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Os8088: A powerful Mac-like OS for the IBM XT, 286, 386

os8088.com

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Re: Os8088: A powerful Mac-like OS for the IBM XT, 286, 386

#41

Post by userbinator »

I don't know why it seems reluctant to disclose AI use, because this is one of the best advertisements of Claude I've seen, and I say this as someone who has been sitting on the fence on the subject and saw a lot of slop in the past few years. If I was working in Anthropic's marketing department, this is the sort of thing I'd point to as a demo of its abilities.

That said, it's not like something of this nature was thought impossible; many embedded OSes running on even slower and more limited machines (e.g. 8051) had preemptive multitasking and a primitive GUI. It just took several decades for someone with the idea, tokens, and motivation to actually do it.

Re: Os8088: A powerful Mac-like OS for the IBM XT, 286, 386

#43

Post by tonypapousek »

LeoPanthera wrote: post #12

It's funny how virtually everyone on HN is using AI to write code and simultaneously dismisses all interesting new software as written by AI.

I can pour myself a bowl of cheerios. That doesn’t mean I’m easily impressed by someone else preparing a similar bowl of cereal.

Though, I have been finding a lot of utility in programs that support otherwise deprecated hardware, now that is some good slop.

Re: Os8088: A powerful Mac-like OS for the IBM XT, 286, 386

#44

Post by lepicz »

WillAdams wrote: post #8
jggonz wrote: post #2

The graphical operating system that could have been for the IBM XT. A MacOS-like desktop for the Intel 8086, written entirely in real-mode assembly (with Claude). Verified to run on real hardware, with FAT12/16 support, ported apps, games, Sound Blaster support and upcoming Hard Drive support.

Well there was GeoWorks (which AOL used the GUI of to their advantage): https://github.com/bluewaysw/pcgeos

when i'm feeling blue i go read and toy with geoworks source.. it's kinda weird to read TODOs from 1900 :)

and one wonders what could have been if there were not incompetency of microsoft etc..

Re: Os8088: A powerful Mac-like OS for the IBM XT, 286, 386

#45

Post by throw10920 »

LeoPanthera wrote: post #14
superb_dev wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It’s almost like those are two different populations of people?

Outside in the real world? Sure. Here on HN? I don't believe that.

OK, if you're so confident, surely you've gathered data that empirically shows that "virtually everyone on HN is using AI to write code and simultaneously dismisses all interesting new software as written by AI", because that's a very easy claim to prove or disprove.

Can we see your results and methodology?

Re: Os8088: A powerful Mac-like OS for the IBM XT, 286, 386

#46

Post by geocar »

nianderwallace wrote: post #20

You'd still need a Wordstar-like app and a VisiCalc-like app (pref. Lotus 123-like). VGA adapter means you have to wait until 1987 to run this, otherwise you'd deal with CGA's non-square pixels. EGA support would only be possible in Oct 1984.

The IBM 1501 PGC (640x480x256) was available in 1983.

Re: Os8088: A powerful Mac-like OS for the IBM XT, 286, 386

#47

Post by nxobject »

DaiPlusPlus wrote: post #33
Narishma wrote: post #7

> Hand-written real-mode 8086. No C, no linker, no runtime library. More like hand-prompted...

And LLMs are still confidently bullshitting: > Everything after that is the interface you remember from a 1984 Macintosh: […] and a dock along the bottom with one tile per running program. In that case I look forward to seeing OS X’s Aqua ported to the IBM PS/2.

If we’re going to be really pedantic, there was no “System 1” as TFA says as well anyway - I don’t think there was an actual “version 1” of the System File version 1, and most of the routines at that point were in ROM.

But an LLM would have caught that. Signs of a human touch?

Re: Os8088: A powerful Mac-like OS for the IBM XT, 286, 386

#48

Post by walrus01 »

LeoPanthera wrote: post #12

It's funny how virtually everyone on HN is using AI to write code and simultaneously dismisses all interesting new software as written by AI.

There's a difference between using AI to automate some drudge work of stuff that would just be mentally tedious to do (writing an operating system for an 8088 in assembly? Tedious, unless you're one of the rare people whose mind does well with that sort of thing), and just not even being bothered to write your own readme files and project description.

At least take the time to hand write a description of what it is and acknowledge the tool assistance as a known fact.

Making fake claims that something is totally hand written is I think what bothers people about this.

Re: Os8088: A powerful Mac-like OS for the IBM XT, 286, 386

#49

Post by yjftsjthsd-h »

https://os8088.com/how-it-works/multitasking/

> Pre-emptive multitasking on an 8086

> Twelve task slots, 1,536 bytes of stack each, and a timer interrupt that takes the CPU away from whatever is running 18.2065 times a second. No task is asked to cooperate and no task can refuse.

If you don't have protected mode, can't any program just rewrite the interrupt handler? It's not a bad system, but it sounds easy to break.

Re: Os8088: A powerful Mac-like OS for the IBM XT, 286, 386

#50

Post by walrus01 »

geocar wrote: post #46
nianderwallace wrote: post #20

You'd still need a Wordstar-like app and a VisiCalc-like app (pref. Lotus 123-like). VGA adapter means you have to wait until 1987 to run this, otherwise you'd deal with CGA's non-square pixels. EGA support would only be possible in Oct 1984.

The IBM 1501 PGC (640x480x256) was available in 1983.

But was exceedingly rare, in the pre 640x480 VGA era the common video interfaces on 8088, 8086, 80186, 80286 were MDA, Hercules, CGA, or later on, EGA.
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