🚀 go-pugleaf

Paul Prescod writes:
>What I'm asking really isn't so complex...I want to start an OS/2
>editor from my DOS mail reader.  An OS/2 unzipper from my DOS term
>program.

One of the cleanest ways is to detach an OS/2 background process which serves
a named pipe.  The server just blocks on the pipe until another process opens
it and makes some pre-established request.  This way, the server can be used
for anything you might want to be done -- task switching, process execution,
process and thread information, and it can be done easily from either DOS or
OS/2.  Here is an outline:

  --- Server ---

  Call DosMakeNmPipe (Message mode is most convenient)
  do {
    Call DosConnectPipe
    do {
      Read client request with DosRead
      Process request (usually this amounts to more OS/2 calls and pipe reads
        and writes, depending on your message protocol)
    } until requested to disconnct
    Call DosDisConnectPipe
  } until requested to terminate pipe
  Call DosClose

  --- Client (DOS or OS/2) ---

  Open pipe as ordinary shared file
  Write request, usually some scalar like unsigned short
  Follow through with reads or writes, depending on protocol of your messages
  Write disconnect or terminate request
  Close file

I think it is best for it to send the disconnect message and close pipe prior
interactive use, and then to re-establish the connection when the interaction
is complete and the client is ready to make another request of the server.
This keeps the server available for other processes, since only one connection
can be made at a time.

-- Kurt