Open source CLI commands

Mrs Beanbag · 23 December 2012, 13:42

Just saw the warning about not uploading "workbench disks" in the downloads section and thought, what about an Open Source workbench disk? And I was thinking about what things it would need to have on it.

So we're rewriting all the libraries as open source ASM now, but how about the CLI commands in the workbench disk C directory? We need open source versions of these as well, surely, and they should be quite easy to do. Furthermore I suspect they should make for MUCH smaller files.

I can have a go on some of these myself. I got Mr Beanbag to read a directory listing the other day, so maybe I'll start with "dir".

mark_k · 24 December 2012, 13:46

Back in the day there was ARP, the AmigaDOS Replacement Project (or AmigaDOS Resource Project). See http://aminet.net/package/misc/antiq/ARP_13 and http://aminet.net/package/dev/misc/ARP_13dev.

ARP was originally intended to replace the BCPL DOS commands of Workbench 1.x with equivalents written in C. So if you were just looking to replace the Commodore commands on boot disks you could look into using the ARP versions. Sadly ARP was never open source though. (Anyone know how to contact one of the former ARP developers? It would be interesting to get hold of the ARP source.)

At one point, some people believed that even distributing a bootable disk, made bootable with the C:Install command, was not allowed due to the tiny amount of code in the bootblock. So there were at least a couple of Install replacements which wrote slightly different code to the bootblock.

Anyway... today there are also the AROS commands which are open source. I haven't tried running any of the AROS M68K commands in AmigaDOS but they should probably work. (But only for Kickstart 2.0 or later.)

Don_Adan · 24 December 2012, 14:12

Good idea, but if you want something hardest to do, you can try to rework intuition library, or something easiest like layers library or gadtools library. I can give/send to you resourced versions, if you want.

Mrs Beanbag · 24 December 2012, 14:18

I don't want something hard or I will never bother doing it. I'm terribly unmotivated.

Actually I'd like to write a posix style "ls" command that could be used instead of "dir", the AmigaDos commands have some weird syntax. What do you do, for instance, if you want to copy some files that are actually named "to" and "from" and "ALL"? Argh.

TCD · 24 December 2012, 14:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mrs Beanbag

What do you do, for instance, if you want to copy some files that are actually named "to" and "from" and "ALL"? Argh.

Haven't checked it, but I bet a 'COPY DH0:ALL DH1:' for example will work fine.

Mrs Beanbag · 24 December 2012, 15:01

yeah that should work, it's more the possibility of doing things you don't want by accident that worries me. Generally seems a bit ambiguous.

TCD · 24 December 2012, 15:06

Don't really see the problem as 'ALL' is a switch you provide after you specify source and destination. Anyway, if you want to provide replacements wouldn't that require to support the same syntax? Aminet has quite a few alternate commands already, so maybe worth to have a look there first.

hooverphonique · 24 December 2012, 17:00

one of my all-time favorite AmigaDOS commands is 'ls' which already exists and has since the 80's.. no idea if it's open sauce or where it may be downloaded from, however..

anyway, isn't it just a matter of using the AROS version of the C commands? As far as I know, they should be compilable on AmigaDOS..

daxb · 24 December 2012, 18:10

Yes, a lot of replacements (most with advanced features) are avilable (most on Aminet) and I use some of that. Also I don`t see a problem with the syntax.

But first what do you exactly mean with "Open Source workbench disk"? Code have to be the only difference? What version?

Mrs Beanbag · 24 December 2012, 20:27

Version 5...

I suppose the real requirements are, a substitute for Workbench disks on classic, unexpanded Amigas, that aren't bound by copyright restrictions.

I don't look at Aminet as often as I ought.

TCD · 24 December 2012, 20:31

I got the impression that this is exactly what AROS 68k tries to do. Might be wrong about the project goals though, yet it surely is a starting point.

Mrs Beanbag · 24 December 2012, 21:06

At 7.9M it's not going to fit on a boot floppy... but maybe I can do something with it. I should actually try this anyway, now you mention it.

Mrs Beanbag · 24 December 2012, 21:58

I see there are some AROS Shell commands yet to do:
http://aros.sourceforge.net/introduction/status/c.php

Ed... hmm, I was thinking of writing a text editor...
Also, LoadWB, pretty essential for a workbench disk.

redblade · 10 December 2016, 09:50

Any more news on this? On the FredFish disks there were a lot of source code made available to replacements. Assign, Display, Memacs, Perfmon were provided. Also there were some ports of vi with source if you want to code a text editor

23 December 2012, 13:42	#1
Mrs Beanbag Glastonbridge Software Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Edinburgh/Scotland Posts: 2,243	Open source CLI commands Just saw the warning about not uploading "workbench disks" in the downloads section and thought, what about an Open Source workbench disk? And I was thinking about what things it would need to have on it. So we're rewriting all the libraries as open source ASM now, but how about the CLI commands in the workbench disk C directory? We need open source versions of these as well, surely, and they should be quite easy to do. Furthermore I suspect they should make for MUCH smaller files. I can have a go on some of these myself. I got Mr Beanbag to read a directory listing the other day, so maybe I'll start with "dir".

