Welp, I did it, I filled EZ-ROM CD-ROM Door to the max of 228 Shareware CDs. <tear> ;)

... Friends come and go, but enemies accumulate.

--- Renegade v1.35/DOS
* Origin: The Titantic BBS Telnet - ttb.rgbbs.info (21:1/144)

Hi Exodus,
In a message to All you wrote:

Welp, I did it, I filled EZ-ROM CD-ROM Door to the max of 228
Shareware CDs. <tear> ;)

Congrats. I know you didn't write the program, but I wonder where / why
they used 228 as the max number of cd's.

That's the kind of crazy that lives in my head.

... Bizarreness is the essence of the exotic.


* SeM. 2.26 * Dirty Ole' Town
--- SBBSecho 3.29-Linux
* Origin: _thePharcyde telnet://bbs.pharcyde.org (Wisconsin) (21:1/700)

Congrats. I know you didn't write the program, but I wonder where / why they used 228 as the max number of cd's.

That's the kind of crazy that lives in my head.

We got in touch with him a few months ago (Tim Witson and myself), and got reg codes for it. He had random CD numbers increasing for each release (maybe a memory issue when compiling?). This one not being released to the public until we got it (from 1999). I asked him if he could update it to 300 or 350 and he said he would have to install pascal again, as he only makes actual windows programs now. So it's doubtful it will happen. :(

... Drink till she's cute. Stop before you get married.

--- Renegade v1.35/DOS
* Origin: The Titantic BBS Telnet - ttb.rgbbs.info (21:1/144)

Re: Re: Welp
By: Exodus to Tiny on Sun Sep 14 2025 09:53 am

We got in touch with him a few months ago (Tim Witson and myself), and got reg codes for it. He had random CD numbers increasing for each release (maybe a memory issue when compiling?). This one not being released to the public until we got it (from 1999). I asked him if he could update it to 300 or 350 and he said he would have to install pascal again, as he only makes actual windows programs now. So it's doubtful it will happen.

I wonder if he'd be open to open-sourcing it or at least sharing the source somehow so that someone else could update it if desired.

Nightfox
--- SBBSecho 3.29-Linux
* Origin: Digital Distortion: digdist.synchro.net (21:1/137)

only makes actual windows programs now. So it's doubtful it will happ

I wonder if he'd be open to open-sourcing it or at least sharing the source somehow so that someone else could update it if desired.

I asked, he turned me down. I asked if I could do it, and he turned me down. So I doubt it. Weird, as it's not something he's interested in working on anymore. :(

... Windows isn't crippleware: it's "Fuctionally Challenged"

--- Renegade v1.35/DOS
* Origin: The Titantic BBS Telnet - ttb.rgbbs.info (21:1/144)

Hi Tiny,

Abstract: It is very likely that the 228 CD limit is a Turbo Pascal/real
mode memory limit. EZ-ROM is (according to findings) a DOS door written
in Turbo Pascal; Turbo Pascal in 16-bit real mode has a maximum of 64 KB
per data segment for global/static data. If the developer created a static array table of records for the CD catalog entries, the record size
determines how many entries fit into the 64 KB. With a record size of roughly ~280 bytes, you end up with about ~228 entries (64 KB / ~280 B ≈ 228). This explains why 256 were not used: the 64 KB segment limit was there before.
A round number like 256 does not help if the sum of the record bytes exceeds the 64 KB mark beforehand.

Greetz
neo67

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A48 (Windows/64)
* Origin: -= The News BBS | bbs.dosnetz.de:3232 =- (21:2/136)

Abstract: It is very likely that the 228 CD limit is a Turbo Pascal/real mode memory limit. EZ-ROM is (according to findings) a DOS door written
in Turbo Pascal; Turbo Pascal in 16-bit real mode has a maximum of 64 KB
per data segment for global/static data. If the developer created a static array table of records for the CD catalog entries, the record size determines how many entries fit into the 64 KB. With a record size of rough ~280 bytes, you end up with about ~228 entries (64 KB / ~280 B ≈ 228). Th explains why 256 were not used: the 64 KB segment limit was there before.
A round number like 256 does not help if the sum of the record bytes exceed the 64 KB mark beforehand.

Every release he raised it. It started as 96, then worked its way to 228. So it MAY or MAY NOT explain this.

... Don't confuse me with facts.

--- Renegade v1.35/DOS
* Origin: The Titantic BBS Telnet - ttb.rgbbs.info (21:1/144)

Hi Exodus,
In a message to Neo67 you wrote:

64 KB per data segment for global/static data. If the developer

Every release he raised it. It started as 96, then worked its way to
228. So it MAY or MAY NOT explain this.

It makes sense, I'll take that as the answer ;) I didn't think of that.

... Good: Your uncle leaves you a fortune. Bad: It's counterfeit.


* SeM. 2.26 * From the Dirty Shwa
--- SBBSecho 3.29-Linux
* Origin: _thePharcyde telnet://bbs.pharcyde.org (Wisconsin) (21:1/700)

Welp, I did it, I filled EZ-ROM CD-ROM Door to the max of 228 Shareware CDs. <tear> ;)

I've found that I can't have files >64MB in my filebase on Ezycom 2.15g1. They adopt OK, but if you try to queue it, your session drops. The error in the log file is an overflow of some sort.

One day I'll sit down and upgrade further, maybe even get 3.00 working if we can unearth a compatible key!

The temptation is to set up a modern 'frontend', but man I love operating Ezycom. It's a leap back into my formative years.

Cheers,
RetroSwim

--- Ezycom V2.15g1 01FD0295
* Origin: >> Pool's Open - The RetroSwim BBS (21:2/121)

Every release he raised it. It started as 96, then worked its way to
228. So it MAY or MAY NOT explain this.

... Don't confuse me with facts.

Hi Exodus,

The era of the early BBS systems differs from today in two ways:

1. Everyone was interested in these technical aspects of programming.

2. If you weren't interested, you just kept your mouth shut.

Confuse no other...

THX

neo67

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A48 (Windows/64)
* Origin: -= The News BBS | bbs.dosnetz.de:3232 =- (21:2/136)

Every release he raised it. It started as 96, then worked its way to 228. So it MAY or MAY NOT explain this.

... Don't confuse me with facts.

Hi Exodus,

The era of the early BBS systems differs from today in two ways:

1. Everyone was interested in these technical aspects of programming.

2. If you weren't interested, you just kept your mouth shut.

Confuse no other...

What did that have to do with how many CDs it was able to read?

... Finish the project. We'll buy you a new family.

--- Renegade v1.35/DOS
* Origin: The Titantic BBS Telnet - ttb.rgbbs.info (21:1/144)