*** "WINDOWS(tm)" *** MACHINE INDEPENDENT, DEBUGGED VERSION ***
WINDOWS is undoubtedly one of the most widespread user interfaces within the realm of computer technology. Due to the success of the IBM PC (and its many clones) in the past decade, a demand eventually rose for other means of communication than the DOS prompt; something like the graphical point-and-click interface of the Apple Macintosh would be "kinda neat", some people thought. WINDOWS was the answer.
WINDOWS was capable of performing almost every DOS command without demanding any mental effort from the user (however, a great deal of patience was needed, because WINDOWS is so amazingly slow, that it is sometimes hard to tell if it is doing anything at all (a small joke on the behalf of the developers, I suppose)).
"Kinda neat", people said. "Look, my PC has a GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACE with MOUSE POINTER and STUFF", people said, not realizing that virtually any other system already had the same (like with graphics and sound cards, by the way). "Kinda neat", the RAM manufacturers thought, knowing that WINDOWS would create an instant and excessive demand for RAM, or else it would refuse to run. "Kinda neat," Bill Gates thought, "I think I'll pretend that this is my invention and make another billion". And so he did, although the whole lot is ripped off from the MAC. "Kinda neat", Intel stockholders thought, "people will actually BEG us for faster processors". "Kinda neat", the hardware dealers thought, "if we get them to believe that this thing is a "must", then we will see them again upgrading in the near future!". And if a few bewildered sheep actually failed to see the neatness, there was advertising --- a lot of it! And so, in spite of the sacrifices as for processor power and RAM, and the total lack of multitasking, people were happy. They were all happy. The emperor had got his new clothes.
Now, why do you need this system? BECAUSE this is NOT the official WINDOWS from Microsoft, but an improved (yet compatible) version. In my effort to disassemble the PC-version, I stumbled upon some minor flaws, which I have done my best to correct when converting it. The program is written in assembler for improved speed and efficiency, and as an extra bonus, the program doesn't take up quite as much precious HD space or RAM as the original. The program is written for Amiga, but even for some PC-users, it may be an advantage to assemble the included source code and replace the old WIN.EXE file. So why do you need this system? Here is why:
[*] It does just as much as the original WINDOWS, yet it is very much faster.
[*] The familiar WINDOWS feel is still there (as skilled programmers will tell just from a quick glance at the code).
[*] All bugged and obsolete routines have been removed, which saves a lot of HD space.
[*] Uses less RAM than the original and instantly gives it back upon exit.
[*] It is machine independent, just assemble and run on virtually any processor. Benchmarks from the C64 show it to do just as much good as Microsoft WINDOWS on a PC486 --- only it is slightly faster!
[*] Thorough documentation of all advanced features.
[*] The full, commented source code for you to study and improve upon.
Talking about value for the money! Therefore, I see absolutely no reason for you to discard this piece of quality software. You will be using one of the most popular operating systems in the world, and you will not regret it.
Copyright notice.
This program is the product of years of hard labor, but I have decided to release it on the free market, anyway. If you use this program and you like it, please note that it is BANANAWARE. To become a registered user, you must mail a banana with your name to the queen of England in Buckingham Palace, and within three weeks, you will recieve a registered version on a disk signed by the queen herself. Also, it is strictly forbidden to run this program on any machine involved in the production of anything containing pineapple. This also applies to persons, who are involved in the production or distribution of pineapples or who have relatives working with pineapples. I really hate pineapples.
A special rule applies to commercial software distributors. You are NOT allowed to distribute this archive without the prior, written consent of the PKK, the Khmer Rouge, Allan Cowboy, and Che Guevara (that was the catch).
History:
v0.9 (never released). A fully working version, but a little slower than I had hoped.
v1.0 (this one!). Weeded out the last remaining, obsolete routines. Removed two NOPs to gain speed.
Future:
In the near future, I hope to be able to add some additional graphics (just for the kinda neat look of it), however I hope to be able to preserve speed. Maybe some optimizing of the main programme to gain even more speed (I already have a few ideas).
Bug reports: If this program fails to execute properly on your machine, if you have suggestions for future improvements or maybe for some other reason you want to contact me, I can be reached at the 3ndz elite board of "Metal Connextion" on the holy number of +45 74435949. By the way, don't even THINK about calling with 2400 baud; the sysop (Wozzy) is a strict man - but fair - so he usually gets his kicks from bugging the 2400 users who bug him by calling.
