[SD-User] Re: DOS versions discontinued

[Martin Davies G0HDB]

On 19 Apr 2004 at 12:00, sd-user-request at contesting.com wrote:

> V10.15         18 April 2004
> 
> Windows & DOS:.
>     I have completed the conversion of SDI (IOTA) and
>     SDX (Special Events and DXpeditions) to native
>     Windows programs - running in text mode rather
>     than a graphical interface. They look very like
>     DOS, but they're not. Unlike the DOS programs,
>     they run on all modern PCs and laptops under any
>     version of Windows - and with no need for memory
>     configuration tweaks. Similar Windows versions of
>     SDV, SDU, SDC and SDR will soon follow.
> 
>     At this stage I intend to maintain and update
>     only the Windows programs.  From now on, any
>     reference to the programs by name, SD, SDX etc.
>     will refer to the Windows versions.  The DOS
>     versions are now legacy programs, and will be
>     distinguished by the /DOS suffix. For the moment,
>     I'll keep V10.15 of SD/DOS, SDC/DOS and SDV/DOS
>     on the website - but they will not be updated.
> 
>     SDL/DOS and SDI/DOS are now discontinued.
 
Nooooo, please don't do this, Paul!!

I'm sure I'm not the only one who would prefer to see the SD family available 
as DOS programs capable of running on virtually any type of PC rather than 
needing Windoze of one flavour or another, with all its shortcomings for real-
time applications.  

I have nothing against Windows for office-type applications; by and large 
such programs (Word, Excel etc) work well, but for more specialised apps 
that need deterministic, accurately-timed processing (eg keying a serial or 
parallel port) I can't see that there's anything significant to be gained, and 
there's much to be lost, by running the application in such a bloatware 
environment.  This applies even more strongly if the app will be run in a text 
mode rather than a graphical mode - you won't be making any use of the  
Windows GUI (not that it's needed particularly - I don't need or want to use a 
mouse when entering text and tab'ing between fields) and you'll be burdening 
the software with the constraints and shortcomings that Windows imposes.

Please Paul, I urge you seriously to reconsider your intention to cease 
developing and supporting the DOS variants of your excellent programs.

Despondently yours,
-- 
Martin G0HDB