hello dear fasm friends.

now, it's time to me to propose a contest.
and what sort of contest?

THE contest of 2010 year. ending in 2011

not only writing an os.

but writing many oses with a common platform.

simple and easy to understand.

one executable format common to every oses: .com.(org100H)
it is not a DOS contest.
it is an OS contest.

required stuff:

boot loader using partitions or not.
512 bytes loading a .com program that will be a kernel.
and this kernel loading .com code, executing it, and returning to the kernel with..

maybe, if you want, return with DOS int20h, but really not needed as the PSP have a far return inside.
psp calling .com code, .com code return with ret, and psp retunr with retf.

after:

any code from anybody useable( assume the original author is OK)

bring the code as GPL. OPEN SOURCE only!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

keyboard int based on a bitmap to be compatible with every other oses.

mouse optional.

VGA, VESA. as you want.






the main thing to do is:

a set of applications to show how much your os can be usefull.

and of course, i don't participate, i just test entries on my machines, and your apps with my os.

i don't propose my FOOL os because i don't want to be boring.


now, i want replies to developpe the final rules.

and one thing, i want the participation of:

revolution
vid
borsuc
dex
bitrake
bitshifter
dosin
coddy41
dos386

and everybody who post more than 1 message a week.

this contest is not a commercial contest, just an extension of the browser challenge.

remember, this challenge, not dead, need an os to work.

then, the wining os will be the platform for this contest.

i don't want to see still made os.

i want a from scratch os, using a lib or not.

and if really you want to see my entry, i can do it.

THANKS and happy noël (joyeux christmas)

and if this contest die, i will ask for its autodestruction because this board is still full of junk.

edfed: I won't be able to participate. I already have OSes for x86 and it would not be fair of me to simply post my pre-existing code and claim it was done for this contest.

Count me in

Yes, in my opinion, you should be a participant.

No, I don't think it is polite to insist on anyone submitting an entry, however, I am sure that you meant it not as a Napoleanic imperative, but rather, as a gentle hint to encourage those who may be a tad reluctant to reveal our ignorance.

Some other famous folks, not yet on your list:

MazeGen
Madis
Smiddy (retired, but here's his brilliant contribution: )
http://board.flatassembler.net/topic.php?t=5911
Bogdan
DOS386
Feryno
Matt86
baldr
Shoorick
F0dder
rugxulo
Artlav
DJ Mauretto
pfranz
comrade
Octavio
ManOfSteel
windwakr
mikegonta
neville

and of course, last, and certainly not least, Tomasz himself, who has been threatening to reveal his original operating system ?"Titan", for many years now....

I am quite confident that another dozen names of folks, who have contributed OS related code during the past half decade, could be added. Some of them may wish to serve as judges, if they will not have an opportunity to submit an entry!

Thanks for your idea, Edfed, well done! Happy New Year.

Actually, it feels good to have had my name mentioned on that list

Well, I might be able to compete.. Sounds fun either way

I think we need away for ASM Hobby OS Dev's to work together to make coding for these OS as easy as for C coded OS, its no good trying to work on one OS as we have differant design ideas.
So we should come up with a common API (to run in pmode,maybe later long mode) that users the same regs or structs and int number.

This way the same programs would run on all ASM OS, if we based the API on menuet32/KolibriOS we could even run the code in windows.
See here: http://board.kolibrios.org/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=1273

the contest would be fine.. I would be interested in helping..
Though I have a lot going on right now!

but are you looking for realmode os or PM os?


Dex - That would be cool!
If you what to start a project like this let me know!

Sure but this is a different project than edfed, as edfed seem to be a realmode OS, i would use MiniDos, for this project, but rules say new code, but have so little time. .

the first version of os proposed for this contest, as a starting point, would be able to do that:

show the list of demo from 256b demo archive, launch them, and return form them... and by the way, software multitasking in real mode can be interrresting....

the archive can be downloaded there

Oh, I have to use real mode... must have missed that >> In that case I cannot
compeat I just got to being able to use p-mode, and I do not want to leave it so soon
as I learned it how to get into it.I want to learn a bit more in P-mode before I go
back into real mode.

the code from any real mode program can be executed in protected mode if set as 32 bit code.
use32 powa!!


one important thing is to deal with realmode.

boot is in real mode

a good bootloader should be only in realmode
no p mode switch inside
because of the need of nested boot possibility.


something simple like this can be done for pm and rm indiferentlly, but for pm, you need more code. like PM2RM switch, gdt, idt, pagedir,etc...

