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OS/2, eCS & ArcaOS - Technical => Web applications => Topic started by: Martin Iturbide on January 04, 2022, 10:16:07 pm

Title: The MicroWeb DOS web browser
Post by: Martin Iturbide on January 04, 2022, 10:16:07 pm
Hi.

Today I read about this text web browser for DOS.
- https://github.com/jhhoward/MicroWeb/releases/download/v0.51/MICROWEB.EXE (https://github.com/jhhoward/MicroWeb/releases/download/v0.51/MICROWEB.EXE)

It works on DOS full screen on my ArcaOS 5.0.7 VM, but I have no network under DOS.

Can someone please give me some tip or pointer on how to set the network on VDM DOS?

Regards

 
Title: Re: The MicroWeb DOS web browser
Post by: Dave Yeo on January 04, 2022, 11:00:47 pm
Hi Martin, not sure if you can enable networking in a DOS session. The place to start is x:\TCPIP\dos\bin but might only be for WinOS2.
You could always try installing whatever network stack goes with the MicroWeb browser and hope it doesn't use long file names.
Title: Re: The MicroWeb DOS web browser
Post by: Ibrahim Hakeem on January 05, 2022, 12:02:15 am
Hi Dave, I'm sure I must be missing something here... but I thought networking works in DOS sessions out of the box, since you're able to ping from one.
Title: Re: The MicroWeb DOS web browser
Post by: Dave Yeo on January 05, 2022, 12:56:24 am
Hi Dave, I'm sure I must be missing something here... but I thought networking works in DOS sessions out of the box, since you're able to ping from one.

So you can, never tried before. Still trying the microweb browser, it complains about no network interface available so something is missing.
Title: Re: The MicroWeb DOS web browser
Post by: Roderick Klein on January 05, 2022, 01:16:12 am
Hi.

Today I read about this text web browser for DOS.
- https://github.com/jhhoward/MicroWeb/releases/download/v0.51/MICROWEB.EXE (https://github.com/jhhoward/MicroWeb/releases/download/v0.51/MICROWEB.EXE)

It works on DOS full screen on my ArcaOS 5.0.7 VM, but I have no network under DOS.

Can someone please give me some tip or pointer on how to set the network on VDM DOS?

Regards

As Ibrahim already explained TCP/IP support is working in the DOS VDM.
I think the issue is that the web browser is expecting a different interface then can be found in the DOS VDM.

https://github.com/jhhoward/MicroWeb

Network setup
MicroWeb uses Michael Brutman's mTCP networking library for the network stack. You will need a DOS packet driver relevant to your network interface. You can read more about configuring DOS networking here.

I do not know how you can get the Brutman mTCP interface to work. https://www.brutman.com/mTCP/
Very quickly reading I think its expects an Ethernet driver under DOS to talk to. But I only read this extremely quickly this link.

Roderick
Title: Re: The MicroWeb DOS web browser
Post by: Olafur Gunnlaugsson on January 05, 2022, 02:27:38 am
VDOSTCP.SYS emulates a Windows TCP/IP stack interface, MicroWeb uses a DOS TCP/IP stack (mTCP) that relies on DOS packet drivers, which are different to the Windows packet drivers, they are a bit more like early Unix an Linux packet drivers. It might be possible to configure the program to use the native stack .

It is possible to run DOS packet drivers in a DOS session if you disable the DOS/2 networking, but not recommended, FTP Software (the company) also sold a TCP/IP stack for OS/2 that had a VDD that allowed DOS sessions to use DOS packets via emulation, but alas that is impossible to get hold of these days. The Essex Systems stack also had some VDD trickery, but I cannot remember it it supported the FTPS packets specification.

You can also try the Archane browser, it used to work with Windows sockets/packets in an OS/2 DOS window, it saw some updates in the last two years.
http://www.glennmcc.org/arachne/
Title: Re: The MicroWeb DOS web browser
Post by: Dave Yeo on January 05, 2022, 06:07:54 am
Also found a port of Dillo at https://sourceforge.net/projects/fltk-dos/files/Applications/Binary%20versions%20of%20FLTK%20applications/DILLODOS-302b.zip (https://sourceforge.net/projects/fltk-dos/files/Applications/Binary%20versions%20of%20FLTK%20applications/DILLODOS-302b.zip) supports graphics and HTTPS but once again fails due to no packet driver found.
Title: Re: The MicroWeb DOS web browser
Post by: Sean Casey on January 05, 2022, 04:44:02 pm
It is possible to run DOS packet drivers in a DOS session if you disable the DOS/2 networking, but not recommended, FTP Software (the company) also sold a TCP/IP stack for OS/2 that had a VDD that allowed DOS sessions to use DOS packets via emulation, but alas that is impossible to get hold of these days. The Essex Systems stack also had some VDD trickery, but I cannot remember it it supported the FTPS packets specification.

