MS-DOS aux file -- what that is??

[luserdroog]

I've been reading up on MS-DOS programming and the various file functions
as they evolved from 1.0 to 2.0 to 3.0 from Norton's Guide to the IBM PC.
In the DOS 2.0 functions there are 5 file handles already opened and reserved.

0 = stdin
1 = stdout
2 = stderr
3 = stdaux
4 = stdprint

What in the heck is a "standard auxiliary file (or device?)"? Is there any lore
on what this was used for? Would you plug an extra gizmo into the computer
and install a device driver and hook it up as the aux file and do what ...
blinkenlights, 7 segment displays, warp coil polarity control?

[Carlos E.R.]

Post by luserdroog
I've been reading up on MS-DOS programming and the various file functions
as they evolved from 1.0 to 2.0 to 3.0 from Norton's Guide to the IBM PC.
In the DOS 2.0 functions there are 5 file handles already opened and reserved.
0 = stdin
1 = stdout
2 = stderr
3 = stdaux
4 = stdprint
What in the heck is a "standard auxiliary file (or device?)"? Is there any lore
on what this was used for? Would you plug an extra gizmo into the computer
and install a device driver and hook it up as the aux file and do what ...
blinkenlights, 7 segment displays, warp coil polarity control?

It was the serial port, by default.

[Juergen Nickelsen]

"Carlos E.R." <***@es.invalid> writes:

[AUX:]

Post by Carlos E.R.
It was the serial port, by default.

And there was a MODE command to set the port parameters (among other
things), so this could actually be useful.

[Ted Nolan <tednolan>]

Post by Juergen Nickelsen
[AUX:]

Post by Carlos E.R.
It was the serial port, by default.

And there was a MODE command to set the port parameters (among other
things), so this could actually be useful.

Except it still wasn't useful because DOS didn't use interrupts to
drive the UART iirc. You still needed a program that could do that
directly to get any useful speed out of the com port, and that bypassed
the whole AUX: interface entirely.

[J. Clarke]

On Mon, 5 Jul 2021 17:30:11 -0700 (PDT), luserdroog

Post by luserdroog
I've been reading up on MS-DOS programming and the various file functions
as they evolved from 1.0 to 2.0 to 3.0 from Norton's Guide to the IBM PC.
In the DOS 2.0 functions there are 5 file handles already opened and reserved.
0 = stdin
1 = stdout
2 = stderr
3 = stdaux
4 = stdprint
What in the heck is a "standard auxiliary file (or device?)"? Is there any lore
on what this was used for? Would you plug an extra gizmo into the computer
and install a device driver and hook it up as the aux file and do what ...
blinkenlights, 7 segment displays, warp coil polarity control?

My guess would the audio recorder, which on the PC wasn't used to
record sound but as an I/O device.

[luserdroog]

Post by J. Clarke
On Mon, 5 Jul 2021 17:30:11 -0700 (PDT), luserdroog

Post by luserdroog
I've been reading up on MS-DOS programming and the various file functions
as they evolved from 1.0 to 2.0 to 3.0 from Norton's Guide to the IBM PC.
In the DOS 2.0 functions there are 5 file handles already opened and reserved.
0 = stdin
1 = stdout
2 = stderr
3 = stdaux
4 = stdprint
What in the heck is a "standard auxiliary file (or device?)"? Is there any lore
on what this was used for? Would you plug an extra gizmo into the computer
and install a device driver and hook it up as the aux file and do what ...
blinkenlights, 7 segment displays, warp coil polarity control?

My guess would the audio recorder, which on the PC wasn't used to
record sound but as an I/O device.

Interesting. Do you a need a modem in there somewhere or A/D or D/A convertors?

[Grant Taylor]

Post by luserdroog
Interesting. Do you a need a modem in there somewhere or A/D or D/A convertors?

The original IBM PC included a Cassette port.

Link - Nobody ever used the IBM PC with cassette tape port.
-

[Bob Eager]

Post by luserdroog
I've been reading up on MS-DOS programming and the various file
functions as they evolved from 1.0 to 2.0 to 3.0 from Norton's Guide to
the IBM PC.
In the DOS 2.0 functions there are 5 file handles already opened and reserved.
0 = stdin 1 = stdout 2 = stderr 3 = stdaux 4 = stdprint
What in the heck is a "standard auxiliary file (or device?)"? Is there
any lore on what this was used for? Would you plug an extra gizmo into
the computer and install a device driver and hook it up as the aux file
and do what ... blinkenlights, 7 segment displays, warp coil polarity
control?

My guess would the audio recorder, which on the PC wasn't used to record
sound but as an I/O device.

No, it was the first serial port. The AUX: device.

[Carlos E.R.]

Post by J. Clarke
On Mon, 5 Jul 2021 17:30:11 -0700 (PDT), luserdroog

Post by luserdroog
I've been reading up on MS-DOS programming and the various file functions
as they evolved from 1.0 to 2.0 to 3.0 from Norton's Guide to the IBM PC.
In the DOS 2.0 functions there are 5 file handles already opened and reserved.
0 = stdin
1 = stdout
2 = stderr
3 = stdaux
4 = stdprint
What in the heck is a "standard auxiliary file (or device?)"? Is there any lore
on what this was used for? Would you plug an extra gizmo into the computer
and install a device driver and hook it up as the aux file and do what ...
blinkenlights, 7 segment displays, warp coil polarity control?

My guess would the audio recorder, which on the PC wasn't used to
record sound but as an I/O device.

Nope, sorry. The tape recorder thing wasn't a device, not a pseudo file
you could write to.

No, AUX was the serial port.