XCOM vintage gui system

[Svenska]

In your User FAQ, you mention that wheel mice are not supported because there is no mouse driver support. This is not fully true, the CuteMouse driver defined a wheel API (check out https://github.com/FDOS/mouse/blob/master/wheelapi.txt) and supports wheel mice.

Regarding actual 80386 and NOFPU support, you can test using PCem / PCjs or other reasonably accurate emulators to verify that your project works. This would also help to implement Hercules support even if you don't have hardware yourself.

If you already support monochrome 640x350, you can easily support monochrome 640x480 as well (which works on any MCGA/VGA card even without VESA driver). The 16-color 640x480 resolution is a bit annoying to use, so I understand why you don't want to support it.

Your "Download" page does not specify the project license and refers to the software itself ("For the license, see Start / Information / License.txt"). I shouldn't have to run XCOM in order to know whether I am allowed to run it. (Just replace the text with a link to the license or the FAQ which contains the license already.)

For networking support, you can use Wattcp-32 or Trumpet's TSR (check out http://ftp.sunet.se/mirror/archive/ftp.sunet.se/pub/simtelnet/trumpet/tcp-abi/tcp201.spe for documentation). Note that you cannot use mTCP, as it is GPLv3 and linked into the application, therefore fundamentally incompatible with closed-source projects.

 

[xdotcom]

CuteMouse driver defined a wheel API

Thankyou for pointing out this, i was not aware of a wheel api in cutemouse. I have added this to my todo list, and i will try to implement it in the next release.

Hercules support

I am sorry but i was not updating the FAQ properly. Hercules/CGA/EGA, various monochrome modes are already supported by XCOM for a while, i have mentioned this in the version information, but haven't actualized the FAQ on the website. I simply dont have enough time for this project, but i am trying to fix the outdated FAQ once i accumulate enough mental energy somehow to do it.

Wattcp

I am aware of it, i will try it out and as soon as it works, i will do a release.

 

[xdotcom]

2023, sept 20. - Hotfix release

-Fixed escape key interaction with right click menus
-Right clicking in right click local menus will open the menu element (requested by analog_programmer).
-Shutdown and reboot commands are now executed when requested in the DOS version (reported by analog_programmer).
-Fixed Manual and Automatic aspect ratio/resolution radio button status (reported by analog_programmer).

 

[xdotcom]

2024, july 15. - General bugfix release

-MP3 file loading bar added in the DOS version
-Fixed memory out of boundary issues when rasterizing menu elements.
-Fixed a bug which caused the text editor to hog the CPU for no reason.
-Optimized some generic parts of the GUI system to get some additional responsibility in idle-type usage.
-Fixed a bug when changing window transparency - no the sprite color is preserved.
-Increased file copying performance.
-Increased system responsibility when performing directory and file operations.
-Released an 1.44MB XCOM floppy boot image with FreeDOS.

Download XCOM actual version: http://xcom.infora.hu/xcom.zip

XCOM Live floppy version released (1.44mb):


Download XCOM Live Floppy: http://xcom.infora.hu/xcom144.img

 

[seaken]

Hello @xdotcom , I have no problem with your XCOM GUI software. In fact I have played with it along with my experiments in FreeDOS. As others have said, nice work.

However, it's not really "Vintage" is it? It's in the same way that FreeDOS is not really vintage. While interesting, these are really more modern alternatives for "some" older machines, in the case of XCOM a 386DX. FreeDOS was targeted at Pentium.

I would say this type of thing is less interesting than something that was contemporary with MS-DOS or PC-DOS and CP/M or CP/M-86, or Concurrent, or C-DOS or GEM, etc. All of those were actually "Vintage" and I would be interested to learn of any GUI's that were available then as an alternative to Windows or OS/2 on "DOS" machines. Was your XCOM GUI available when Windows 3 and OS/2 were being developed and sold to DOS users?

So, I appreciate what you have here. But maybe I would present it more as a modern take on a DOS-based GUI that runs on some vintage 386DX hardware. An alternative to Windows 3 or OS/2 2.1, or GEM, but not "vintage" software.

Seaken

 

[ajacocks]

@seaken what is "vintage", "retro", or any of the other terms is always open to interpretation. Calling this a vintage GUI system is fair enough, as it is very much akin to GEOS/GeoWorks or OS/2, in appearance.

What is interesting to one person may not be to others, and that's fine. So, let's not quibble over a name, or exactly how many years old, or what genres are required for something to be worth attention.