Is it true these older OS/2 TCP/IP and NetBIOS over TCP implementations used proprietary APIs which limited their use to only the network applications/services that were distributed with these packages? 
Title: Re: The MicroWeb DOS web browser
Post by: Martin Iturbide on January 05, 2022, 07:06:14 pm
Thanks for feedback.

So, MicroWeb DOS web browser can not connect to the internet because it uses "mTCP" and those does not works on our VDM DOS sessions, and it seems there is not as easy as change a VDM DOS settings to make it work.

I will try to contact the mTCP author to see if he has some time to try OS/2 on some VM and see if he wants to support DOS VDM too.

Thanks.
Title: Re: The MicroWeb DOS web browser
Post by: Martin Iturbide on January 06, 2022, 02:01:23 am
Hi

I got this reply from Mike, the mTCP author.

Quote
I wrote mTCP to bring networking to my old computers.  Think about machines like the original IBM PC (1981), the PCjr (1983) and the PC AT.  mTCP works fine in an emulated machine, and possible even in a virtual DOS machine.  But it needs a packet driver which has direct and exclusive access to a network card.  And it provides its own TCP/IP implementation.

If you want to use the networking available in a DOS VDM the programs need to be rewritten to use those networking APIs directly.  I don't think that is a huge problem, but some quick Googling did not give me any information on what that network API even looks like.  Do you have any links on what the network API for DOS VDMs looks like?

Do you know by chance the API that the DOS VDM uses for networking?

Regards

Title: Re: The MicroWeb DOS web browser
Post by: Roderick Klein on January 06, 2022, 11:27:31 pm
Hi

I got this reply from Mike, the mTCP author.

Quote
I wrote mTCP to bring networking to my old computers.  Think about machines like the original IBM PC (1981), the PCjr (1983) and the PC AT.  mTCP works fine in an emulated machine, and possible even in a virtual DOS machine.  But it needs a packet driver which has direct and exclusive access to a network card.  And it provides its own TCP/IP implementation.

If you want to use the networking available in a DOS VDM the programs need to be rewritten to use those networking APIs directly.  I don't think that is a huge problem, but some quick Googling did not give me any information on what that network API even looks like.  Do you have any links on what the network API for DOS VDMs looks like?

Do you know by chance the API that the DOS VDM uses for networking?

Regards

Hmmm I do not know if this is even documented somewhere with some examples how to write code to acess this interface.
VDOSTCP.SYS is most likely the driver providing this interface...

https://www.betaarchive.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=32026
Mentions:
IBM TCP/IP for DOS 2.1.1 Programmer's Toolkit

The very few times I used the WIN/OS2 TCP/IP stack it crashed my system most cases. So I am not 100% certain how stable it this VDM TCP/IP support.


Roderick
Title: Re: The MicroWeb DOS web browser
Post by: Martin Iturbide on January 07, 2022, 03:33:20 pm
Hi

So, I need to  find the documentation inside the  "IBM TCP/IP for DOS 2.1.1 Programmer's Toolkit".

On the "IBM TCP/IP VERSION 2.0 FOR OS/2 (https://www.ibm.com/common/ssi/cgi-bin/ssialias?htmlfid=897/ENUS293-410&infotype=AN&subtype=CA&appname=skmwww)" announcement there are some references to something called "DOS/Windows Access Kit"

Quote
DOS/WINDOWS ACCESS KIT:  This facility allows DOS applications written to the IBM TCP/IP for DOS Version 2.1 programming interfaces, and Windows applications written to the Windows Sockets API Version 1.0 or Version 1.1 specifications to run in an OS/2 environment on top of IBM TCP/IP Version 2.0 for OS/2.  This product requires the customer to have the OS/2 Version 2.1 operating system installed.

I'm still trying to find something on a package of TCP/IP 2.0 for OS/2, but I still haven't find that documentation.

Regards
Title: Re: The MicroWeb DOS web browser
Post by: Martin Iturbide on January 07, 2022, 04:17:44 pm
Hi

Checking also this book: "gg243531 TCPIP 2.0 for OS/2 Installation and Interoperability (https://archive.org/details/gg243531/page/n255/mode/2up)", chapter 13.

