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FreeDOS, the escaped and open-source alternate to Microsoft DOS (MS-DOS), conscionable released a caller large update. It inactive has fantabulous compatibility with MS-DOS software, including Windows 3.1 and earlier, and galore of the built-in packages person been updated with caller features and fixes.
The FreeDOS task has been astir since 1994, and it primitively aimed to make a escaped and open-source clone of MS-DOS, which was the astir fashionable operating strategy for PCs astatine the time. Microsoft stopped supporting MS-DOS arsenic a standalone operating strategy aft the merchandise of Windows 95, but the FreeDOS task continued chugging along. Today, it’s a large drop-in replacement for MS-DOS for virtual machines oregon bequest PCs, and it tin footwear natively connected galore PCs.
What’s New successful FreeDOS 1.3
FreeDOS 1.3 includes updated versions of galore strategy packages, including the bid enactment interpreter FreeCOM, the filesystem tools Xcopy and Move, and the Fdisk partitioning utility. The mTCP package, which includes applications for networking, has received immoderate reliability improvements. There’s besides a wholly rewritten mentation of FDHelp, the built-in assistance system.
The blog station explained, “We did immoderate bundle cleanup on the way. For example, FreeDOS has agelong focused connected a bid enactment acquisition that is emblematic of classical DOS. However, we've included immoderate graphical desktops successful erstwhile distributions, including OpenGEM, Seal, and oZone. However, Seal and oZone were rather buggy; we decided to driblet these from the caller distribution. […] We besides replaced the BMP2PNG programme with different program, DOSVIEW.”
The halfway FreeDOS kernel is inactive unchanged from the erstwhile FreeDOS 1.2 release, which means Windows 3.1 inactive can’t tally successful 386 Enhanced Mode with much representation disposable to applications. The codification changes required for that functionality person been in investigating for a fewer years, but it’s inactive not rather ready. FreeDOS tin inactive tally Windows 3.1 and earlier versions successful modular mode, but if you privation the champion imaginable acquisition connected an aged PC, you should instrumentality to MS-DOS 6.22.
Thankfully, compatibility with MS-DOS games and applications should inactive beryllium astir perfect. That includes Wolfenstein 3D, Doom, aboriginal versions of Microsoft Word and WordPerfect, Commander Keen, Lotus 1-2-3, Oregon Trail Deluxe, Jill of the Jungle, Duke Nukem, and galore different programs.
The announcement station besides said, “A fewer updates didn't marque it into the FreeDOS 1.4 distribution. For example, a fewer programs released updates successful the days earlier the last FreeDOS 1.4 release, similar the Blocek substance exertion (version 1.76) and that was excessively precocious to see them. These programs volition get included successful upcoming monthly trial releases.”
Download FreeDOS
You tin download FreeDOS from the project’s website. The unrecorded CD download is cleanable for installing FreeDOS successful a virtual instrumentality oregon hardware, since it gives you a bootable situation to effort retired successful summation to the installer. There’s besides a USB representation for installing FreeDOS connected PCs that enactment USB boot.
For older PCs, FreeDOS besides has a ‘LegacyCD’ representation that uses a antithetic footwear method for amended compatibility. Finally, there’s a ‘Floppy Edition’ that fits connected 720kB, 1.2MB, oregon 1.44MB floppy disks. The task says that should enactment connected “any archetypal IBM PC system, including the PC, XT, and AT.”
FreeDOS is inactive a 16-bit x86 operating system, truthful it tin lone footwear oregon beryllium virtualized connected x86 PCs. If you person a Snapdragon X Elite PC, a Mac with an Apple Silicon chip, oregon immoderate different non-x86 hardware architecture, you person to emulate it with QEMU oregon different akin tool.
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