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24 December 2012, 13:46	#2
mark_k Registered User Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Posts: 3,335	Back in the day there was ARP, the AmigaDOS Replacement Project (or AmigaDOS Resource Project). See http://aminet.net/package/misc/antiq/ARP_13 and http://aminet.net/package/dev/misc/ARP_13dev. ARP was originally intended to replace the BCPL DOS commands of Workbench 1.x with equivalents written in C. So if you were just looking to replace the Commodore commands on boot disks you could look into using the ARP versions. Sadly ARP was never open source though. (Anyone know how to contact one of the former ARP developers? It would be interesting to get hold of the ARP source.) At one point, some people believed that even distributing a bootable disk, made bootable with the C:Install command, was not allowed due to the tiny amount of code in the bootblock. So there were at least a couple of Install replacements which wrote slightly different code to the bootblock. Anyway... today there are also the AROS commands which are open source. I haven't tried running any of the AROS M68K commands in AmigaDOS but they should probably work. (But only for Kickstart 2.0 or later.)

24 December 2012, 14:12	#3
Don_Adan Registered User Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Warsaw/Poland Age: 55 Posts: 1,959	Good idea, but if you want something hardest to do, you can try to rework intuition library, or something easiest like layers library or gadtools library. I can give/send to you resourced versions, if you want.

24 December 2012, 14:18	#4
Mrs Beanbag Glastonbridge Software Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Edinburgh/Scotland Posts: 2,243	I don't want something hard or I will never bother doing it. I'm terribly unmotivated. Actually I'd like to write a posix style "ls" command that could be used instead of "dir", the AmigaDos commands have some weird syntax. What do you do, for instance, if you want to copy some files that are actually named "to" and "from" and "ALL"? Argh.

24 December 2012, 15:01	#6
Mrs Beanbag Glastonbridge Software Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Edinburgh/Scotland Posts: 2,243	yeah that should work, it's more the possibility of doing things you don't want by accident that worries me. Generally seems a bit ambiguous.

24 December 2012, 15:06	#7
TCD HOL/FTP busy bee Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Germany Age: 46 Posts: 31,522	Don't really see the problem as 'ALL' is a switch you provide after you specify source and destination. Anyway, if you want to provide replacements wouldn't that require to support the same syntax? Aminet has quite a few alternate commands already, so maybe worth to have a look there first.

24 December 2012, 17:00	#8
hooverphonique ex. demoscener "Bigmama" Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Fyn / Denmark Posts: 1,624	one of my all-time favorite AmigaDOS commands is 'ls' which already exists and has since the 80's.. no idea if it's open sauce or where it may be downloaded from, however.. anyway, isn't it just a matter of using the AROS version of the C commands? As far as I know, they should be compilable on AmigaDOS..

24 December 2012, 18:10	#9
daxb Registered User Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Germany Posts: 3,303	Yes, a lot of replacements (most with advanced features) are avilable (most on Aminet) and I use some of that. Also I don`t see a problem with the syntax. But first what do you exactly mean with "Open Source workbench disk"? Code have to be the only difference? What version?

24 December 2012, 20:27	#10
Mrs Beanbag Glastonbridge Software Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Edinburgh/Scotland Posts: 2,243	Version 5... I suppose the real requirements are, a substitute for Workbench disks on classic, unexpanded Amigas, that aren't bound by copyright restrictions. I don't look at Aminet as often as I ought.

24 December 2012, 20:31	#11
TCD HOL/FTP busy bee Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Germany Age: 46 Posts: 31,522	I got the impression that this is exactly what AROS 68k tries to do. Might be wrong about the project goals though, yet it surely is a starting point.

24 December 2012, 21:06	#12
Mrs Beanbag Glastonbridge Software Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Edinburgh/Scotland Posts: 2,243	At 7.9M it's not going to fit on a boot floppy... but maybe I can do something with it. I should actually try this anyway, now you mention it.

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24 December 2012, 21:58	#13
Mrs Beanbag Glastonbridge Software Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Edinburgh/Scotland Posts: 2,243	I see there are some AROS Shell commands yet to do: http://aros.sourceforge.net/introduction/status/c.php Ed... hmm, I was thinking of writing a text editor... Also, LoadWB, pretty essential for a workbench disk.

10 December 2016, 09:50	#14
redblade Zone Friend Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Middle Earth Age: 40 Posts: 2,127	Any more news on this? On the FredFish disks there were a lot of source code made available to replacements. Assign, Display, Memacs, Perfmon were provided. Also there were some ports of vi with source if you want to code a text editor