I found these pages (attached), but still no API documentation.

Regards
Title: Re: The MicroWeb DOS web browser
Post by: Olafur Gunnlaugsson on January 08, 2022, 03:46:34 pm
Hi

So, I need to  find the documentation inside the  "IBM TCP/IP for DOS 2.1.1 Programmer's Toolkit".

On the "IBM TCP/IP VERSION 2.0 FOR OS/2 (https://www.ibm.com/common/ssi/cgi-bin/ssialias?htmlfid=897/ENUS293-410&infotype=AN&subtype=CA&appname=skmwww)" announcement there are some references to something called "DOS/Windows Access Kit"

Quote
DOS/WINDOWS ACCESS KIT:  This facility allows DOS applications written to the IBM TCP/IP for DOS Version 2.1 programming interfaces, and Windows applications written to the Windows Sockets API Version 1.0 or Version 1.1 specifications to run in an OS/2 environment on top of IBM TCP/IP Version 2.0 for OS/2.  This product requires the customer to have the OS/2 Version 2.1 operating system installed.

I'm still trying to find something on a package of TCP/IP 2.0 for OS/2, but I still haven't find that documentation.

Regards

The OS/2-DOS TCP/IP interface is basically WINSOCK
Title: Re: The MicroWeb DOS web browser
Post by: Olafur Gunnlaugsson on January 08, 2022, 03:53:20 pm
It is possible to run DOS packet drivers in a DOS session if you disable the DOS/2 networking, but not recommended, FTP Software (the company) also sold a TCP/IP stack for OS/2 that had a VDD that allowed DOS sessions to use DOS packets via emulation, but alas that is impossible to get hold of these days. The Essex Systems stack also had some VDD trickery, but I cannot remember it it supported the FTPS packets specification.

Is it true these older OS/2 TCP/IP and NetBIOS over TCP implementations used proprietary APIs which limited their use to only the network applications/services that were distributed with these packages?

The stacks were mostly compatible when using the same protocols, the low level or packet interfaces on OS/2 1.x varied from provider to provider however, for OS/2 2x this matterred less since NDIS was provided as standard and most stacks just layered on top of that (NDIS was available for 1.x, but not supplied as standard, except possibly with 1.3).
Title: Re: The MicroWeb DOS web browser
Post by: Martin Iturbide on March 02, 2022, 04:43:42 am
Hi

I found this file on hobbes: https://hobbes.nmsu.edu/download/pub/os2/dev/info/tcpdos.zip
It has some LIB files, but I'm trying to find the .H files for the mTCP developer to try to make it work on OS/2 DOS VDM.

It is missing is the header files in the TCP/IP for DOS software development kit.

If someone has the those file, please let me know.

Regards

Title: Re: The MicroWeb DOS web browser
Post by: Martin Iturbide on March 02, 2022, 07:14:07 pm
Hi

Gotta hint from this file: pgmgc1.zip (https://hobbes.nmsu.edu/download/pub/os2/system/patches/pgmgc1.zip)

The readme says:
Code: [Select]
The latest CSDs for TCP/IP Version 2.0 for OS/2 are shown
  in the following table:

  +----------------------------+---------------------------+
  | KIT NAME                   | PACKAGE NAME              |
  +----------------------------+---------------------------+
  | Applications Kit           | APP20CSD.PKG              |
  +----------------------------+---------------------------+
  | Base Kit                   | TCP20CSD.PKG              |
  +----------------------------+---------------------------+
  | Domain Name Server Kit     | DNS20CSD.PKG              |
  +----------------------------+---------------------------+
  | DOS/Windows Access Kit     | DOS20CSD.PKG              |  <----
  +----------------------------+---------------------------+
  | Extended Networking Kit    | XNT20CSD.PKG              |
  +----------------------------+---------------------------+
  | Network File System Kit    | NFS20CSD.PKG              |
  +----------------------------+---------------------------+
  | OSF/Motif Kit              | MOT20CSD.PKG              |
  +----------------------------+---------------------------+
  | Programmer's Toolkit       | PGM20CSD.PKG              |
  +----------------------------+---------------------------+
  | X Window System Client Kit | XCL20CSD.PKG              |
  +----------------------------+---------------------------+
  | X Window System Server Kit | PMX20CSD.PKG              |
  +----------------------------+---------------------------+


I checked inside this ISO:  OS/2 Master 5/94 (https://ia600805.us.archive.org/view_archive.php?archive=/3/items/os2mast_594/os2mast_594.zip). It has "DOS20CSD.PKG (https://archive.org/download/os2mast_594/os2mast_594.zip/os2mast%20594%2FZIPPED%2FOS2%2FFIX%2FDOS20CSD.PKG)".

