[Wine] Re: Wine on non-Unix platforms

[oiaohm]

DOSGuy First fact of the matter true win16 applications don't require virtual x86 mode at all.

Microsoft reason for removing win16 support is bogus basically.  Dos support requires virtual x86 mode not win16.

http://sites.google.com/site/x32abi/  This is a true example of bending reality.  64 bit chips in long mode running 32 bit application code.  Yes the same stunts to bend reality here can be done with 16 bit code running in protected mode as well.  So yes win64 win32 and win16 all in theory could be run in long long mode.  Currently wine is not exploiting this evil. 

dos applications need emulation v86 is emulation of an old 8086 chip. Yes wine is working on using dosbox to fill that hole.

Making wine portable to non posix is basically a dream of fools almost.  Reason is its not only X11 that is going to be trouble.

http://wiki.winehq.org/WineOnWindows  This is only people who travelled down the tip of the iceberg.  Samba and other parts are used by wine that are also suspect on non posix systems.

Arm and x86 emulations there are options to reduce pain but the problem is resources todo them.  The means to run dll code native arm and application inside x86 emulation could reduce a lot of the performance bloat issue.  Yes this would be a huge undertaking.

I am sorry DOSGuy end of days are basically coming up on people.  If a lot goes to play by Microsoft and Hardware guys only place dos stuff will work is in emulation.  So work on HX DOS Extender would mostly be a waste of resources since its never going to match what windows looks like internally.

Really wine is not that worry about windows.   Reactos.org uses a large section of wine dlls for targeted goal of a Windows Replacement.  Yes in a lot of ways working on the goal to replace windows with a clone is a simpler idea than running Wine inside windows or other non posix os designs.  Since building a windows replacement you can use the windows subsystem design where as a independent developers you cannot use the subsystem design under normal windows unless stuff is signed and you don't duplicate with existing. 

Before the Reactos developers started on reactos they did freewindows that is a long gone project that was basically a dos loader like HX DOS Extender they run into major issues to say the least.  Reason for changing over to the NT design and starting clean.  Basially working on HX extender is working on a path that is already known to lead to ruin.

DOSGuy you really need to start picking out the best games from dos and start cloning them.