hschumann2/TempleOS-Source-Code

1 2                           Frequently Asked Questions3 4-] How come it is public domain, not GPL?5  I, Terry A. Davis, wrote all 120,933 lines of TempleOS over the past 13.86  years (full-time).  It can run on some bare metal 64-bit PC's from about7  2005-2010 with no layering, libraries, tools, modules or anything from other8  sources.  Otherwise, you run it in a virtual machine, like VMware, QEMU or Vir9  tualBox.  It is independent and stands alone.  It has no networking, so it10  certainly doesn't call home.  100% of the src code is including on all11  distro's, from the kernel to the compiler to the boot loaders!  See12  ::/Doc/Credits.DD.13-] Shouldn't it be GNU/TempleOS?14  TempleOS executes no code not written by me at any time except for a few BIOS15  calls for configuration.  I even wrote boot-loaders, so I do not need Grub.16  See ::/Doc/Credits.DD.17-] Don't you use GNU's gcc?18  TempleOS was written from scratch, starting with TASM long ago, launching from19  real-mode DOS.  Now, there is no Linux or GNU or any other code in TempleOS.20  Yes, I wrote the compiler from scratch.  See ::/Doc/Credits.DD.21-] Why do you dual boot?22  TempleOS is 100% independent -- it does not access the files of your primary23  operating system and TempleOS will work as the only operating system on your24  computer, but it has no networking.  In your off hours, you will use your25  other operating system.26-] It has links, so is it a browser?27  TempleOS is an operating system, not a browser.  TempleOS links are a special28  format and only link too local files and symbol source addresses.29-] Where are the animated 3D icon GIFs?30  3D Sprites are stored as a mesh of triangles.  There are no GIF files.  It31  rotates 3D sprite objects on the fly.32-] If the compiler is JIT, isn't it an interpretor?33  TempleOS compiles, doesn't interpret, and uses no byte code anywhere.  I34  loosely use the word script sometimes, but it's actually compiled.  The35  compiler's optimization code is actually where the compiler evaluates36  constants to simplify them, like every optimizing compiler.37-] Are you a Creationist?38  I am an evolutionist.  Adam is a better term for the first father of all tasks39  than root was!40-] Is 'Bt()' in the code Bit Torrent?41  Bt() is bit test, like the x86 inst, not bit torrent.42-] Is 'Fs->' in the code file system?43  Fs is a segment reg, not file system.  (Fs is kept pointing to the current44  task's record.)  There is no memory segmentation.  It is 64-bit and flat. FS45  and GS are used as general purpose regs, more or less.46-] Is it Pascal?47  TempleOS uses a dialect of C/C++ called HolyC.  It is not Pascal.  I altered48  the syntax making parenthesis optional on function calls with no paramaters.49-] Why doesn't Sleep() make my laptop hibernate?50  Sleep() makes a program pause.  It is not hibernation for a laptop.51-] What is Yield() for in loops?52  Yield() saves the current task's regs (context) and loads in the next task.53  In a loop waiting for disk IO, it executes Yield() which pegs the CPU load,54  yet the system is responsive.55-] What is JIT Compiled Mode?56  The term JIT Compile Mode means it compiles and executes code placed into mem,57  not stored on disk.58-] Why do files end in .Z?  Are they encrypted?59  Files with names ending in .Z are individually compressed using60  TempleOS Compression.  They are not encrypted.  Copy() or rename them with61  Move() to a name without .Z and they will be stored in an uncompressed form.62  See TOSZ for Linux or Windows uncompress C/C++ code.63-] Is it open source?  How do I build it?64  TempleOS is 100% open src.  All the src code is included in the distro.  Use65  BootHDIns() to compile the kernel and compiler.  The rest is JIT Compiled66  during boot.  See ::/StartOS.HC.67-] Where are object files?  How do I link?68  TempleOS does not use object files or a linker.  AOT Compile Mode is used to69  directly create flat binary files, ::/Kernel.BIN.C and70  ::/Compiler/Compiler.BIN with no object files and linking.  JIT Compile Mode71  place code in memory, ready to run, with no object files or linking.  Linking72  is done when BIN modules are Load()ed.73-] What is the FPS refresh rate?74  The refresh rate is 30 frames-per-second.  That is how often TempleOS updates75  scrn mem.  It is not syncronized to the hardware.76-] How does a task own the speaker?77  No task or application has a lock on the speaker so apps will interfere with78  each other.79-] Why does it leak memory?80  TempleOS allocs mem as more items are displayed in the window.  Also, TempleOS81  allocs mem for code as it is compiled at the cmd line.  If you #include a file82  twice, it allocs more mem for it.  If you have a 50,000 line program with each83  line taking twenty bytes on a machine with 1 Gig, you could #include it a84  thousand times if it had no data or graphics and no other use of mem.  If it85  bothers you, hit <CTRL-ALT-x> and <CTRL-ALT-t>, periodically, to kill and86  recreate the task.  Use the pop-up flag on macros in your PersonalMenu to87  spawn new tasks, run applications and free the applications when they are88  finished.  Small mem chunks stick to the task when they are freed until it is89  killed.  The only way to get in trouble is allocating multiple Meg chunks and90  freeing them.  These can only be reused if the same size gets alloced again.91  Use HeapLog(), HeapLogAddrRep() and HeapLogSizeRep() to see who alloced mem92  and didn't free it.  See MemOverview.93-] Why do I get a memory leak when editing big files?94  The editor periodically takes a snap-shot of the document for UNDO and this95  looks like a memory leak.96-] Why is it in text mode?97  TempleOS runs in VGA 640x480 16 color graphics mode, not text mode.  