P.O. Box 1933
Ozona, TX 76943

A Tale of Two DOS's

Computers are so wide-spread these days that most of us come into contact with them innumerable times daily. Likewise, there are numerous computer types out there. It, therefore, becomes important to be able to function on various machines. In my own case, I learned computer basics on Apples, then moved on to Amigas and Macs, and now I use IBMs extensively. Admittedly, it does get a little confusing at times. Sometimes I find myself typing in an MS-DOS command line on my Amiga or vice-versa.
Although most of us would hate to admit it, IBMs are still the dominant computer type on the market. (When I say IBM, I do so in a generic sense; all IBM compatible computers are intended to be covered by this term.) Many of you probably came to the Amiga from an MS-DOS environment. Some of you may find yourself in the same situation that I am in. I am now learning how to use MS-DOS after first learning AmigaDOS. For my own sake as well as the benefit of my readers, I decided to compare these two systems to clarify a few points. Hopefully, this comparison will help you function more effectively on an Amiga if you are accustomed to using an IBM, or vice-versa.
The Amiga is a logical computer system and it is very easy to use -- that's why most of us purchased one in the first place. About two years ago, I was forced to use some IBMs in my classroom. At first, I was intimidated because everything seemed so different. After a while, though, I discovered that both operating systems were basically the same with what I call some surface differences. I now find myself moving back and forth between the two systems easily, although the first few moments of use require that I orient myself to the computer I am using.
Since computers use a "startup-sequence" when they are booted, that's a good place for us to begin. On the Amiga, this startup file is found in the 's' directory. In the world of MS-DOS, the equivalent file is called "autoexec.bat", and it is found in the root directory. Both do the same thing. In addition, MS-DOS machines also have a file called "config.sys" which establishes the configuration of the computer and allows users to customize their systems as regards device drivers, buffers, and so forth. 
That brings up another point. In AmigaDOS, we have script files which utilize various AmigaDOS commands. In MS-DOS, these script files are known as batch files. In AmigaDOS, a script file can immediately be executed after it is written simply by typing in its name on a command line. However, to make such a file executable from the Workbench as an icon requires a little more effort (I dealt with this topic about one year ago). Batch files in MS-DOS can also be executed immediately from the command line (or the DOS prompt, as it is commonly called in MS-DOS). An advantage, though, is that it can also be executed from the File Manager in Windows, or from the file list in the DOS-Shell, without any special configuring. However, to create an icon in Program Manager (Windows) for the batch file would require some effort. From my experience, I would argue that batch files in MS-DOS are more common than are script files in AmigaDOS. 
On the Amiga, most of the major commands used in AmigaDOS are located in the 'c' directory. There are others which are internal. These include the more commonly used ones, like DIR and DELETE. On MS-DOS machines, most of the commands are stored in the 'DOS' directory. As with their Amiga counterparts, commonly used commands are internal. They are actually stored in a file named COMMAND.COM (found in the root directory) and then loaded into memory when the system is started.
One minor difference between the two systems which still gives me fits is the use of the slashes. MS-DOS uses the back slash (\) between directories while AmigaDOS uses the forward slash (/). MS-DOS uses the forward slash to indicate switches. We will discuss this in more depth later. I prefer the Amiga version, as it is slightly more awkward for me to reach the slash next to the backspace key than the one by the right shift key.
Another thing I like about AmigaDOS is that the names of files and directories are not limited as they are in MS-DOS. In MS-DOS, all such names can be no longer than 8 characters. This causes some rather cryptic names for files and directories. It is much simpler and clearer to be able to name something in full. What I do like about MS-DOS names, though, is the use of three letter extensions. Simply by looking at the extension found on files, it is often easy to identify what that file does. The major three types of files are .BAT, .SYS, and .EXE. .BAT (or batch) files are like AmigaDOS scripts. .SYS (or system) files contain configuration information about hardware. .EXE (or executable) files contain programs. When you get a new program that might contain, say, 20 files, you know that either a batch file or an executable file will probably start that program. Such programs may also be started by the lessor used .COM files. As is commonly used in AmigaDOS, a .DOC file is often used for document files.
This use of file extensions is much more widespread in MS-DOS than in AmigaDOS. Perhaps this is why the use of wildcards is also much more prevalent in MS-DOS. Even major applications, such as word processors and spreadsheets, make extensive use of such wildcards. Most major applications save files they create with a specialized extension. For example, a document saved using the MicroSoft Works for Windows word processor might have the extension .WPS. Thus, when you use this application to open a file, only .WPS files will be shown by default. You can, of course, alter this. That way, you don't have to look through all the files in that directory. I'd like to see AmigaDOS make more extensive use of this feature.
Since MS-DOS machines are not, by nature, intuitive, special files have to be implemented to make the mouse run. This has been known to cause a problem or two. Of course, if you are working from the command line, you really don't need the mouse, though, do you?
In some of my articles, I have made mention of the history of AmigaDOS command lines that can be referenced by using the arrow keys. Each time you execute a command line, it is stored in this history. This saves a great deal of retyping when you are doing work that involves repeated use of the same or similar command lines. This is a natural feature of the Amiga; in other words, you do not have to invoke this in any way.
MS-DOS machines do not have this feature naturally; at least not to the extent of the Amiga. By pressing the F3 key, you can call up the most recently used command line, but that is all. To have a larger history, a file called DOSKEY has to be loaded into memory. This can be done directly at the DOS prompt or in the autoexec.bat file that boots the machine. Sure, all you have to do is type it once in the autoexec.bat file, but why couldn't this have been done internally. I must admit, though, that once it is loaded, it does have more options than the history on AmigaDOS, although I question the use of such options. It will allow the user, for instance, to display a list of commands that have been stored. You can then select one of these to reuse. But really, how useful is this? By the time you hit F7 to show the list then use other keys to cycle through the list and/or select one of the commands, you could have used the arrow keys to simply move forward or backward to select a command. Yes, MS-DOS allows you to do this as well.
That pretty much lays a foundation for the basics of these two machines. Next month I will begin discussing how specific commands on the two systems compare. My goal here is not to prove that one system is superior to another; rather, by showing the differences, perhaps I can encourage a more efficient system to be created for the Amiga. Let's face it, AmigaDOS could stand some improvement. It is a fine system (yes, I'm partial), but there are some shortcomings as you may be able to see already. For example, in this article, you should be able to tell that I would like a more rigid name system used. I would not like to see a limitation imposed (8 characters, as with MS-DOS), but a more widespread use of extensions on file names, if used in a standard manner, could result in wildcards being used more extensively. Those of you comfortable with wildcards can vouch for their efficiency.
As always, I welcome your comments. If you have recently come to the Amiga from an IBM, what difficulties did you encounter? If you are now having to use an IBM after using only an Amiga, what kinds of problems are you having? 
