What is the difference between 'OpenGEM', 'FreeGEM' and 'Owen's FreeGEM'?

[punchy71]

Greetings,
What is the difference between 'OpenGEM', 'FreeGEM' and 'Owen's FreeGEM'? I already read the Wiki entry's for them but it doesn't say. All I know is that they are a non-multi tasking graphical user interface (GUI) for DOS, based on D.R.I.'s original 'GEM' environment from the 1980's...

Thanks

 

[krebizfan]

FreeGEM takes the GEM code that was released under the GPL and incorporates bug fixes, features from the GEM derivative ViewMax, and additional drivers.

OpenGEM was FreeGEM packaged in an easier to install form. There were several variants on OpenGEM with increasing numbers of applications with OpenGEM Complete including every GEM application that could be legally distributed. OpenGEM SDK was all the tools for development of GEM placed into one package. The people responsible for OpenGEM have moved unto other projects and OpenGEM is no longer updated. Planned efforts to make a working version of multitasking and protected mode GEM prototypes have been abandoned.

Owen's FreeGEM is a 2000 release of FreeGEM with some additional applications. http://owenrudge.net/GEM/dist lists the details of what is changed.

Note: Because of limitations with many GEM applications, it is best to install GEM on a FAT-16 drive. OpenGEM requires installs to be on the C: drive.

 

[vwestlife]

Caldera released the source code to GEM under the GNU General Public License in April 1999. OpenGEM and FreeGEM are different distributions of the GEM code, much like how Linux comes in all sorts of different "distros". I believe both versions restore some of the features that were removed from GEM after the Apple lawsuit, such as the trash can icon, however I don't think they restore the ability to do overlapping and resizable windows on the desktop. Caldera also released the source code to the multitasking version of GEM (GEM/XM) which was never released by Digital Research.

 

[punchy71]

Speaking of Linux, is there a Linux version of GEM/FreeGEM/OpenGEM available? I already did a search and all I came up with was something to do with the Ruby programming language. =(

 

[krebizfan]

GEM is a very common letter combination. In addition to DRI's GEM, there is a GEM used in Linux for Intel graphic chips and a different GEM for scientific applications and yet another GEM related to Ruby.

For DRI GEM and FreeGEM, there is no Linux version. It needs to be installed on something like DosBOX or other virtualizer/emulator. There were a few efforts at creating a Linux version of an GEM source code compatible API layer but those stalled soon after being suggested.

The Atari ST had a more developed version of GEM with multitasking. The 68000 CPU requires recompiling and many other changes from the x86 GEM often requires revising source code. ARAnyM is a Linux friendly implementation.

The GEM mailing list is at http://www.simpits.org/pipermail/gem-dev/ so you can track how development of FreeGEM has progressed over the previous decade.

 

[geneb]

Check out http://www.deltasoft.com for the "home" site. I worked a lot with Roger Gross (used to work for the Novell European Development Center) to get GEM released as well as the first release of OpenDOS 7 (was DR-DOS 7), but that (OpenDOS) effort died when Caldera went full retard.

The original intent was to release all the old legacy DRI stuff under some kind of open source license, but most of it was lost when the DRI archive in Monterey was flooded. I have an inventory of what was lost and it's a horror show.

g.