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The weird Hewlett Packard FreeDOS option

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Re: The weird Hewlett Packard FreeDOS option

#51

Post by Wowfunhappy »

aidenn0 wrote: post #23

I can't find a source for it, but my recollection is that MS considers selling a PC with no operating system as encouraging piracy of Windows. So I suspect this option is either due to an agreement with MS, or an overly cautious legal department.

But customers can also order this laptop with Ubuntu preinstalled. Why offer both Ubuntu and FreeDOS, especially if the latter is just running inside of a Linux VM anyway?

Re: The weird Hewlett Packard FreeDOS option

#52

Post by detaro »

ajsnigrutin wrote: post #50
detaro wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

which leaves the question of why going through the hassle of creating this mess instead of just Linux.

Because they they have to support that linux distro, with all the drivers, update etc.,... And the FreeDOS just works. Doesn't do much, but what it does, it does well.

but the Linux they are shipping underneath that FreeDOS also works. And they also offer Linux preinstalled, so they need to "support" that to whatever amount anyways.

Re: The weird Hewlett Packard FreeDOS option

#53

Post by Wowfunhappy »

yuhong wrote: post #9
userbinator wrote: post #6

That was far more amusing and interesting than I thought it would be... I wonder if it can actually boot DOS on the physical hardware, and if it can't ( DOS itself is very minimal in what it requires of the hardware), is it really PC-compatible anymore?

Intel phased out the UEFI CSM from new platforms in 2020-2021.

The Clover bootloader designed for Hackintosh is able to boot UEFI operating systems (including non-Apple ones) on computers that don't natively support UEFI. Is there any reason a different bootloader couldn't do the reverse?

Re: The weird Hewlett Packard FreeDOS option

#54

Post by Wowfunhappy »

jchw wrote: post #19

And then there’s another OS: UEFI. Something I recently joked about doing was porting SDL to the UEFI environment and then building DOSBOX for it. I’m sure someone has already done this in some fashion, but the idea was amusing enough for me to genuinely consider it one of these weekends. I guess in that case, though, you can’t really run FreeDOS.

Possibly relevant: an NES emulator for UEFI: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Juc1LT7Xls

Re: The weird Hewlett Packard FreeDOS option

#55

Post by gmiller123456 »

aidenn0 wrote: post #23

I can't find a source for it, but my recollection is that MS considers selling a PC with no operating system as encouraging piracy of Windows. So I suspect this option is either due to an agreement with MS, or an overly cautious legal department.

You're probably thinking about the agreement MS had with PC manufacturers that required them to pay for a copy of DOS regardless of whether the computer they sold had a copy of DOS or not. MS was barred from using that method in 1994.

https://www.justice.gov/atr/competitive-impact-statement-us-...

Re: The weird Hewlett Packard FreeDOS option

#56

Post by grishka »

aidenn0 wrote: post #23

I can't find a source for it, but my recollection is that MS considers selling a PC with no operating system as encouraging piracy of Windows. So I suspect this option is either due to an agreement with MS, or an overly cautious legal department.

Some countries have consumer protection laws that require that a factory-assembled computer must come with an OS. This whole FreeDOS thing feels like malicious compliance to me just to have something so it doesn't boot into a BIOS error.

Though I've assumed that FreeDOS runs on bare metal. This whole Linux-with-a-VM feels strange, to say the least.

Re: The weird Hewlett Packard FreeDOS option

#57

Post by shmerl »

aidenn0 wrote: post #23

I can't find a source for it, but my recollection is that MS considers selling a PC with no operating system as encouraging piracy of Windows. So I suspect this option is either due to an agreement with MS, or an overly cautious legal department.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bundling_of_Microsoft_Windows

Re: The weird Hewlett Packard FreeDOS option

#58

Post by john_moscow »

Knowing how big corporations usually work, dropping the FreeDOS option completely due to incompatibility would require approvals from 7 layers of corporate management, while shipping a half-assed version that is not usable for any practical purposes only took one nerd from engineering.

Re: The weird Hewlett Packard FreeDOS option

#59

Post by aidenn0 »

Wowfunhappy wrote: post #51
aidenn0 wrote: post #23

I can't find a source for it, but my recollection is that MS considers selling a PC with no operating system as encouraging piracy of Windows. So I suspect this option is either due to an agreement with MS, or an overly cautious legal department.

But customers can also order this laptop with Ubuntu preinstalled. Why offer both Ubuntu and FreeDOS, especially if the latter is just running inside of a Linux VM anyway?

When I last ordered from HP, many laptops did not have Linux as an option (mine did not, so I bought the FreeDOS version)

Re: The weird Hewlett Packard FreeDOS option

#60

Post by timClicks »

bayindirh wrote: post #31
jchw wrote: post #19

And then there’s another OS: UEFI. Something I recently joked about doing was porting SDL to the UEFI environment and then building DOSBOX for it. I’m sure someone has already done this in some fashion, but the idea was amusing enough for me to genuinely consider it one of these weekends. I guess in that case, though, you can’t really run FreeDOS.

Also, don't forget the Minix running inside a small embedded processor inside your processor or platform controller.

I occasionally wonder what an operating system running below ring 0 would be used for. I haven't thought of anything compelling, apart from being a backdoor.
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