DOS screenwriting program
 

hi,

Im a screenwriter and linux user.
for several years I have used a DOS screewriting program called Movie Master which I think is still unsurpassed from the newer windows applications.
In linux I dont know of any functioning screenwriting software so i have been considering converting Movie Master to linux.
I must say i know nothing of programming (I assume Movie Master is C++) yet would be willing to undertake this project with someone who is interested and has the necessary programming skills.
Any takers?

Not knowing anything of Movie Master, it's hard to say how much work such a project would be. I suppose it all depends on what sort of libraries it uses. Do you have the source code for it? Have you looked into any sort of licensing that affect this undertaking?

You might also just want to try running the app directly with a DOS emulator like dosemu. Having never used dosemu, I'm not sure how well it works, but it may be worth a try.

I have the original disks and have opened the program (both the install disk and installed program) with a editor but honestly I dont know much about it.
I run it on freedos now and it works fine.
the idea would be to use the program as a base to create a clone that runs under linux.
as it works on ASCII text files I assume it shouldnt have great requirements.
if anyone is interested in taking a look at the code I can provide a copy.

Well if by "opened the program" you mean you opened the binary in something like a hex editor, then trying to make it a native Linux binary would be quite a bit more difficult as you are probably looking at disassembling it and porting the assembly, which is quite a bit more complex than just porting over C/C++ code.

If you have actual source code that you opened (that is to say, human readable text that gets compiled into the final binary), then it might not be too bad. Without knowing any more details, it's hard to say, though.

It's also possible that it is just written in some sort of scripting language that isn't compiled. Something like QBasic maybe...

thanks for the reply,
Im afraid you are right and what I have been looking at is the compiled portion of the program.
would it be possible, from there, to do some sort of inverse engineering to get the source code?
or would it be more feasible to analyze the program funtionality and recompile it from scratch in a linux native language?

If the source code isn't available, but you know the salient features in and out, especially if there is an instruction manual, I would recommend creating something from scratch. That could be a huge project, but decompiling and porting asm will be a huge pain for everyone involved, and there would be no simple way to add features or fix bugs. Depending on how it uses DOS, you might be able to make it 99% portable, only having to change a few lines to port it back to DOS once you've written it for Linux. Provided the software is either open domain or GPL/LGPL you can do this, otherwise you will have to read through whatever license came with it. If no licence came with it, I think the best you can do is 1) make your own with your own ideas, 2) port it however you can, but use it for yourself only. A good place to look for developers is www.sourceforge.net. You would have to register as a user, register a project, then put out a request for developers.
ta0kira

I have read some screen writing. Really, I think all you need is an editor that supports templates.

All you really need is some different fonts/sizes/paragraph formats for headings, dialog, stage directions, set layout and such.

Is there anything else this program does for you? If not, you can simply create your own template for OpenOffice.

well,
first topic,
yes i have the manual and know the program very well in terms of functionality.
my point is, having the program and see it working, looking at the code (even if the compiled version) would be helpful in order to create a linux version?
I wouldnt mind to start from scratch and I thing the idea of starting a project at sourceforge is excelent.
Movie master is no longer available as it has been replaced by windows/mac applications which rather than improving functionality lowered it dramaticaly.
For a while i though I was a unique case of still using DOS just for this program.
I was amazed to find out how many colleagues do the same thing and, offering such a cool application under linux would, I hope, in small part contribute to the linux cause too.
second topic.
there are several templates applications that do something similar to Movie Master, get the job done more or less.
Yet, the strenghts of this program are:
Its small and blazing fast running on newer processor (it was meant to run on a 286 with 2 mb or RAM, LOL)
does not need a mouse and all formatting functions on the fly are function keys which is wonderful for a writer and also every macro function is easily and highly customizable.
screenwriting is not about writing as much as re-writing and editing endlessly and this program handles this part very well.
it is a light, self contained application, so you wont need to instal anything else.

There are tons of GPL'd editors out there that would provide the framework for such a program.

I understand you aren't a programmer. And to tell you the truth, that's probably going to help you. You need to write up a whole set of specifications on how you want the program to operate from a user's perspective. Programmers can easily take on the rest.

Now, don't go copying the user manual for the program you have been using. Start with basic ideas and come up with new features, look and feel that you want to see.

You want it fast, small and lightweight.
You want it to run on Linux. Probably without a GUI interface. You can get a GUI interface later.
You need to design the Menus and the options on those menus.
Function Keys/Hotkeys operations.
Default setup/fonts/etc. for the editor.

This is all the really difficult work that needs to go into your program. Once you have a set of specifications, the rest is really easy.

You are a writer. Now you need to be a technical writer. This is what every good programmer really needs -> some real direction. ;)

do you have any suggestion about which application could I use to do this and where to find some how to about the technical part?

Hi, flying-tuxman!

Do you still have this software? I am interested in developing a similar software for Linux. Can you get in touch?

Yay necropost;)

There’s a video of the program in action here:

https://youtu.be/N3_QmiNs52o

Interesting; why would you need the software? By saying you want to develop similar software, it implies you already KNOW what that software is/can do. There are also abundant images and versions you can find by putting "movie master screenwriting software" into Google....did you not find any?

Thanks! I had seen it before.

I don't really know or need the software per se. Even though I have worked with WordStar in the past, I'd like to have a better overview than the one presented in the video or the images found on Google.