From: Crys Rides <crys@cave.tcp.COM>
Date: Mon, 22 Feb 93 03:52:21 PST
To: Eli Brandt <ebrandt@jarthur.Claremont.EDU>
Subject: msdos perl
In-Reply-To: <9302220342.AA07039@toad.com>
Message-ID: <9302221150.AA00474@ucunix.san.uc.edu>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


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>>>>> On Sun, 21 Feb 93 19:41:06 PST, Eli Brandt <ebrandt@jarthur.Claremont.EDU> said:

> Slight complaint:  The only available port of perl to DOS is 386 or
> higher only,

Eli> The perl419x.zip in simtel:msdos/perl doesn't even use the 386.
Eli> However, those without 386 + memory manager may have a bit of
Eli> a hard time with memory.  I don't know about the perl4019.zip in
Eli> the same directory; I snarfed it to check, but it has no docs (and
Eli> I don't care to disassemble for 386 code!)

The executeable in the file you refer to can also be ftp'd from
tandem.com, it's source site, in the directory /pub/perl. To quote
the README file for that directory:

Last updated: Saturday, February 1, 1992
Latest bcdos version of Perl: 1.4

This is a port of Perl 4.019 to MS-DOS using Borland C++ V3.0.  It will
NOT compile with versions of BC++ prior to 3.0.

The port is complete given the functionality of DOS versus UNIX.  Support
will be added in the future for ndbm() routines using GNU-ndbm (when I
get around to it !).

The port makes use of Borland's VROOM technology and pretty much *requires*
access to extended memory.  There is approx. 300+ Kbytes of memory available
          ^^^^^^^^
for Perl scripts.  The amount of memory available can be checked using
two user subroutines added via Larry Wall's usersub.c hook.

	&heapfree()	- returns size of far heap in bytes
	&stkfree()	- returns size of free stack

The port also makes use of xspawn() (available from Simtel or Wuarchive
if you look hard enough) and will swap itself to either extended memory
or disk when Perl invokes the system() call.  This leaves about 605 Kbytes
of memory available for DOS apps on my 386 machine running DOS 5.0.

I've run this port of Perl against all the test cases supplied in the
normal Perl release.  They all work except those that call perl again
(not enough memory !) or have specific UNIX dependencies (that dont work
on DOS - too bad !).

This version of Perl has been tested on both 286 and 386 machines with
and without extended memory.  If you find problems on a specific machine
I would like to hear about them but don't necessarily commit to fix them.
As per the Artistic and GNU licenses, you get what you paid for and your 
on your own !


There are three files herein:

	bcv14_perl4-019.zip

		Contains all the source files.
		There are only one or two files that have changed from
		the standard 4.019 release (nice job lwall on portable
		code !).

	bcv14_perl4-019E.zip

		Contains the executeable for perl PERL.EXE and all the
		library files for perl.  If you don't intend to re-build
		PERL, then THIS IS THE FILE FOR YOU !

	xspawn34.zip

		This file contains the xspawn routine used by bcdos_Perl
		to swap out to extended memory or disk when running
		child processes.  It is identical to the the one that can
		be found on simtel or wuarchive.

Nota bene re extended memory;

This port attempts to reserve 128K bytes of extended memory for the
VROOM arena.  A 64K arena ran like a DOG so this is about the optimum 
size of memory versus speed.


Happy hacking !
Stuart G. Phillips N6TTO/G8HQA/DA4BM/OZ... (you get the idea)
[stu@tandem.com]

I've not encountered a non 286/386/486 with extended memory, which
this file says it requires.  Plus there is no testing on machines
other than those.  I've attempted to run this on an antiquated
8088.  It simply executes and drops back to the command line
without action.  Much as I feel perl would be an easy and useful way
to code this up, I don't feel it's a tool with the broadest reach
at this time for DOS.  Sorry.

> CrysRides

Eli>    Eli   ebrandt@jarthur.claremont.edu

CrysRides
again

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