It98  changes to this mode with a BIOS call while in real-mode before it switches to99  64-bit mode.  The text is drawn by hand.  See ::/Kernel/FontStd.HC.  If100  graphics mode fails, it falls-back on text mode.  You can force text mode with101  an Kernel config option.102-] Where is the kernel memory?103  TempleOS identity-maps all memory, all the time.  It is like paging is not104  used.  There is no special kernel high half memory space.  TempleOS is105  ring-0-only, so everything is kernel, even user programs.  There is a special106  task called Adam and he doesn't die, so his heap never gets freed.  That's as107  close to kernel memory as it gets.  All code goes in the lowest 2Gig of108  addresses, known as the Code Heap, so that the REL32 addressing mode can be109  used.  See MemOverview.110-] Why does it run code from stack addresses?111  TempleOS puts all code in the lowest 2Gig, known as the Code Heap, so that the112  REL32 addressing mode can be used.  TempleOS is 64-bit, but 2Gig is enough for113  code.  It actually puts global variables there, too, but you can turn that off114  with OPTf_GLBLS_ON_DATA_HEAP.  MAlloc() allocs higher memory.115-] How does it SYSCALL?116  TempleOS doesn't use software interrupts or SYSCALL insts because it never117  needs to change out of ring-0, even running user programs.  Calls are always C118  ALL REL32 insts.119-] How do you fault-in stack?120  The stack does not grow, so do not do deep recursion.  In theory, memory gets121  fragmented, too.122-] How do I set the PATH?123  There is no PATH.  You do not enter filenames at the command-line and expect124  them to run.  You enter C-like code.  Get Started Here.125-] How do I boot it with Grub?126  If you use Grub, you chain-load like Windows.  See Boot.  You can use the127  TempleOS boot-loader.  Master-Boot-Loader-Stage1, Master-Boot-Loader-Stage2,128  Partition-Boot-Loader, CD-DVD-Boot-Loader.129-] How do I get Kernel.BIN to boot?130  The boot-loaders must be patched by you running BootHDIns() or BootMHDIns().131  Those will write the block address into the boot-loader because the132  boot-loaders do not navigate file systems to find the Stage2 if you relocate133  it.134-] Why is there some 16-Bit code?135  TempleOS is 64-bit.  Like all PC operating systems, the boot-loader starts in136  16-bit real-mode.  TempleOS calls a few BIOS info routines, switches to137  VGA-640x480x4bit, switches to 32-bit, then, 64-bit mode.  There is an odd138  thing called a PCI BIOS which is 32-bit used for PCI config space access.139  TempleOS calls that a couple times.  It must temporarily drop-out-of 64-bit140  mode for that and stop multi-tasking.141-] Why are you pushing 32-bit values on the stack?142  PUSH EAX : All stack operations in 64-bit mode are 64-bits.143-] Why are you using 32-bit insts and not setting high 32-bits?144  XOR EAX,EAX : Operations on 32-bit regs clear the high 32-bits.145-] How do you use the FS and GS segment registers.146  MOV RAX,FS:[RAX] : FS can be set with a WRMSR, but displacement is RIP147  relative, so it's tricky to use.  FS is used for the current CTask, GS for148  CCPU.149-] How do I set ORG for position of code?150  The compiler creates pos independent code.  Don't create code which is loaded151  at a fixed, specified location.  Code in a BIN file is pos independent by152  virtue of a table in the BIN file for patching absolute addresses.153-] How are symbols loaded?154  Binary executable files have export syms which are loaded into the sym tables.155   The operating system Kernel has such an export table.  In addition, some map156  files are processed to provide more information on syms -- src file links.157  This is how the Man()/AutoComplete feature can find src lines.158-] Why doesn't assert work?159  #assert might print a message at COMPILE time, not run time.160-] Why doesn't C++ public work?161  The word public in HolyC does very little except allow the Help & Index and162  Who() to exclude meaningless syms.  If you wish a full report of public and163  nonpublic syms Click Here.164-] How does the debugger do source debugging?165  When compilation takes place, the structures used by the compiler stick166  around.  Data on classes can be accessed.  See ClassRep().167-] What are the ASCII 5 and ASCII 31 chars doing in my text files?168  The cursor location is stored as an ASCII 5 in files.  ASCII 31 is SHIFT-SPACE169  , a character which does not get converted to tabs by space-to-tabs, S2T().170  The ASCII 28 is SHIFT-ESC.171-] Why is there garbage at the end of my text files?172  Binary sprite data is stored beyond the terminating NULL in text files.  Map173  files store debug src line addresses.174-] Why are sprites so small?175  Sprites can be stored as vector graphics so they might take shockingly little176  room.  They can be converted to bitmaps.177-] Why don't I need to recompile /Adam and /Home files?178  If you change code in the /Adam or your /Home directory, you don't need to179  recompile, you just need to reboot because those directories get recompiled180  when you boot.  It uses JIT Compile Mode.  There is no .BIN file for JIT181  compilation.  See ::/StartOS.HC.182-] Why does it finds files that aren't there?183  If not found, .Z is added or removed from filename and a search is done again.184   If a file is still not found, the parent directories are searched for a file185  of the same name.186 187 188* "Windows" is a trademark owned by MicroSoft Corp.189* "Linux" is a trademark owned by Linus Torvalds.190* "QEMU" is a trademark owned by Fabrice Bellard.191* "VMware" is a trademark owned by VMware, Inc.192* "VirtualBox" is a trademark owned by Oracle.193