How can I upack it to see if has some .h files for the DOS TCP/IP I'm looking for?

Regards
Title: Re: The MicroWeb DOS web browser
Post by: Tom on March 02, 2022, 07:21:21 pm
Hi

Gotta hint from this file: pgmgc1.zip (https://hobbes.nmsu.edu/download/pub/os2/system/patches/pgmgc1.zip)

The readme says:
Code: [Select]
The latest CSDs for TCP/IP Version 2.0 for OS/2 are shown
  in the following table:

  +----------------------------+---------------------------+
  | KIT NAME                   | PACKAGE NAME              |
  +----------------------------+---------------------------+
  | Applications Kit           | APP20CSD.PKG              |
  +----------------------------+---------------------------+
  | Base Kit                   | TCP20CSD.PKG              |
  +----------------------------+---------------------------+
  | Domain Name Server Kit     | DNS20CSD.PKG              |
  +----------------------------+---------------------------+
  | DOS/Windows Access Kit     | DOS20CSD.PKG              |  <----
  +----------------------------+---------------------------+
  | Extended Networking Kit    | XNT20CSD.PKG              |
  +----------------------------+---------------------------+
  | Network File System Kit    | NFS20CSD.PKG              |
  +----------------------------+---------------------------+
  | OSF/Motif Kit              | MOT20CSD.PKG              |
  +----------------------------+---------------------------+
  | Programmer's Toolkit       | PGM20CSD.PKG              |
  +----------------------------+---------------------------+
  | X Window System Client Kit | XCL20CSD.PKG              |
  +----------------------------+---------------------------+
  | X Window System Server Kit | PMX20CSD.PKG              |
  +----------------------------+---------------------------+


I checked inside this ISO:  OS/2 Master 5/94 (https://ia600805.us.archive.org/view_archive.php?archive=/3/items/os2mast_594/os2mast_594.zip). It has "DOS20CSD.PKG (https://archive.org/download/os2mast_594/os2mast_594.zip/os2mast%20594%2FZIPPED%2FOS2%2FFIX%2FDOS20CSD.PKG)".

How can I upack it to see if has some .h files for the DOS TCP/IP I'm looking for?

Regards

DOS20CSD.PKG is a textfile, with the following contents:

Code: [Select]
**********************  IBM Internal Use Only  *************************
* :nick.DOS20CSD   :sec.IBM Internal Use Only         :disk.OS2CSD
* :title.CSD UN50383, DBOX Kit TCP/IP 2.0 for OS.2
* :version.2.0     :date.94/01/06   :CSD.PTF UN50383  :support.
* :oname.TCP/IP Development         :onode.RALVM12    :ouser.OS2TCPIP
* :aname.John Gunther               :anode.RALVM12    :auser.OS2TCPIP
* :ops.OS/2 2.0+
* :doc.DOSCSD.DOC
* :abs.Fixes for the DBOX Kit for TCP/IP 2.0.  The
* diskette image files are in PKZIP self-extracting format.  The files
* contained in this package can be distributed to IBM customers who
* are licensed owners of TCP/IP 2.0 DBOX Kit.
***********************************************************************+
*
      DBOX20C1  EXEBIN   *
*
*  Download then execute "DBOX20C1 -d" to a diskette.
*  You Must use the -d option when creating the diskette.
*  This will put the following files on the diskette:
*             DOSCSD.DOC
*             DBOXC1.ZIP
*             DBOXXT.EXE
*             TCPINST.EXE
*             TCPINST.HLP
*             TCPINST2.EXE
*             DEFAULT.RSP
*             UNZIP.DLL
*               \lanlk\      (4 files)
*
*  Insert diskette one and enter TCPINST to install the CSD.
***********************************************************************
Title: Re: The MicroWeb DOS web browser
Post by: Martin Iturbide on March 02, 2022, 08:13:10 pm
Thanks Tom

I think it was a mislead. Seems that those files (DBOX20C1.EXE and DBOXC1.ZIP) does not has the .h files of the IBM DOS TCP/IP Toolkit I'm looking for.

I need to keep looking for those.

