How ROM-DOS Works
In any computer system, an operating system has many responsibilities. Operating systems perform basic tasks, such as recognizing input from the keyboard, sending output to the display screen, keeping track of files and directories on the disk and controlling peripheral devices such as disk drives and printers. They also serve as the software platform on top of which other application programs can run. The application programs must be written to run on top of a particular operating system.
ROM-DOS™ provides a well-known, well-documented interface for application programs to send and receive information for other devices throughout the computer. Although it is possible to design application programs that bypass the operating system and communicate directly to hardware, this is generally ill advised. Since ROM-DOS is responsible for such activities as disk access and memory allocation, bypassing ROM-DOS and communicating directly to the hardware is like sky diving without a second chute. You can do it, but if something goes wrong, you are in for a world of trouble.
ROM-DOS communicates to the application and device drivers through the use of defined interrupts. For stability and efficiency, applications should be designed so that all communication from the application runs through the ROM-DOS kernel.
Designing a system so that all access to devices and system resources runs through the ROM-DOS kernel provides a high level of stability, enabling systems to run unmonitored without needing to reboot for extended periods of time.
System Requirements
The minimum system requirements for your target hardware are:
- 186 or higher processor
- ROM based operation requires 60K to 90K of ROM or Flash
- Internet connectivity requires a packet driver or modem connection
Additional documents providing more technical details are available in Resources