OSDev.org

Tomaka17 wrote:Am I the only one using an emulator for O/S developpment?

When I want to work on my project I use VirtualBox to start a text-mode Debian virtual machine which contains all the stuff for compilation (GCC, binutils, etc.)
...and I edit the sourcecode on Windows with SciTE

No. I think a majority of people probably use one.

This is what I'd expect in a tool chain:

Preprocessor
Compilers
Assembler
Linker
Librarian
grep
touch
make
Debugger
Profiler
Debug Info Stripper
Binary Dumper (Borland tdump, Microsoft dumpbin)

Relatively Compulsory Tools for Windows Development:

Resource Compiler (rc, brc/brc32)
IDL Compiler (midl)
Import Librarian (i.e. implib)
ImpDef
Archiving Tool (cabarc)

Sometimes a DOS Extender, esp. if you are working with a DOS clone like FreeDOS. OpenWatcom packages DOS Extenders as part of its tool chain. Digital Mars also, but you have to download it from another page not on their website (X32).

Editors and IDEs are convenience tools to me. I hardly work strictly from the command-line (because mastering a particular toolchain - no matter which - takes more than a few hours), but that's still what I consider them.

Borland used to have a totally complete tool chain (many clones of common Unix tools like grep and touch). Microsoft overtook them, though, or at least caught up.

GNU, obviously, has a complete toolchain suitable for OSDev.

All that other stuff is Fluff to me - including Virtual Machine Emulators. However, they are useful; and, you should use whatever helps!

I do think piling on tools on top of tools (many of which not made to work with other toolchains) adds unneded complexity, especially for a rookie developer of any type.

Is it just me or do some of the tools above have nothing to do with OSDev'ing at all?

Currently I'm using:

- Ubuntu Linux 9.04
- NASM
- dd commans ^^
- Bochs (with debugger compiled into it)
- Floppy Disks and real hardware

% uname -snr
Linux Emilie 2.6.28-gentoo-r5

My OS is written is FASM, so that's pretty much all the tools it needs, though I use Make for compiling, and starting bochs and qemu. My editor is VIM. I did use pxelinux, dhcpd, tftpd, etc. for network-booting on real hardware, but my father stole the other amd64-computer. ;_;

Love4Boobies wrote:Is it just me or do some of the tools above have nothing to do with OSDev'ing at all?

It depends on what OS you're Deving. Someone working on a DOS Clone like FreeDOS/DR-DOS may find many, if not all, of the Non-Windows (and even some Windows-specific) tools useful.

I use:
- Sabayon Linux 4.2
- NASM 2.05
- GCC 4.3.2 targetted for my OS
- Binutils 2.18 targetted for my OS
- BCC (My OS is currently set to bootload from FreeDOS at the moment)
- PHP (Make builds the OS. I use PHP scripts to make an ISO image and record the build results into a mySQL database)
- Make