Regards
Title: Re: The MicroWeb DOS web browser
Post by: Martin Iturbide on July 08, 2022, 09:09:37 pm
Hi

I wanted to give it one more try to see if I can find some things the author of mTCP asked me, so it can turn mTCP also DOS VDM compatible.

I sent him the "TCP/IP ver 2.1 for OS/2's DOS BOX: Programmer's Reference (1998-06-03) (https://hobbes.nmsu.edu/download/pub/os2/dev/tools/toolkits/TCPIP_DOS_Libs_2-1.zip)" that we found on hobbes and he answer me:

He asked me last time:
Quote
The short story is that it looks like almost everything that somebody needs to write a TCP/IP porgram in DOS that runs under OS/2 is there:

    Documentation
    Static libraries to link against for small, medium and large memory models

What is missing is the header files in the TCP/IP for DOS software development kit. If you find that piece of software, the rest is fairly easy.  (A quick search shows that it's not going to be obvious, but maybe somebody squirreled it away?)

Any help on finding the header files for TCP/IP for DOS SDK will be awesome.

Regards
Title: Re: The MicroWeb DOS web browser
Post by: Dave Yeo on July 09, 2022, 02:07:24 am
Wonder about the 1.x versions of TCPIP, https://winworldpc.com/product/ibm-tcp-ip-for-os-2/1x (https://winworldpc.com/product/ibm-tcp-ip-for-os-2/1x), I'm not set up for the disk images.
Title: Re: The MicroWeb DOS web browser
Post by: Martin Iturbide on July 09, 2022, 04:29:32 am
Hi Dave.

Thanks for the pointer. I wonder if there is a way to know the names of the .h files that I'm looking for.

I got "IBM TCP-IP 1.2.1 for OS2 (3.5)" and it has some .h files on disk #3. It has db.h, font.h, kbd.h, msgs.h, nameser.h, ns.h, nstat.h and tmp.h. But I'm not sure if those are for DOS or just for OS/2. Also, I guess the installer does something to those files, since are not txt files.

Regards
Title: Re: The MicroWeb DOS web browser
Post by: Martin Iturbide on July 09, 2022, 04:58:42 am
Hi

I also found this documentation on the internet.

Quote
IBM's TCP/IP stack For DOS can be found in the QIWSTOOLS folder on the
AS/400. What's actually there are diskette images. You need to use the
LOADDSKF.EXE program on these files: S1.DSK, D1.DSK and D2.DSK to load the
images onto diskette, then run the INSTALL program from the S1 disk.

Here's the TCPIP.DOC file from the QIWSTOOLS folder:

The QIWSTOOL folder contains the install diskettes for the
IBM TCP/IP Version 2.1.1 for DOS

Maybe if I can find some old AS/400 client access tool. Not sure yet.

Regards
Title: Re: The MicroWeb DOS web browser
Post by: Martin Iturbide on July 09, 2022, 05:33:26 am
Hi

I think I found something at:
http://greyghost.mooo.com/pccBBS/tcpip/tcpv21cp.exe (http://greyghost.mooo.com/pccBBS/tcpip/tcpv21cp.exe)

tcpv21cp.exe TCP/IP v 2.1 Programmer's toolkit CSD
    (1054355 bytes, 10-21-93)

I'm checking how to unscrable the .H_# files. Suggestions?

- Source (http://web.archive.org/web/19961219072341/http://www.pc.ibm.com/cgi-bin/listftp?sorttype=date&dir=29)
- Files (http://greyghost.mooo.com/pccBBS/tcpip/)

Regards
Title: Re: The MicroWeb DOS web browser
Post by: Alfredo Fernández Díaz on July 09, 2022, 03:21:28 pm
[...]tcpv21cp.exe TCP/IP v 2.1 Programmer's toolkit CSD
    (1054355 bytes, 10-21-93)

I'm checking how to unscrable the .H_# files. Suggestions?

Having a look at the TCPCSD.BAT inside tcpv21cp.exe, you'll find that it wants to process them using something called "decomp.exe", located in %ETC%\..\BIN (?:\TCPIP\BIN, one would guess). That is not present on MCP2/AOS systems, so I would guess it is yet another relic, er... custom [un]packer from the TCPIP 2.1 days, presumably to be found on ancient enough systems.
Title: Re: The MicroWeb DOS web browser
Post by: Martin Iturbide on July 10, 2022, 01:46:03 am
Hi

I found decomp.exe 3.0 on a PCOM package, but it gives me some issues trying to decomp the files.

