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From: matt@prism.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.micro.pc
Subject: Re: Changing the dumb '\' to '/'...
Message-ID: <7700007@prism.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 19-Jun-85 17:04:00 EDT
Article-I.D.: prism.7700007
Posted: Wed Jun 19 17:04:00 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 25-Jun-85 08:16:02 EDT
References: <229@timeinc.UUCP>
Lines: 38
Nf-ID: #R:timeinc:-22900:prism:7700007:000:1781
Nf-From: prism!matt    Jun 19 17:04:00 1985


/**** prism:net.micro.pc / ukc!rde / 10:32 am  Jun 22, 1985 ****/

One  thing  you might try on DOS 3.x is to change the SWITCHAR using the
system call (I too am not certain that it exists, though), then invoke a
second copy of COMMAND. This should read the revised value and  get  the
desired effect (at a small loss in available memory).

/* ---------- */

This DOES work, and you do NOT have to load a second copy of the
command processor - the original copy will know about the new switch
character.

The DOS call of interest is function 37 (hex), which is listed as
reserved for DOS's use.  If function 37 is executed with AL set to
0, the current switch character is returned in DL.  If it is
executed with AL set to 1, the value in DL becomes the new switch
character.

Interestingly enough, function 37 also accept 2 and 3 as valid
inputs in AL, but it isn't clear from tracing DOS what those numbers
mean.  Anyone in netland know?

While we're on the subject of hacking DOS 3.1, does anyone know the
new location to patch in command.com to increase the environment
size to something reasonable?  You would think after all this time
that the Microsoft clones would realize that 128 bytes is just too
small!  (Fascinating that they though it was more important to
include the ability to specify the last disk drive letter in DOS
3.0, but didn't think of allowing you to specify the environment
size!  Now THAT would be a useful thing to put in config.sys.
/sigh/.)

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 Matt Landau            {cca, datacube, ihnp4, inmet, mit-eddie, wjh12}...
 Mirror Systems, Inc.                                   ...mirror!prism!matt
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