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Messages - rwklein

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76
Applications / Re: Is GenMAC Open Source?
« on: 2010.02.09, 19:50:29 »
Yes I talked to Martin on Skype. I will put it like this. Getting everything on eCS open source (to replace for example the PMSHELL or OS2KRNL) is something that will not happen anytime soon.

We as Mensys would love to have source code since fixing things would be a lot easier, but thats not going to happen.
What is possible it replace components like what has happened with Samba to run next to IBM peer client.

We have human resources to develop drivers and applications. But such a large scale project as rewriting the IBM DDK is not on our priority. For the simple reason a lot of device drivers need to written/updated. And lot of these needs we are addressing.

To find human resources to rewrite the DDK, there not there. If anybody wants to volenteer let me know.
This would be one of the big steps so Mensys could fully open source stuff like ACPI and other drivers we have.
Because of lot of stuff depends on the DDK.

For the next 5 to 10 years we except that x86  CPU support will remain in the CPU. That long we can keep OS/2 running natively (eComStation) and there are lot of options. After that we can use a mini kind of hardware layer with a virtual machine. If there is not an option.



Roderick Klein
Mensys

77
Applications / Re: Is GenMAC Open Source?
« on: 2010.02.07, 18:37:54 »
We will certainly look what can be open sourced and what not. For example as it turns out Mesa spreedsheets is not owned by Sundial Systems but it was previously owned by Athena cooperation. We will certainly open source what we can open source. Portions of the Flash updates should be flowing back into the public ODIN repository, need to check. Lack of time to run after that. Also the source code of the OS/2 Open Office port is in the SUN SVN repository.

From what I remeber from Randell Flint (having talked to him on the phone before he died) there database application DBexpert has een owned by so many people (companies) its most likely not even possible.

About the DDK the human resources are to limited to rewrite the DDK. If I need to choose between fixing USB drivers and updating the DDK so it can be done, the choose is made quickly.  The USB stack needs updating and make your pick what to spend the human resources on. The current USB is running to its edge of what it can deliver.

We don't see eCS as a open source project as bad. But the fact is when I look at the community work I have done over the last 10 years for me one thing is clear. I would love to get help building this strategy for an open source eCS strategy. I have had many discussions with many people over the years. But I don't need strategies right now. What I need are people that can help coding projects and do research. Then I can talk about strategies.

In that retrospect the community seems good and playing railway engineers making plans. But to few people willing to help out to build the railwayline self. Thats people that put dig the ground, put the sleepers on the soil and mount the track. (In this case people that simply write code) Thats what the community needs and thats where I spent my time on to get people to work on stuff. I disclosed a list of items in my presentation to work on past eCS 2.0. So your offer to build a strategy is welcome. But I also need more people to execute this strategy.

I hope to finally tomorrow finish my write up for OS/2 VOICE as finally a new newsletter can go out the door.
That will partly hook into this discussion

Roderick Klein
Mensys

78
Applications / Re: Is GenMAC Open Source?
« on: 2010.02.07, 15:56:48 »
In some occasions its not possible to release certain source code. The reason for this is because some code comes from the DDK. Right now I'm already happy that people are working to update the current source code.
Next to that Timur Tabi, about 7 years ago, did everything he could to get the IBM DDK under an open source license. The orginal IBM DDK license prohibits this. This is why Daniela only a few years ago open source here driver because she had rewritten and removed all the IBM code This rewriting takes time. So the DDK is a difficult one.
So the USB stack updates can't be released as GPL code.

On the topic of Gpfrexx I need to get back to that after the release of eCS 2.0 and check if the code can be released, based on what the developer we agreed with. Because just like with the some of the Sundial Applications it all depends if the original authors will allow open sourcing the code. Or if they also have previous agreements with other vendors.  It could very well happen that, depending on all the contracts Sundial Systems has signed in the paste we can not even get to see the source code of certain apps... But it needs to be looked on case by case basis when it comes to Sundial Systems.

As far as I can recall ACPI also has portions of the DDK included. Especially the Panorama driver is based on DDK code. So same limitations apply. Rewriting all the code is a lot of work.

So we already use open source stuff where possible. But it comes to making a balance between getting something done, as a new USB stack. The DDK approach is taken. And the open source code stuff just has to be pushed to the background in some cases. As in this case rewritten the DDK with our code is to much work.