I agree.
Let the kernel decide what mode it runs in.
Then a common boot-loader can be used for any kernel.
This way a good booter can be reused forever.

I use BOOTPROG BOOT12 for this.
It loads COM or MZ kernel.
It also fills in the BIOS parameter block during install.
This is good because i have non-standard floppy.
Where i have 128 bytes per block, and common is 512.

I don't.
Because:

See GRUB.

GRUB is a really good and sophisticated bootloader. It's really not hard to make an existing kernel multiboot-compliant (except you make heavy use of BIOS interrupts) to use it with GRUB.

If you really need to use BIOS interrupts, you can still use VM86 to achieve that.

see that GRUB is not a fasm code.

the more evident rule of this contest is:
only code compilable with fasm can be used.

then, you are free to write a fasm version of grub also.


does the bootsector (org7C00h) from this disk measure 128 bytes or 512bytes?
does the bios load 512 bytes or 128 bytes at bootup?

at least:

EVERYBODY is invited to participate to this contest.
everybody means EVERYBODY, no distinction, and consequently, i will then participate too.

as a first entry for generic bootloader:


org it at 7c00h, do not use the mystic org 600h that will confuse a lot of beginers, and induce problems when accessing bootloader as an object located at linear [0000:7c00h]


now our bootloader can reboot from any drive

ram oriented only, with 32 bits segmented pointers.
;first entry will be a 64kb .com code, then, devellopment on dos, with dos oriented or not code can be used.

of course, no linux, windows, or OS specific code allowed because of the dos ORG 100h compatibility.

remember, real mode code that load .com code. because bios is in real mode, boot is in real mode, every PC support real mode, every x86 compatible PC support real mode code, with VGA graphics and 32 bits registers.
bios is allowed of course, and you are invited to do your own set of hardware functions, to be bios independant, but your code SHOULD be PC compatible and FASM compilable.
then, you all see the only solution is to work on a REAL mode OS contest.
because it is the only mode that EVERYBODY can code for, and boot from.

i invite you to code in use16 fashion, but use of 32 registers allowed.
EAX, eBX, ECX, EDX, ESI, EDX, EBP, ESP, [ESI+EAX*8+23],; etc...

code optimisation from any topic in fasm can be used.

demo and applicatoins to expend the interest of your entry can be inspired from any program you know.

for exemple, pong, space invaders, tetris, mario, sonic, pacman(puckman), survivve, briks, tic tac toe,puzzle,,, as GAMES applications.

edit.com, fasm.com, partman.com, as system utilities.

the best is to load everything at bootup (with the bootloader) and play with it in RAM only.
no disk operations after this step,to be carefull!

everything must fit in the 1mega bytes of real mode ram.

then, you are very limited, and it is a good thing.
it is more easy for everybody to code something that's use only a defined amount of ram.

memory mapping:
from what i've tested, you can use real mode memory as beloww without any problem



this dos approach have a limit: use the less dos based functions in the contest.
use the less disk as possible.

the memory map above means we have 9*64kbytes to play with.
enormous if it is executable code. made with fasm from scratch.

the stack will be a full 64kb segment, it is easyer to make.
for example, ss=05000h,eSP=0, 5 like S.

the screen will be in 320*200 because i don't like the text mode ar all.
but if you want to make the system user interface in text mode, it is allowed. every validated text and graphix 256b demos should work indiferentlly.

the boot loader don't display anythoing, it will only load a .com code, like a simple hello world program, and launch it.

contest.boot:
good luck for this bootloader contest.
if contest.boot = OK, then, contest.kenrel.




never overwrite the bootloader when it is at 0020h:7c00h with non boot code.



when kernel return to boot (with a ret), the bootlader at 0020h:7C00h will reload a bootsector from the desired drive, for exemple, BIOS 80h, at 0000h:7c00h, and execute it.

Yes it loads 512 bytes like normal...
I formatted the disk with windows utility then peeked at it to see that.
This is an old floppy from an old PC, maybe thats why its not standard 512?

Also, for BIOS compatability i think we should org at 0 and far jump to 0x07C0:0x0003.

Then no matter where the BIOS starts us, we know CS=0x07C0 and IP=0x0005

I'm sorry, but my statement wasn't related to this contest, I justed wanted to clarify what's a good bootloader.

yes grub is popular.. but would not be hard to recreate in Fasm...
I started one a little while ago and is almost finished..

would install and work simular to grub ...
Though its not based on any of there code...

It's really similar? Can load ELFs, modules, gunzip everything, supports different filesystems such as FAT12, ext2 or iso9660? Cool