[GEM Development] PDOS (Public Domain Operating System)

[Liam Proven]

On Wed, 13 Mar 2024 at 19:41, Thomas Clayton <TopCatDRC at yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> Dear All:
>
> Since ?Summer of last year? (could have been just after Vintage Computer
> Fest - MidWest (VCF-MW) in 2022 which would make the date late Sept of
> that year) which I tried speak about /at/ VCF-MW 2023, I've known that
> someone has ? succeeded ?? in making a 32-bit DOS for x86 / x85
> micro-Processors (mPros). x >or= to 3
>
> PDOS (Public Domain Operating System)
> http://www.pdos.org/
> https://pdos.sourceforge.net/
>
> For years (ago) talk was of taking a 32-bit DOS extender and converting
> it into an OpSys. Apparently, 2-4 years ago, this developer without
> pre-announcing their intention to do so, succeeded and did so.
>
> Well, you can judge for yourselves.
>
>
> One comment worth passing along [ to Liam, with The Register ;-) ]:
>
> it is NOT under the GPL! That's TOO restrictive in the developer's mind.

Yes, I am aware of it.

I tried to talk to the developer a few years back on a mailing list
for the Hercules mainframe emulator. He is a very strange man, with
extremely strong opinions about lots of technical things, utter
unwillingness to even consider that he might be wrong about any of
them under any circumstances. Even when he doesn't know history or
developments outside of his area.

I found him impossible to communicate with and in the end I quit that list.

But he is certainly smart, and I am happy that he has completed his
project and it works. Good for him.

In some ways I don't recall it's derived from some IBM S/360 -- S/370
mainframe tech, I think.

PD software has no motivation for anyone else to contribute. (He
totally fails to understand FOSS and I think may hold extremist
political views. If I remember correctly, he thinks FOSS is all
Commies all the way down and therefore Evil.)

I don't think it will go anywhere, but his work is remarkable.

-- 
Liam Proven ~ Profile: https://about.me/liamproven
Email: lproven at cix.co.uk ~ gMail/gTalk/FB: lproven at gmail.com
Twitter/LinkedIn: lproven ~ Skype: liamproven
IoM: (+44) 7624 277612: UK: (+44) 7939-087884
Czech [+ WhatsApp/Telegram/Signal]: (+420) 702-829-053