Don't count it on that quickly Martin that if source code is around people will start to work on stuff. Just look on Uniaud (sadly it grinded to a halt), ODIN (4 years nothing was done it) and Xworkplace (most  updates done for eCS). Most of the work done on that code gets done because its somehow eCS related this code.

So yes Mensys already has a open source approach where possible. But the resources are not there to make everything open source. Because a lot of source code needs to rewritten.

Roderick Klein
Mensys

79
Applications / Re: Is GenMAC Open Source?
« on: 2010.02.05, 13:17:31 »
Hello Sigurd.

Java is being worked. Not coding but there are some more developments taking place. I can't say anything.

Flash is being worked on. Its the last 10 to 15% or so to get it to stable product. Then we can stay in sync with Flash.

For network chipsets 3 part strategy
A) As Doug Bisset is doing unsupported mode.
B) See what can be done with some good technicall stuff on the table
C) I'm in touch with 1 developer see if he can do something here.

Panorama is what is it. I have explained this a lot of times that Scitech had a lot of problems getting chipset information. Thats why we have choosen the VESA route. Its not to say that Panorama can not be enhanced. But when you use the VESA interface it does give limiattions. There should still be room for speed improvement.

When it comes to ACPI Pasha has released a version of ACPI that enables APIC support from the moment the PSD load. Just a foodnote that ACPI on Linux also needed years to mature as about 2 to 3 years ago it was a nightmare as well. So from that point of view we are playing catchup. We have a lot of problems with this APIC mode.

Bigger HDD is also on the agenda and I'm contact with somebody on this topic.

I expect to see some new drivers popup in public for USB support based on the DDK code from IBM.
UMTS is not on radar screen right now and IP6 not as well. Its not going to be realy required as there are going to be truck loads of methods to support IP 4 clients. Because the world is still running IP 4 as wel speak.
4 GB of ram, more the kernel can not support. But it should also not blew up on it.

Roderick

80
Applications / Re: Is GenMAC Open Source?
« on: 2010.02.05, 10:28:47 »
I share your vision on open source. Hence the fact that Mensys purchased the source code of Gpf REXX and as times permits is looking to see what is possible to get access to the Sundial applications. In some occasions its not possible to release the source code of an application. We are busy updating the DDK code for USB stack for example.

The strategy is to replace as much components as possible, for example Samba. The kernel is a different story at this moment we don't have a replacement. So I agree with open source. But it seems Willibald does not want to open source, but lets wait and see. In the mean time I'm looking for different strategies asap.


Roderick

81
Applications / Re: Is GenMAC Open Source?
« on: 2010.02.04, 23:40:18 »
Let me phrase my answer differently. Its not always needed to have source code. While its certainly the most preferred way to work.

We are selling eCS to 2 companies that have an OS/2 application. This appliation is used on a lot of systems.
The driver that is used with this application looks for a interface card on a hard coded address bus number
One of our people has created a REXX script to patch the driver. So it does work.
This was done doign a disassembly of the driver. Please note this is different point of view of distributing patches kernels. As in this case the customer is aware of this sollution and using it.

And in the ODIn repository there should be the source code for the WIN32K.SYS driver that Knut made.
This hooks into the OS2 kernel in memory. It patches it in memory. It patches the loader that is inside the OS2KRNL.

ACPI also patches the kernel to make SMP work in suspend an resume mode. Also it patches the OEMHLP services in memory.

All done without kernel source code. Thats the whole point if source code is not around lets see what other sollutions there are. If you can't get source code, grab the kernel debugger grab some sym files and see you in hacking wallaha :-)

As for Genmac I would prefer to have the source code. But to mention that the driver is dead. I would like to have more hard facts on the table then just the statement the product is dead. Again having source code would be ideal! However that is not the case right now. Then lets see

A) What can be done right now. And Doug Bisset deserves a round of applaus to collect NIC's that work in unsupported mode with Genmac.

B) What prevents other NIC driver from working with Genmac. Maybe an additional driver next to Genmac could be written. I have no clue... Especialy this last thing might be impossible.
I want to know more what makes Genmac not work spefically. Lets see how we can help our selves. I don't have time but has anybody every loaded Genmac in unsupported mode on a machine which a NIC driver does not work ? You can enable full debug in MPTS.

I understood some newer NIC drivers make unsupported calls. Well lets find out what does calls are.


