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- Some notes accompanying the NODV program
- ----------------------------------------
-
- Usage of NODV:
-
- NODV <executable> [options]
-
- Where <executable> means a .COM or .EXE file that's in your path, and
- [options] are the options you would've handed to the program anyway.
- So normally you'd prepend NODV to the command line, and everything works
- just fine. Only when you want to start a batch file, an internal DOS
- command, an alias (4DOS) or the like, you should take a detour:
-
- NODV %COMSPEC% /C <any_command> [options]
-
- You can put this all in a batch file, turn it into an alias itself...
- I bet you can figure this part out alone.
-
- **WARNING** The DESQview detection in certain programs is not there
- just to annoy you. It is intended to protect you from damage that may
- occur when you use the program while simultaneously doing, for example,
- disk access in another window. When using NODV, you circumvent the
- detection, but the damage may still occur. BE SURE TO KNOW WHAT YOU'RE
- DOING! I can in no way be held responsible for the damage caused by
- the use or misuse of NODV.
-
-
- Now for the source. Did you watch it? It's ugly, isn't it? Yeah, I know...
- There is a terrible kludge there to force a variable to be stored in the
- code segment. I don't know any better way to achieve this, using BC.
- If anyone can teach me here and point me in the direction of something
- a bit less dirty, I'm all ears.
-
- What the program basically does is intercept the DESQview installation
- check (INT 15,AH=2B,CXDX="DESQ") and return "not installed". That keeps
- all the DESQview-aware (or even specific!) programs that I know from
- detecting DESQview.
-
- I managed to do something about the memory-hungryness of the program too.
- It now uses about 13K of memory. I think this can be brought down a little
- further by reducing stacksize, heapsize, and cutting some of the library
- routines (I've already dumped printf), but there isn't much to gain in the
- library since spawn drags in a lot of baggage on its own.
-
-
- In case you make some changes to improve this, I'm interested in the
- source. You are free to use this code anyway you like (well, except
- to claim it as your own and sue me for giving it away!), and I trust
- common courtesy that I get a reference when you do.
-
-
- In case you feel a need to, I can be reached as:
-
- Jan-Pieter Cornet
- Aletta Jacobsstraat 8
- 2642 AD Pijnacker
- Netherlands
- phone: +31 1736 98480
- Email: cornet@duteca.et.tudelft.nl
- or ba132@cleveland.freenet.edu
-