mateuszviste
commented
2 months ago processed all core packages so single-doc packages put their manual right inside dosdir/doc/pkgname.txt also added a note about this in the help http://svardos.org/phpamb.php?fname=help/help-en&f=pkgfmt.ama
Currently CORE packages store their documentation (when there is one) in
%DOSDIR%\DOC\%PKGNAME%\*.*This is simply copying what FreeDOS does. I do not find this to be very elegant, esp. for CORE packages that come with only a single TXT file, as it effectively wastes clusters with useless directory entries.
It might be nicer to store documentation either:
%DOSDIR%(same dir as the executable) and enforce a rule that every CORE app may have only one single TXT document or%DOSDIR%\DOC- either as a single file if the package has only a single file (%DOSDIR%\DOC\MEM.TXT) or in a subdirectory if there is more files (%DOSDIR%\DOC\MEM\LICENSE.TXTetc)option 1 has the disadvantage that it would take a little more time for COMMAND.COM to execute
%PATH%commands because it would have to iterate over more files -- might sound like a negligible impact, but it does have a visible impact when%DOSDIR%is on a floppy drive. Also, it would require the human packager to glue documentation files together for some packages (example: ATTRIB.TXT + FILES.LST + HISTORY.TXT + PLANS.TXT). Limiting the number of doc files is not a bad thing as it limits cluster waste, but enforcing it universally might perhaps lead to strange results.option 2 has the advantage that it makes current packages still acceptable, while allowing for a gradual migration of "single doc" packages into the new scheme.
PS. the background reason I'm chasing cluster waste is that I'm trying to fit a SvarDOS installed system on a single floppy for my diskless 8088 laptop.