fix this...

The people at JP Software hate Usenet because they can't control it,
so years ago they established a captive forum. Last time I asked a
question here about the _current_ software TCC, there were a lot of
responses from people who could have answered but were more
interested in telling me off for posting to the "wrong" venue. I
fear you will get similar responses.

But in the case of 4DOS, I am pretty sure that development ceased a
LONG time ago. Even if you go to their captive forum and post there,
I think the odds of getting a fix are slim to none.

[Czerno]

Post by Stan Brown

Post by Czerno
Hi, Group ! I found what appears to be a small quirk or bug

in

Post by Stan Brown

Post by Czerno
4DOS 8.0, is this n.g. approporiate for reporting

[snip]
The people at JP Software hate Usenet because they can't

control it,

Post by Stan Brown
so years ago they established a captive forum. Last time I

asked a

Post by Stan Brown
question here about the _current_ software TCC, there were a

lot of

Post by Stan Brown
responses from people who could have answered but were more
interested in telling me off for posting to the "wrong" venue.

I

Post by Stan Brown
fear you will get similar responses.
But in the case of 4DOS, I am pretty sure that development

ceased a

Post by Stan Brown
LONG time ago. Even if you go to their captive forum

Going to JPSoft's forum about this was not my intention : report
is about the free/open 4DOS 8.0 (Luczo's), the bug may or may
not have been in earlier, commercial 4DOS - of which I was once
a user, more exactly in the 90s I used NDOS which was Norton's
licensed version.

Post by Stan Brown

Post by Czerno
Hope this report inspires some to try and fix this...

I think the odds of getting a fix are slim to none.

Sure, but at least this has now been reported and could motivate
someone to look into it. Unfortunately i'm not equipped with the
appropriate chain of tools and, as already said, am not intimate
with the C language.

Thank you for your input !

[Klaus Meinhard]

Hallo Czerno,

Post by Czerno
Sure, but at least this has now been reported and could motivate
someone to look into it. Unfortunately i'm not equipped with the
appropriate chain of tools and, as already said, am not intimate
with the C language.

As I've already told you privately, 4DOS has no longer a maintainer.

The sources and everything needed to compile them are available at my
website www.4dos.info, as well as older versions of 4DOS if you care to
look if the "Bug" is there too.

If it is present in V7.50, which is the one Rex Conn released to the
public domain, it might be worth a try to take it to the official forum.
Slim chance only, but you already have a "No" :-)

That said, I might add that it was people like Stan who couldn't let go
who at least hastened the switch from Usenet to company forum :-(

[Steve Fabian]

Klaus Meinhard wrote:

| That said, I might add that it was people like Stan who couldn't let
| go who at least hastened the switch from Usenet to company forum :-(

The sad fact is that there seem to be many more who prefer to go to the
newspaper office to see if the next edition is available (use their browser)
than those who are willing to wait a few minutes to get it by home delivery.
Had those of us, me included, who prefer a true (or at least a virtual) news
group been in the majority, instead of those who prefer to browsing for
news, Rex would not have made such a radical switch. But as I stated a few
months ago, in another thread, in response to Stan, Rex did provide a means
of receiving browser-made posts by email, and do it - usually - quite
rapidly. To answer a thread or to start a new one I still need to use the
browser, but it is easy. One of the benefits of browser-based forum is the
author's ability to delete an unwisely posted message.

[Stan Brown]

Post by Klaus Meinhard
That said, I might add that it was people like Stan who couldn't let go
who at least hastened the switch from Usenet to company forum :-(

If my breath weren't taken away, I'd have something to say at the
absurdity of misallocating the blame in that way.

[CRNG]

On Tue, 6 Aug 2013 21:42:32 -0400, Stan Brown

Post by Stan Brown

Post by Klaus Meinhard
That said, I might add that it was people like Stan who couldn't let go
who at least hastened the switch from Usenet to company forum :-(

If my breath weren't taken away, I'd have something to say at the
absurdity of misallocating the blame in that way.

Quite so. I don't understand how Stan's "couldn't let go" had
anything to do with the JPS move to a private forum. IMO the move was
motivated by the need for tight control of the forum membership. That
could have just as easily been obtained by moving to a Yahoo-Tech
group or even a Google Tech group. Those offer full member control
with email and forum participation.

Actually, if anyone is interested, it never too late to start such a
group that could be open to the discussion of all JPS products and
discussions of whatever versions.

[Czerno]

Post by Klaus Meinhard
The sources and everything needed to compile them are available at my
website www.4dos.info, as well as older versions of 4DOS if you care to
look if the "Bug" is there too.

Just checked, 7.50 downloaded from JPsoft's FTP - had the bug
already.

Post by Klaus Meinhard
If it is present in V7.50, which is the one Rex Conn released

to the

Post by Klaus Meinhard
public domain, it might be worth a try to take it to the

official forum.

Post by Klaus Meinhard
Slim chance only, but you already have a "No" :-)

This bug is not annoying enough to me that I should bother either
way ;=) It is on record now, for poserity (?) to cope with it...

Post by Klaus Meinhard
That said, I might add that it was people like Stan who

[snip....]

Not going to enter a quarrel in which I had no part, thank you !

Regards

[Steph]

Post by Klaus Meinhard
The sources and everything needed to compile them are

available at my

Post by Klaus Meinhard
website www.4dos.info, as well as older versions of 4DOS if

you care

Post by Klaus Meinhard
to look if the "Bug" is there too.

Just checked, 7.50 downloaded from JPsoft's FTP - had the bug
already.

Post by Klaus Meinhard
If it is present in V7.50, which is the one Rex Conn released

to the

Post by Klaus Meinhard
public domain, it might be worth a try to take it to the

official

Post by Klaus Meinhard
forum. Slim chance only, but you already have a "No" :-)

This bug is not annoying enough to me that I should bother
either
way ;=) It is on record now, for posterity (?) to cope with.

Post by Klaus Meinhard
That said, I might add that it was people like Stan who

[snip....]

Not going to enter a quarrel in which I had no part, thank you !

Regards

[Czerno]

Post by Klaus Meinhard
The sources and everything needed to compile them are

available at my

Post by Klaus Meinhard
website www.4dos.info, as well as older versions of 4DOS if

you care

Post by Klaus Meinhard
to look if the "Bug" is there too.

Just checked, 7.50 downloaded from JPsoft's FTP - had the bug
already.

Post by Klaus Meinhard
If it is present in V7.50, which is the one Rex Conn released

to the

Post by Klaus Meinhard
public domain, it might be worth a try to take it to the

official

Post by Klaus Meinhard
forum. Slim chance only, but you already have a "No" :-)

This bug is not annoying enough to me that I should bother
either
way ;=) It is on record now, for posterity (?) to cope with...

Post by Klaus Meinhard
That said, I might add that it was people like Stan who

[snip....]

Not going to enter a quarrel in which I had no part, thank you !

Regards

[CRNG]

On Sun, 4 Aug 2013 21:20:37 -0400, Stan Brown

Post by Stan Brown
The people at JP Software hate Usenet because they can't control it,
so years ago they established a captive forum. Last time I asked a
question here about the _current_ software TCC, there were a lot of
responses from people who could have answered but were more
interested in telling me off for posting to the "wrong" venue. I
fear you will get similar responses.

Sad but true.