FreeDOS version 1.0 TODO list

This is the inofficial TODO-list spin-off by Eric Auer,
please contact him directly if you have updates or reports:
eric FOO coli.uni-sb.de (type @ instead of FOO).

This list aims to be a record of items that we consider to be a minimum of features that version 1.0 of FreeDOS should have.
Appart from the items below, we list here a minimum mandatory to all utilities:

  • Compatibility of exit codes with the MS counterparts. Please report for which tools exit codes are still "wrong".
  • Usage of the kernel NLS API (int 21h/38h) to display date/time, numbers and do sorting, upcasing... according to COUNTRY settings. Please report which tools do not use COUNTRY for things except number display (which has lower priority).
  • All kind of floppies should be supported, at least 360k, 720k, 1200k and 1440k but preferrably also formats like 1680k. Please report which disk tools have still problems (already known: Kernel supports 1680k, but only after loading the shell).
  • Existing LFN information should not be trashed on media. Probably only affects disk tools (okay: fdisk, format, chkdsk, sys). Please report tools which damage Long File Names.

Beyond FreeDOS 1.0

Things which are postponed to after version 1.0:

Bug fixing - help us and test things

You can help us fix remaining FreeDOS bugs. We have collected a list of hard to test bugs.
You can help us if you have the hardware or software for one of the listed bugs:
Tell us if the bug still happens in current FreeDOS!

Per-component status on the way to FreeDOS 1.0 and beyond

Core components

Program Status List updated
KernelThe COUNTRY= setting is only partially implemented [no COUNTRY.SYS file support, kernel codepage setting ignored] (see footnote 1) 2004-7-20
Kernel [Support for other sector sizes than 512 bytes postponed to after 1.0] [Support for special floppy/tape drives with DRIVPARM (and DRIVER.SYS) postponed to after 1.0] 2004-7-20
freecom See the FreeCOM roadmap [Update: Wildcard REN is actually working] 2004-7-20

Device drivers and extensions

Program Status List updated
"ansi.sys" (NANSI.SYS)Fix bugs [Note: VESA text modes need special load options to work] [No "display info" int 2f.1a support yet] (see footnote 4)2004-7-20
append Ready2004-5-20
assign Ready2004-7-20
atapicdd.sys Should use DMA transfers and error checking, for better speed and reliability2004-7-20
atapicdd.sys ASPI support missing (for SCSI and similar drives)2004-2-5
atapicdd.sys ElTorito support missing (used to access a CD after booting from it)2004-7-20
dblspaceMissing (compressed filesystem support) Would it already help to have a "compress once, then use read-only" filesystem? Let us know! [postponed to after 1.0]2004-7-20
ega.sys Ready (functionality inside CUTEMOUSE) 2003-5-26
emm386Fix bugs [Some features postponed to after 1.0]2004-7-20
graftabl Add support for other cp than 866 (Aitor now supports this through DISPLAY :-))2004-10-22
graphics Ready (for HP PCL, ESC/P, PostScript: differs from MS) [/LCD (/PRINTBOX:LCD) option to print 640x200 in "widescreen" not supported yet]2003-5-29
himemFix bugs (?) [For 286s: Use FDXMS286 instead!] [Some features postponed to after 1.0]2004-7-20
interlnk, intersvrMissing (make remote drive visible through link cable) Best solution for now: Use FileMaven (freeware) to transfer files over link cable. If you have an SSH server, use SSHDOS's SCP2DOS or SFTPDOS over internet (LAN, LAN-connected cable/DSL, modem/SLIP/PLIP with LSPPP). MS INTERLNK can be installed as disk driver on (Free)DOS client systems. INTERSVR cannot: It can only be run as full-screen, so you cannot use the host DOS computer while it is serving things. [postponed to after 1.0]2004-7-20
keyb See the KEYB roadmap 2003-6-27
"mouse" (CUTEMOUSE)Ready (syntax differs from MS's) [VESA support postponed to after 1.0] 2004-7-20
"mscdex" (SHSUCDX)The /V option (show memory usage statistics) is missing.2004-7-20
"mscdex" (SHSUCDX) There are no local sector buffers (/M=n option) [Load a tiny CDRcache instead] [Usage of EMS/XMS for buffers postponed to after 1.0]2004-7-20
nlsfunc Eduardo Casino has an experimental version, requires most recent devel kernel. Please test!2004-12-05
"power" (FDAPM)Ready [Extra high saving mode postponed to after 1.0]2003-7-11
print No /D:device option yet (specify device).2004-7-20
print No /B:bytes option yet (set buffer size).2004-7-20
print No /Q:files option yet (set queue length) [Some other features (/U:time /M:time /S:time) postponed to after 1.0]2004-7-20
print PRINTQ (which implements /T /C /P) should be merged into PRINT 2004-7-20
display.sys Not yet able to prepare more than 1 CP at a time2004-7-20
display.sys Should be a .SYS device driver [Some functions postponed to after 1.0]2004-7-20
printer.sys Which printer types should be supported? [No binary yet, source code distributed with DISPLAY] [Postponed to after 1.0]2004-7-20
"ramdrive.sys" (TDSK)Fix bugs2003-7-11
share Ready? [Not Word compatible yet!?]2004-7-20
"smartdrv" (LBACACHE and CDRCACHE) Ready [No delayed writes yet, CD-ROM and disk cache are separate, no network cache] [self-loadhigh, configurable read-ahead and configurable element size postponed to after 1.0]2004-7-20

