Re: Switching in and out of fullscreen dosemu session?

[Paul Lagasse pglagasse@xxxxxxxx]

Rafe, I've noticed what you've noticed, that once you are in fullscreen
in Dosemu, Alt-Tab and other system shortcut keys are disabled (except
for those key combos that start a new virtual console, such as Ctrl-Alt-F2).


I wasn't esp. eager to run Xy4 fullscreen, but I played with wmctrl (a
command line utility that allows you some control over a window manager)
and could use wmctrl to affect open windows on the unseen desktop, but
could not use it to show the desktop.


There might be a script that, run from dosemu using the system command,
could do want you want; the folks on the Dosemu list might be of help.


Paul Lagasse

Raphael Tennenbaum wrote:


yes, I'm sure sw.cmd requires Windows or OS/2. I just have a feeling
the issue is more one of how dosemu integrates with Gnome (or KDE). I
believe it is no simple matter for a desktop to fork over the focus to
plain ol' VGA; in fact under evey distro I've used the only real way
to get VGA, apart from dosemu, has been to log out. clearly this
issue is akin to those raised by the latest release from Redmond, but
I also witnessed deterioration in virtual VGA support with the last
release of eCS (=what they call the vestige of OS/2 still being
marketed). nor am I at all convinced it a matter of bitness, since
64-bit Linux supports full-screen dosemu -- see
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DOSEMU, which suggests to me that
furnishing support to legacy full-screen DOS applications isn't really
very difficult at all.


I'm pretty sure Alt-Tab is the default switcher in Gnome and KDE, but
I could be wrong, since I tend to install Compiz straightaway, which
replaces the switching capabilities of the desktop in wholesale
fashion. I guess it could be that dosemu in full-screen mode
intercepts those switchy keystrokes quite intentionally; the key combo
to which I've assigned another "ring application switcher" in Compiz
also fails to shell out from a full-screen dosemu session.


-rafe t.


peregrine@xxxxxxxx wrote:

 Hi Rafe,

I haven't been using dosemu lately and my memory of it is a bit
rusty, but I do know that Alt-Tab is a Windows function for toggling
among open application "windows," and the Alt-Tab key combination is
not reserved for the same purpose on the Gnome or KDE (or X-Windows?)
desktops running in Linux. Also, some of the U2 routines are specific
to Windows and/or OS/2 (as I recall, you can see which ones by
examining the U2 registry directly), and some of your own
customizations may be Windows-specific, too. I know Robert will
correct me if I'm wrong, but I think SW.CMD requires Windows.


Not that these are insurmountable hurdles. I suspect it would be
possible to modify your XyWrite installation to be fully compatible
with the different requirements of dosemu or dosbox, but I think it
might take a lot of time and patience. Might be well worth the effort
in the end. Meanwhile, Ctrl-Alt-F may be your best bet for toggling
between full screen and windowed Xy on a Linux box.


Jeff

-----Original Message-----
From: Raphael Tennenbaum 
To: XyWrite listserv 
Sent: Mon, Nov 30, 2009 11:08 am
Subject: Switching in and out of fullscreen dosemu session?

I used to use XyWrite fullscreen under OS/2 but for a variety of
reasons gave it up. now I have been playing around with it under
dosemu, where it works handsomely, & hoping to tweak it.
is there a way to shell to the Linux desktop out of XyWrite the way I
used to under OS/2, using RH's superb SW.CMD? standard dosemu way to
return to the desktop is by invoking Ctrl-Alt-F to switch between
fullscreen and windowed sessions -- which okay, but adds a couple of
steps. I suspect it's not feasible -- if I start a plain old dosemu
window, resize it to fullscreen, and hit Alt-Tab, it simply beeps
instead of switching from the VGA console -- but just wonder if
anyone knows for sure.
-rafe t.