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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!ucbvax!decvax!yale!ima!johnl
From: johnl@ima.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.micro.pc
Subject: DOS call 59 smashes ES
Message-ID: <38700014@ima.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 15-Jul-85 12:40:00 EDT
Article-I.D.: ima.38700014
Posted: Mon Jul 15 12:40:00 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 18-Jul-85 07:00:54 EDT
Lines: 14
Nf-ID: #N:ima:38700014:000:753
Nf-From: ima!johnl    Jul 15 12:40:00 1985


We recently tracked down an obscure memory-smashing bug in one of our
programs, and find that the new DOS 3.x function 59, return extended
error, reliably sets the ES register to zero.  I would certainly
characterize such behavior as an extended if not an execrable error,
but wish that people in Boca and Bellvue would spend less time verifying
that undocumented garbage returns to old calls were the same from version
to version and more time making sure that new calls worked at all.

The solution is to observe that the extended error codes from function 59
are not very useful, in any event, and not to bother calling it.

John Levine, Javelin Software, Cambridge MA 617-494-1400
{ decvax!cca | think | ihnp4 | cbosgd }!ima!johnl, Levine@YALE.ARPA