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- Newsgroups: comp.os.os2.misc
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- From: mlevis@ringer.cs.utsa.edu (Mike Levis) (OS/2)
- Subject: Re: OS/2 Crashproof? NOT!
- Message-ID: <1992Nov18.063745.6394@ringer.cs.utsa.edu>
- Organization: University of Texas at San Antonio
- References: <1992Nov16.034053.639@ringer.cs.utsa.edu> <1992Nov16.164941.27113@njitgw.njit.edu>
- Date: Wed, 18 Nov 1992 06:37:45 GMT
- Lines: 33
-
- In article <1992Nov16.164941.27113@njitgw.njit.edu> dic5340@hertz.njit.edu (David Charlap) writes:
- >In article <1992Nov16.034053.639@ringer.cs.utsa.edu> mlevis@ringer.cs.utsa.edu (Mike Levis) writes:
- >>No, I'm not saying OS/2 2.0 is crash-proof. I have not heard even
- >>IBM saying it. A poorly written driver (or a badly installed driver,
- >>as in my two cases) is an Achille's Heel with probably any OS.
- >
- >This post reminds me of a particular crash I've been having recently.
- >I've been running Origin's Martian Dreams game, which would
- >occasionally die, and sometimes take OS/2 with it. It just occurred
- >to me that this could be due to the presence of the SBOS2 driver (the
- >only non-IBM one in my system right now). Since Martian Dreams uses
- >the SB for sound (but only the synth channels as far as I know), this
- >could be the cause of the problem. Does this make sense?
-
- I don't have the SBOS2 driver, but since OS/2 drivers have the same
- privilege level as the kernel (at ring 0), dangerous drivers (buggy,
- beta, or badly installed) can knock down OS/2.
-
- While code at ring 3 (like a DOS app) is denied access to certain parts
- of the system (I think IBM calls this Crash Protection), code running at
- ring 0 can access just about anything without OS/2's permission: just as
- if OS/2 did not have Crash Protection!
-
- If your driver is installed properly, and its not a beta driver, it
- probably has bugs in it. (of course, a beta driver also has bugs,
- but at least you can be cautious knowing it's a beta.)
-
-
- --
- ==== Mike Levis mlevis@ringer.cs.utsa.edu ====
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