DOCS.TXT

			Welcome to DolphinOS!
					ver. 0.0.1
	
					"I'll build my own DOS! With blackjack 
					and hookers!"
						- slightly paraphrased Bender

		Introduction
	DolphinOS is tiny and simplest operating system for x86 platform. Written
for some assembler experience and lulz.
		
		Features: 
	- bootloader for FAT12 file system;
	- monolithic kernel written in ASM (NASM used);
	- simplest shell;
	- single-user, single-task 16bit operating system;
	- support for FAT12 (under development);
	- memory handler (testing);

		Agenda:
	- support for fat32/vfat, ext2, iso9660 file systems;
	- loading user programs in .com format (ELF and PE later);
	- basic text editor;
	- basic VC/MC-like file manager;
	- basic graphics support;
	- valid unix-like shell;
	- ??????
	- PROFIT!!!

		Kernel
		
		File systems
	File system hierarchy will be a single unix-like tree. There is a root, 
/, where traditional  unix directories  is located:  /bin, /dev, /home.  System
disk is mounted to /, another devices - to mount points table entries.
	
		Heap
	Heap begins behind the kernel and has its own segment, whenever referred 
to pointer allocated with memalloc, it means HEAP_SEG:pointer. 
	Heap segment is KERNEL_SEGM + kernel_end >> 4, adresses are 0x0000-0xffff
	Structure of heap:
	heap is build from chunks, each chunk contains header (4b) and arbitrary 
data after header:
	 <----- chunk 0 -------> <- 1 -> <----- chunk 2 ---> ...
	|----|------------------|----|--|----|--------------| ... |----|--|0000|
	  h1      data of h1      h2 data h3    data of h3          hN      end
	where h1, h2, h3 - headers of chunks
	Header structure is:
	|--------|--------|---------|---------|
	<-- data length -> <- Serv-> <- CSum ->
	where 	data length	- big-endian word, length of data after header
		Serv 		- service flags, this byte is 0, if chunk is free
		CSum 		- control sum,
			 == high[datalentgh] + low[datalength] + low[datapointer]
	
		License
	Now it is BEERWARE: this source code provided AS IS. Author and owner 
does not take any responsibility for all misusage and data corruption caused
by this product, but receives beer if it helped you :)

		Authors
	Currently product is developed and maintained by Dmytro Sirenko 
(email: dmytrish@gmail.com, jabber: EarlGray@jabber.kiev.ua, ICQ: 350799719). 
All constructive feedbacks and notes are welcomed.
		
		Special aknowledgements to:
	- NASM command for great development tool;
	- VIM for excellent code editor;
	- all music group I'm listening to during coding :)