FreeDOS 30th Anniversary with Jim Hall and Jeff Brace
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- Опубліковано 3 жов 2024
- The FreeDOS Project will turn 30 years old on June 29, 2024. This is a long time for any open source project, especially one like FreeDOS.
FreeDOS is an open source DOS-compatible operating system that you can use to play classic DOS games, run legacy business software, or write new DOS programs. Any program that works on MS-DOS should also run on FreeDOS.
And yes, lots of people really do run FreeDOS in 2024. There's a sizable community of retro computing enthusiasts who like to run classic operating systems like DOS. You can find many people online who restore old computers and put FreeDOS on them.
But there's more than just the throwback aspect to FreeDOS. One thing I like about FreeDOS (or any DOS, but FreeDOS especially) is that it has so few "moving parts" that it's very easy for beginner computer users to understand how a computer works.
And of course, there were just so many great DOS games from the 1980s and 1990s. And just because these games are old doesn't mean they aren't fun to play; I love going back to play classic shareware DOS games like DOOM, or Jill of the Jungle, or Commander Keen. These are still excellent in 2024.
For more information, please visit our website at www.freedos.org
I used to use WP5.2 running my invoicing system right up until 2004. Worked like a charm.
@SuperWillEvans: Sometimes you have to stick with what works. Sometimes the old stuff just works! Why upgrade when what you have does the job?
Happy 30th Birthday, Thanks for all of your effort and dedication with FreeDOS over the years :)
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I really enjoyed working with V1.3 and have a couple of nice custom images with some dev tools to play with.
I am using VirtualBox at the moment and it works well except VB no longer provides legacy support. Some video can be iffy and there is no midi synth hardware emulation, but still a good experience for some programming etc. :)
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I did take some C (GCC) and FreeBASIC source over from Windows/Linux 64 to JDGPP and FB DOS without any issues for a test run.
I am looking forward when I get some time to see if I can find or think up any useful CLI utilities out of my source collection. I did a guide on v1.3 setup as well as setting up some dev tools and libraries. I think I posted the PDF on Github... I think :/
Anyways, there is a 3 part quick video overview on my YT channel showing some FreeDOS setup fun :)
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I am curious about FreeDOS file server ( I can't remember if there was one), but rejetto HFS is easily browsable from the one of the FreeDOS web browsers.
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Good luck and wishes for all future releases :)
@axle.student: Thanks so much for your thoughtful comments!
Truthfully a high rang wizzard of DOS.🎉
@maxmuster7003: Jim is indeed a grand wizard of DOS!
In high school we used Bank Street Writer Well, my classmates did I had GeoWrite at home
@DeFrisselle: My teacher used Bank Street Writer while us kids used LOGO turtle graphics in 7th and 8th Grade. In high school it was some sort of terminal word processor. I had SpeedScript as my first word process at home in 1988t or 1989.
Some program use a simple loop for a delay and not a routine based on the timer chip or the vsync. I made a delay for a pull down menu in text mode polling the keyboard controller on an intel 80286 and i can use it on Intel core2. Without a delay on 80286 it move much to fast.
@maxmuster7003: That's an interesting idea. Maybe that could be made to work.
Maybe it is possible to patch a game with a new delay routine if we find the main loop.
@maxmuster7003: If you find a way, then please let us know!
@@vcfederation We can modify the code by override an instruction with a call instruction to our routine that we add into the memoy. We can start our subroutine with the instruction that we lost/override and after that we place our delay routine. At last we end with a return instruction to go back to the next instruction after the call. Now we can start a test run. Note: The instruction that we want to override with a call instruction should have the same amount of bytes like the call instruction. A simple delay can wait for the vsync at port 03DA multiple times in a loop or two nested loops if we want it slower. The delay routine can push some register that we need for the delay at first and after the delay we can pop the register from the stack before return. It is not so much to do, but to find a good location in the mainroute for our call instruction.
I am not sure if it is possible to boot on UEFI manboard in 64 bit and in graphic mode to load the ibm compatible bios from a file and switch into the 16 bit mode and switch into text mode to start a boot manager that let us boot DOS with DOS Sata driver or booting from USB FAT16/FAT32, or CD-ROM El Torito FAT12 floppy emulation.
@maxmuster7003: Let us know if you get that to work!
If you want to sound smart, demonstrate FreeDOS Edlin. ;-)
@gpietsch: That's just masochism !
@@vcfederation FreeDOS Edlin is the world's most awesome editor! If you want to find out what the world was like before GUIs, it's there in front of your face!