Quote
[C:\pcomos2]decomp c:\desktop\1\types.h_# c:\desktop\1\types.h
Message file not found.
Message file not found.
Message file not found.
Message file not found.
Message file not found.
Message file not found.
Message file not found.
Message file not found.
At the end types.h turns out as an empty text file.

Regards
Title: Re: The MicroWeb DOS web browser
Post by: Dave Yeo on July 10, 2022, 01:51:18 am
I found the same, it is the wrong decomp.exe. Since it is a bat file that calls it, it must be a DOS program.
Title: Re: The MicroWeb DOS web browser
Post by: Martin Iturbide on July 10, 2022, 04:56:37 am
No luck yet with this ones.
Title: Re: The MicroWeb DOS web browser
Post by: Dave Yeo on July 10, 2022, 05:57:23 am
Yea, I hunted around a bit, seems to be a few decomp.exe programs out there but none the correct one. Even Googling the file signature came up empty. File just says data and it is pretty good at figuring out file types.
It seems the correct decomp.exe came with the original DOS tcpip package and the one we're looking at is a fixpak.
Title: Re: The MicroWeb DOS web browser
Post by: SoundChaser on December 20, 2022, 09:08:39 pm
I' ve been hunting this SDK for a while and I'm happy to report that I've managed to install the long-forgotten TCPDOS 2.1.2 + Base CSP + Prog CSP. Oh yes indeed.

Installing the Prog CSP required some tinkering with the provided batch file - as elaborated this thing is, it failed to install the Prog CSP when I tried it. And kept failing for sufficiently iterations that I got annoyed and debugged the damn file.

The recipe:

1. On the installation media of IBM OS/2 LAN Server 4.0 Advanced from 1994, look for a TCPDOS folder. There's a BASE folder from where you can do a network install (faster than the tedious floppy image fun). Install the thing to a TCPDOS folder. Lo' and behol' - decomp.exe in under \bin.

2. Download the CSP files and install Base 1 and 2, then.... toy around with the prog csd. I _think_ the failing part was the few lines where it tries to create the folders. Somehow they were not created and decomp failed to extract.

I've attached the extracted files from the prog CSD and the precious decomp.exe for your pleasure.

I'm really looking forward to see if he (mTCP author) can make his sockets library talk to VDOSTCP through those libraries! I'll gladly assist!


Title: Re: The MicroWeb DOS web browser
Post by: Martin Iturbide on December 21, 2022, 12:40:29 am
I'm really looking forward to see if he (mTCP author) can make his sockets library talk to VDOSTCP through those libraries! I'll gladly assist!
Thanks a lot. I'm just wrote the mTCP author so he can check the file.
I will let you know what he replies.

Regards
Title: Re: The MicroWeb DOS web browser
Post by: mbbrutman on January 09, 2023, 04:03:09 am
Hi - I'm the author of the mTCP DOS programs that Martin has been conversing with.

I was an early OS/2 user.  I started with version 2.11 on a 486-66 machine and migrated to Warp when it became available.  I used it for programming and getting connected to the Internet on a SLIP connection.  And of course it ran all of my old DOS software too.  I gave up around fixpack 26 or 36 though; by then Windows 98 was tolerable and I had Linux for more technical work.

I see the excitement here about Microweb, and about being able to run new software in general.

mTCP very much assumes a single-tasking DOS environment with control over the hardware.  It assumes that it is talking to a "packet driver", which is a device driver for an Ethernet card with a specific API.  As long as the packet driver has the API it doesn't matter what the actual hardware is.  This allows one to use a variety of Ethernet cards, and even non-Ethernet devices such as SLIP over a serial port or Token Ring.  (As long as the packet driver can make it look like an Ethernet card, it doesn't matter.)

The packet driver in turn wants to talk to the hardware directly.  It expects to just be able to start touching memory addresses and I/O ports for the Ethernet card, like any DOS good program would.  Obviously this presents some problems when using a real operating system with it's own networking support.

Here are some options:

For quick results option 3 (SLIP over the serial port) with a WiFi modem or RaspPi doing the routing works.  Longer term, option four is the best option.  OS/2 is a wonderful operating system with real threading, an event manager for GUI work, a full networking stack, etc.  Only native programs can take advantage of that.

I'm here to provide encouragement and technical help.  I haven't run OS/2 in years though, so even if I do get a new install in a virtual machine I'm not going to be ready to develop software for a long time.