I think one of the most missing feature it is the SOUND
autodetection (driver) like ALSA in Linux. I saw
something like this in OS/2. They port ALSA for it!
a 100% Sound Blaster Compatible
In DOS, programs access the soundcard
DIRECTLY. So they will never ask DOS
to provide a driver for them. So if you
do provide some driver, DOS programs will
not use it anyway. Unless you force them,
for example by using virtual mode jails.
But then you are already close to running
FreeDOS in a DOSEmu window in Linux anyway.
DOSEmu uses the Linux sound drivers to
generate sound and simulates a SoundBlaster
for the DOS inside the window.
In general, you simply set the
set BLASTER=A220 I5 D1 ...
line in your autoexec and you are done
for SoundBlaster compatible cards.
Many later cards in fact are sold with
DOS drivers to enable SoundBlaster
compatibility mode if that is not on by
default already! Some recent examples are
SoundBlaster Live! PCI and VIA VT82c686
based "AC97 + hardware supported SB16
emulation" (enable in BIOS, load VIAAUDIO
and VIAFMTSR drivers for the rest) sound
devices.
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I agree it is essential that a feature like this be developed under FreeDOS. Even though by default, programs will not look up a driver when trying to access the sound card, from the moment there is one available, FreeDOS developers can begin to use such driver for their new projects, also, possibly, allowing a "direct-access" to original SoundBlaster hardware the old way. An emulator that ran in the background to allow old programs to produce sound would also be important, but that'd be another project, and I'd suggest that such interface did not remain in memory all the time, but be like a program that be loaded before and unloaded after the program (most likely game) executes.
In addition, other hardware (not SoundBlaster) are easier to interfere. For example, Roland MPU401 in UART mode is very popular and the same protocol is used for General MIDI standard output. Even many "newer" games for DOS support access to MIDI output through a software interrupt.
I have no idea how to get the specs for different sound cards (specially PCI SoundBlaster, Roland, GUS) to be able to build the drivers, but if someone can, I can help put it all together.
If you would like to refer to this comment somewhere else in this project, copy and paste the following link:
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In DOS, programs access the soundcard
DIRECTLY. So they will never ask DOS
to provide a driver for them. So if you
do provide some driver, DOS programs will
not use it anyway. Unless you force them,
for example by using virtual mode jails.
But then you are already close to running
FreeDOS in a DOSEmu window in Linux anyway.
DOSEmu uses the Linux sound drivers to
generate sound and simulates a SoundBlaster
for the DOS inside the window.
In general, you simply set the
set BLASTER=A220 I5 D1 ...
line in your autoexec and you are done
for SoundBlaster compatible cards.
Many later cards in fact are sold with
DOS drivers to enable SoundBlaster
compatibility mode if that is not on by
default already! Some recent examples are
SoundBlaster Live! PCI and VIA VT82c686
based "AC97 + hardware supported SB16
emulation" (enable in BIOS, load VIAAUDIO
and VIAFMTSR drivers for the rest) sound
devices.
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I agree it is essential that a feature like this be developed under FreeDOS. Even though by default, programs will not look up a driver when trying to access the sound card, from the moment there is one available, FreeDOS developers can begin to use such driver for their new projects, also, possibly, allowing a "direct-access" to original SoundBlaster hardware the old way. An emulator that ran in the background to allow old programs to produce sound would also be important, but that'd be another project, and I'd suggest that such interface did not remain in memory all the time, but be like a program that be loaded before and unloaded after the program (most likely game) executes.
In addition, other hardware (not SoundBlaster) are easier to interfere. For example, Roland MPU401 in UART mode is very popular and the same protocol is used for General MIDI standard output. Even many "newer" games for DOS support access to MIDI output through a software interrupt.
I have no idea how to get the specs for different sound cards (specially PCI SoundBlaster, Roland, GUS) to be able to build the drivers, but if someone can, I can help put it all together.