Re-Inventing the wheel
 

I really hate vista, i dont like apple and linux isnt my taste either. Ok i dont mind them since they all have their good areas but in my opinion Vista is a step too far. I mean how many people like to see a BSOD every time they install a driver? How many people like waiting half an hour in front of a loading screen? no one? thats what I thought.

I know pascal, and can get around in Ruby, Javascript, Visual Basic, Qbasic and also in HTML. Is there any tutorial that will explain making an operating system clearly and at a very beginner example for free? every tutorial Ive seen has been more or less (honestly) a mess that only works if the conditions of your system are met to the last degree and that doesn't happen often. So if there is any course/tutorial or someone to get me going please let me know. I really know nothing about ASM or Assembler and my deduction is that you have to know ASM very well to start developing an OS, which I dont and every page that is supposed to explain or teach you it has only confused me more.

Any help would be REALLY appreciated.

Thanks

Operating System Course
 

I have taken "Operating Systems" at Pace University in White Plains NY. It is very complicated but by the end of the course (12 classes) I was able to create a working DOS. It was written in C-Language. It technically was not a standalone OS since it required DOS itself to run. Keep in mind when Windows first appeared in the 80's it also need DOS in the background to be able to function. College courses are expensive but its nice to have a professor and other students you can rely on for help. You may also try auditing the course in which you don't get College credit but get to sit in on all the classes and get the same information. --Stuart

The problem is that I can't really go to university because Im 13 but the idea of writing a new interface that runs dos commands without the black screen and white text interface is appealing. Could I achieve that in pascal? Or is there anyone who could point me to an ASM tutorial that is EASY to understand and go with then please let me know, Ive always wanted to build an OS from the ground up.

When I was at Pace I took learned assembler language in a separate course apart from Operating Systems. My professor felt uncomfortable letting us graduate withou learning it. Now the same course uses HTML to teach the same principles of programming such as linked lists and simple calculator simulators. Keep in mind my DOS Operating system was written withou the use of assembler. I've heard of languages written in the same language. Something like trying to pull the rug from underneath you while you're still standing on it.
DOS background and foreground colors can be changed when started with the CMD command used in START/Run/CMD. After opening the CMD window (DOS) Right Click on the icon in the upper left corner and Click properties on the drop down menu. Click on the "Color" tab and have fun. However it would be more fun to create a DOS skin.
As far as ASM (Assembler Language), I learned it in a week or two before the final exam and I'm hardly a genius. If you feel you're too young to enroll then at least try to stop in at a college bookstore and see if there's anything that might help.
Auditing a course may still make it possible for you to attend without officially being enrolled in the scholl. It's a fraction of the cost compared to actually attending the school since you're getting any credit toward graduation. The rules may be totally different regarding age. You may only need your parent's help and permission of the instructor. It's better than going to camp for the summer. It would also give you a good idea of what college is like should you want to go one day. Start by writing a letter to your local college letting them know you're thinking of auditing or sitting in on a course.
I wish I'd saved my books. I could have leant them to you but they're long gone. I didn't even think Pascal was still in use.
--Stuart