So, I just got to look at boot11.asm and there is like no formatting and I can't read it.
If you are trying to view it under windows, open the file with Wordpad and use "Save As..." and choose the MS-DOS plain text format. Newlines are different between operating systems, this is why the text looks unformatted.
-I want my OS to pretty much be a word processing operating system with built in c++ compiler so it can handle basic text c++ programs.
I wouldn't suggest doing this. First you should try writing a word processor and a C++ compiler on whatever operating system you're using before trying to embed such a feature into the complexities of an operating system.
-I need help with user input, new lines, the compiler, and opening, reading from, and closing files, and checking for equality.
I'm sorry, but are you crazy? I see no reason that you can't get help with things like user I/O, console operations (like newlines and scrolling), reading/writing hard drives, and comparing values. But if you really think you can learn a subject as broad as compiler development by posting requests on a forum, you're sadly mistaken. Go buy some books, maybe take a class on finite automata at your local college, but I don't think you're going to find much information through general forum discussions. Compiler creation is about as broad a subject as operating systems development itself is (likely more so).
-I am fine with tag teaming with as many people who want to do this.
I'm sure you are. However, given the apparent shortcomings I doubt you're going to find anyone that'll help you with such an "ambitious project".
-I am still using Mike berlios's code.
Great, it's good to have a working starting point for your edification.
-I don't want a kernel
Then you don't want an operating system. The kernel is the core of all operating systems, it technically IS the operating system. Even DOS had a kernel as part of COMMAND.COM. Even further back, the C64 (which was mostly just a BASIC interpreter in ROM) had a "kernal". You may not want a kernel, but you're not going to be doing an operating system without one.
-Currently all my code is in the bootloader and I don't know how to end the bootloader and start the OS
You end the bootloader by doing a call to the kernel's entrypoint routine. Below is a list of links to help you in the next few steps. The Multiboot specification by GNU
[1] will help you to make your bootloader more "compliant". Basically, a multiboot loader is capable of loading any operating system which follows that specification (like Linux, BSD, and more). Also included are two really good kernel development tutorials
[2][3] which both run on top of multiboot loaders. These kernels should give you a good understanding of what it takes to get your system up and running.
You should really try and take baby steps with this, you seem to be biting off more than you can chew. I'd hate to see you give up trying to learn OS Dev or assembly simply because you decided to pick an unreasonably difficult project for a beginner to start with.
Regards,
Bryant Keller