Roderick Klein
Mensys

82
Applications / Re: Java Update
« on: 2010.02.04, 18:20:41 »
Yes Mensys is looking into developing a new version of Java and we are talking to different parties.
Right now however not much has moved forward. Its looking what technology is the best route.
However could you contact me and tell me more about your company ?
rwklein@mensys.nl

Thanks,

Roderick Klein
Mensys

83
Applications / Re: Is GenMAC Open Source?
« on: 2010.02.04, 16:19:34 »
I belive that GenMAC will be dead if it is not turned open source. If you don't have a change to update the code and keep improving it it is just more abandoware to add to the list.

On the other side, if someone else tell me that had the full source code and can work on that to legally create newer versions, that will be a light at the end of the tunnel.

Its something the OS/2 community must realy start to understand. And that is that not in all cases not having source code means a product has to be dead. Look at ACPI. I demonstrated ACPI on my Thinkpad T60 in SMP mode doing full suspend resume from S3 sleepstate! Maybe an additional driver can be written to the current Genmac driver. I don't know!

Roderick Klein
Mensys

84
Applications / Re: Is GenMAC Open Source?
« on: 2010.02.04, 15:14:07 »
Genmac is not a dead end in that perspective. We can run in unsupported mode. So far we can run 12 NIC's thank to the work of Doug. After 2.0 Steve Levine and I could look what could be done to Genmac to make it work better. No promise here. We also have some touch with developers that can make native drivers (that is OS/2 NDIS drivers).
Take a look at OS2warp.be and the GOMI NDIS drivers. I'm BTW in touch with this developer.

Roderick Klein
Mensys

85
Applications / Re: Is GenMAC Open Source?
« on: 2010.02.01, 16:44:38 »
Check some of the threads here:
http://news.gmane.org/gmane.org.netlabs.genmac.user

Roderick Klein

86
Applications / Re: DOS app on JFS, HPFS and FAT
« on: 2010.01.22, 23:50:54 »
This could very well be the problem that got fixed yesterday. Take a look at this ticket:
http://bugs.ecomstation.nl/view.php?id=2077

I worked yesterday on this with our kernel expert to fix this. This JFS build has not been released to the public yet!
But now that this same DOS game runs from JFS it also comes with a file open error (at least not a kernel trap!). Maybe the same as your bug ? Don't know.

Open a bug in the eCS bugtracker.

Roderick Klein
Mensys

87
I know Adrian Gschwend from Netlabs try to get the source code for the Innotek runtime before SUN bought Innotek.
So no joy...

Roderick Klein
Mensys

88
Article Discussions / Re: OpenSNAP geplant/OpenSNAP planned
« on: 2009.12.18, 00:38:56 »
Why would the GRADD stuff have to be removed? Isn't it available in the DDK and other documentation?

Here is the exact thing! Not everything of GRADD is in de the DDK. I know from the guys at Scitech that they did not have access to the GRADD stuff other then in the DDK. For fixes to GRADD they have to count on IBM.
That is not to say it can't fixed/updated. GRADD.SYS for Panorama was partly updated by the eCS development team :-)

Roderick Klein
Mensys

89
Applications / Re: danis506
« on: 2009.12.12, 22:00:38 »
Mensys is working in the background to update the driver. Right now no new updates since we are busy but its being worked on. And yes the source code of Daniela here driver is in SVN at Netlabs.

A lot of people say nobody can work on the driver because Daniela did it always. I don't speak for Daniela at all.
But I would not be surprised if some people would have helped out more (that is with coding).
She might have found it more enjoyable even todo.
So far I know 2 people of 3 people that have compiled the driver next to Daniela here self.

Buts its rare to say a lot of people have done mainaance on the driver.

But other people can work on the driver :-)

Roderick Klein
Mensys
Mensys

90
Applications / Re: Open Office
« on: 2009.12.12, 21:57:26 »
Some people wonder why you need to pay for the port to eComStation. I just want to tell this publicly again.

Mensys has considered making the binaries available free of charge and seeing if people from the community could work on the OOO builds for OS/2. Looking at the level of skillset required to build and maintain the ports (and how much time it takes) our developer is paid for it.

BTW the source code for the OS/2 version is in the SVN of SUN, so you can check out the current sources.

Roderick Klein
Mensys

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