Disk utilities

Program Status List updated
chkdsk Ready [no 1680k support yet] [use DOSFSCK for FAT32 drives]2004-7-20
cvtMissing (conversion tool: FAT16 to FAT32) Try the MS tool itself (ZDNet calls it freeware)... [postponed to after 1.0]2004-7-20
defragFix bugs [no 1680k support yet]2004-6-9
diskcomp Ready (only for floppy) [/1 option to compare only 1 side is ignored]2003-6-27
diskcopy Fix bugs (supports disk images and floppy)2004-7-2
fdisk Fix bugs2004-6-29
format Ready (and supports 1680k) [/C option, re-scan known bad sectors, postponed to after 1.0] (see footnote 2)2004-2-8
label Ready2003-6-4
mirror Only supports FAT16 in current version [for other FAT types, use FORMAT /Z:mirror instead] (see footnote 3)2004-7-20
recover Ready 2004-2-20
scandisk Missing [postponed to after 1.0] (see footnote 5)2003-5-24
sys Fix bugs2003-5-29
unformat Ready (preferrably use the unformat function in FORMAT)2003-7-11
undelete Ready [Some features like resident delete logger and "trash can" postponed to after 1.0]2004-2-8

File utilities

Program Status List updated
attrib Ready2003-6-27
backup Missing (use Info-ZIP for now?) [Postponed to after 1.0]2004-7-20
deltree Ready2003-8-3
fc Ready2003-5-29
find Ready2003-5-26
more Ready2003-6-4
move Fix bugs 2004-8-9
replace Ready2003-5-29
restore Missing (use UNZIP for now?) [Postponed to after 1.0]2004-7-20
sort Ready2003-5-26
subst Fix bugs2004-7-2
tree Ready2003-6-4
xcopy Ready2003-5-29

UI utilities

Program Status List updated
dosshellMissing (use OpenGEM or SEAL instead, or one of the many free Norton Commander clones like FileMaven) [postponed to after 1.0]2004-7-20
dosshellMissing (in terms of "a task switcher for DOS") Please suggest a nice free task switcher. [postponed to after 1.0]2004-7-20
edit Fix bugs (two variants: 0.7a and 0.82)2004-11-2
help Ready (viewer and HTML files, help welcome for improvements)2004-7-20
install Fix bugs [SELECT mode to create "localized" boot floppy postponed to after 1.0]2004-7-20
"msd" (COMPINFO) Ready (user interface differs from MS's)2004-7-20

Miscellaneous utilities

Program Status List updated
chkstate, memmaker Missing (auto-optimize your configuration in terms or memory usage) To optimize memory usage, load HIMEM and EMM386, use FreeCOM/XMS-swap, DOSDATA=UMB, DOS=HIGH,UMB and load drivers high (unless that breaks them! Take care with disk and network drivers...) [postponed autoconfiguration to after 1.0]2004-7-20
choice Ready 2003-8-3
debug Ready2003-10-29
edlinReady2004-4-20
exe2bin Ready2003-9-6
fasthelp Ready2003-8-3
mem Admit long options (e.g. /PAGE for /P)2004-3-14
mem Rename /F => /D[EBUG]; inline list of device drivers; identify source in CONFIG.SYS (see bug 1467)*2004-3-14
mem add /F[REE]: shows free blocks in both in transient memory area and upper memory area (see bug 1467)*2003-8-3
mem add /M[ODULE] modulename: shows information about the given filename (see bug 1467)*2003-8-3
modeReady (supports UPX-compressed and normal CPI files) [Support for compressed DR-FONTs postponed to after 1.0]2004-4-20
msav Missing (use ClamAV ClamScan for now?) [Postponed to after 1.0]2004-7-20
setver Missing, but VERSION=x.yy in CONFIG.SYS and the CALLVER tool will solve most version problems. [Full SETVER clone postponed to after 1.0]2004-7-20
vsafe Missing (FDSHIELD is incomplete, use ClamAV and an md5sum tool for the rest!?) [Postponed to after 1.0]2004-7-20

Footnotes:

  1. COUNTRY= there is already some basic support in kernel, e.g. for "COUNTRY=049". Please read the documentation. The DEVEL kernels on fdos.org already support the experimental NLSFUNC by Eduardo Casino, though.
  2. FORMAT /C option is not supported yet but you can use /U option to force scanning and wiping of the whole partition.
    Or better: Use "CHKDSK /R" (surface scan).
  3. MIRROR only supports some FAT types.
    You can use "FORMAT /Z:mirror" and "FORMAT /Z:unformat" for all FAT types instead.
  4. NANSI /R option is not needed, NANSI already uses screen reader compatible scrolling.
    However, there are /R and /B flags to force usage of BIOS even for text display and beeping - might improve compatibility with multitaskers.
  5. SCANDISK: apparently not very difficult to write - use code from CHKDSK, DOSFSCK or RECOVER, for example with DJGPP 32bit C compiler.

Colors:

missing completely buggy or not full-featured postponed to after 1.0 completely ready