- Alex

 

[furball1985]

great work, i took the same heat for projects i came up with.

keep it up xdotcom.

will there be a chance of some source code release in the future for possible porting to other machines?

 

[seaken]

I'm not arguing it's value. I like it. I also like FreeDOS and Linux. etc. It's just not Vintage and I think it should be named and presented in such a way as to indicate it is NEW, or newer, than what is vintage.

I know you all wont agree with me. That's fine. It's just that the title of the thread is not really clear.

I'm am willing to acquiesce to the Admin and will not insist that my thoughts on this be adopted. I will leave it to the creator of XCOM to title it is they see fit.

Seaken

 

[xdotcom]

2024, september 01. - Editor feature update

-Revert (CRT-Z) hotkey now works in all input fields
-Fixed a memory corruption bug when opening programs.
-GUI system is optimized: now runs about two times faster when performing small operations (such as moving the mouse cursor).
-Control+Shift+Left, Control+Shift+Right, Control+Delete, and Control+Backspace hotkeys are now implemented.
-Fixed a selection bug when clicking in the text editor when multiple lines are selected.
-Fixed a bug causing crash when moving around in the text editor.
-The text editor now moves around more reliably when selecting the text with the mouse.
-Terminal can move left and right if needed, when navigating inside it.
-Fixed a bug when going up and down lines if selection is already active.
-Fixed a bug causing some texts to lean out from windows when resizing.
-CRTL+Z now works in paint.
-Fixed a bug causing the already loaded previews to dissapear when the system is running low on RAM.
-Fixed memory corruption when displaying error messages from a closed program.

 

[xdotcom]

possible porting to other machines?

The software will be released to various platforms. I have made no decisions yet, for now, the code must be matured.

 

[xdotcom]

2024, october 01. - General bugfix update

-Control C is now properly captured, to act as a copy hotkey (instead of killing the entire GUI system).
-Left and right cursor icon is fixed in the virtual keyboard.
-Keymouse hotkeys now accelerate when you hold them pressed.
-Removed broken Home hotkey from virtual keyboard.
-Added a new Escape hotkey in virtual keyboard.
-Added Select All hotkey to virtual keyboard.
-Added missing icons to right-click menus.
-Added icons to start menu elements (recommended by MiNiDOS).
-Attempted some tricks to remove phantom B: drive from drive list
-Lifted the 128 character paste limit in simple text boxes.
-Fixed a crash in file browser when copy pasting texts.
-Better system responsibility when loading preview icons of JPG and PNG files.
-Fixed missing text box decoration in file browser.
-Fixed a bug in file browser, causing DEL button tryign to delete files, when pressed in a textbox.
-Fixed a bug in file browser resulting wrong files to be selected in some cases.
-Fixed a bug: copy text boxes in properties was too narrow for translations.
-Fixed a bug in text editor, which resulted in failed selection clearing if everything was selected.
-Fixed a bug when clearing multiple line selections in text editor, and instantly selecting text areas.
-In text editor, fixed a bug which hides the content of the editor when certain text boxes are being displyed.
-Fixed some stability issues in the text editor.
-Removed old icon for console.
-Added compression icon for the compressor panel.

 

[xdotcom]

2024/10/01

 

[xdotcom]

2024, december 01. - General bugfix update

-Decreased RAM usage by around half MBytes.
-Windows can now be moved or resized with keyboard.
-Fixed a bug when desktop was not getting focus, if closing every windows.
-Fixed a bug when auto generating backgrounds.
-Increased the speed of the program by 10%.
-Fixed a bug causing a small stutter once or twice in every second on slower systems.
-Double click on the window bar now toggles full screen mode for a window.
-Fixed a bug causing phantom click on the desktop when closing a window.
-Fixed a bug causing memory garbage when opening windows below a pinned window.
-Fixed missing icons for html, php, xml, doc, docx, sh, xls and other types of files.
-Implemented a faster algorithm to sort the files by date or name in the file browser.
-Fixed a bug causing file names below file icons to get shifted outside of the screen in some cases.
-Added Japanese language file.
-More accurate DOS kernel version detection.
-Image viewer can be toggled with space button.
-Fixed a bug in the camera program.
-Executable assignation to a file now will react to enter or escape keys as it should.
-EXE, COM or BAT files now can be opened from the "Open with" menu.
-Fixed a bug causing the display system to appear frozen after a double click, when the mouse button is being held.