Free Software for DOS:
Introduction
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[ ^ ] micro-FAQ
- Can I mail you a program suggestion or other comments?
- Because of current time constraints on the author, I am no longer soliciting program suggestions for this list. I will gladly accept suggestions, which could be added at a later date. Unfortunately, I can't always respond to e-mail in a timely fashion so please forgive me in advance. Send mail to dosware @ hotmail.com
- What is the Free Software for DOS site?
- This site has been on the web, in one form or another, since 1994. It started as a "personal favorites" list of free DOS programs and has undergone a process of slow and broad accretion over the years. The site has been maintained by one person who uses DOS exclusively for personal use rather than work (my occupation is not computer-related). Consequently, the contents are generally biased toward the DOS hobbyist and home user rather than the computer / business professional. The site has been, and will remain, a non-profit/ non-commercial effort.
- This site is often referenced elsewhere as a "DOS archive" which it is not. Considerable effort has been invested into selecting and reviewing programs, and much energy has been put into organizing the site into user-friendly categories and subcategories for easy reference. In these respects, the site represents something quite distinct from a file repository.
- What types of programs are (and are not) listed?
- Programs should run under MS-DOS 6.x (and/ or previous versions). What's not listed here are command interface/ Win32 console programs for Win9x/NT, although you should see a mention of these if they are distributed along with a DOS counterpart. I've included a few Win3x/9x GUI programs that may interest DOS users.
- Because this list was never intended to be exhaustive, there exist huge gaps in coverage: Power users will not find the entire spectrum of Unix-ish programs, no batch tips or files, program patches, v. few device drivers, text documents, or extremely specialized programs. No games or networking/ DOS Internet programs (except browsers) are currently listed.
- I haven't been consistent listing DOS version, processor, or video requirements for many programs because that information is often not available from the docs. No serious attempt has been made to determine which programs run on old PC's (e.g., 8088, 286). Many programs here are old and may or may not be Year 2000 compliant. Many older file and disk utilities won't perform adequately on PC's with the latest hardware and file systems (multi-gigabyte drives, FAT 32, etc.)
- Try perusing the SimtelNet, Garbo, and other ftp sites for programs not found here. Also see my concise list of DOS freeware sites.
- Why don't you list DOS pay-shareware or "abandonware"?
- When these pages were conceived years ago, DOS was still a commercially viable operating system, and the number of DOS pay-shareware and commercialware authors remained significant. A site like mine, which filtered freeware offerings from the multitude of pay-ware offerings, made sense back then just as the filtering of Windows freeware makes sense today. However, the DOS scene has changed significantly during the intervening years. Most DOS software now being developed is free (with several important exceptions). The main challenge today is not finding DOS freeware but finding any new DOS software! Today I have no objections- in principle- to including payware on this site because support of any DOS software development is very desirable to users of DOS. But I'm currently not modifying my restriction of "free-only" because the site has been historically synonymous with "free" (at least for personal use) and I see no reason to disrupt that expectation now. Moreover, there already exists Dev Teelucksingh's Interesting DOS Programs list which does track many current DOS shareware and commercialware offerings. There is no need to duplicate Dev's excellent list here.
- Abandonware (narrowly defined here as old payware which is no longer supported or sold) is not included because it is not considered "free" unless the copyright holders have explicitly stated so. While some may view this decision as over-cautious, it's clear that some copyright owners have communicated their displeasure of (and threatened legal action against) abandonware sites. Many popular abandonware sites have subsequently been...abandoned.
- Why create a freeware list devoted to a "dying, obsolete" operating system?
- A still-significant proportion of home computer users can't (or won't) transition to newer 32-bit environments. For many, DOS remains a familiar, sufficient, and highly productive operating system for (at least) home use.
- There seems to be a general under-appreciation of the cross-platform potential of many DOS programs, e.g., OS/2 includes great DOS support; DOSEMU provides DOS emulation under Linux. Of course, Win3x/9x/Me include DOS, and NT/2000/XP emulate it.
- The number and diversity of quality freeware programs developed for DOS over 15+ years are staggering.
- As DOS exits from use in business environments, it is becoming more of a freeware developer's OS; also some excellent DOS shareware have now been re-classified as freeware by their authors.
- There should be an increasing historical/ nostalgic interest in older hardware and DOS as the years pass. A small but devoted group of retrocomputer hobbyists enjoy the fun challenge of using old PC's and DOS. Although difficult for some to fathom, the limitations of DOS create the challenge....and thus, the enjoyment.
- More than anything, I'm creating the list as a fun experiment in HTML and freeware, and for me, DOS represents a manageable "model."
[ ^ ] Acknowledgments . . .
To the generous and thoughtful programmers who create some very enjoyable and useful software. Second, to the FTP sites, administrators, and mirrors who grant free access to their file collections. And to those who submit tips to the DOS newsgroups- many of the gems here were first discovered through newsgroups. A big thanks to all those who have so graciously offered advice, correction, and support. And to my fiancee who has long-endured this addiction.
Special persons who have contributed to this effort:
Special thanks to: Bjørn Simonsen whose wisdom and patient advice throughout have been invaluable; Howard Schwartz who has contributed several excellent reviews and program suggestions; and Robert Bull for his excellent program suggestions and commentary. Also, thanks go to Yves Bellefeuille, Bob Appleton, and Dev Teelucksingh for their immensely helpful freeware/ software lists. (Of course, all errors included within are my own invention!)
Too many other wonderful people to list...
- Steven Adelewitz
- Jean-Francois Buisson
- Robert Bull
- Tomas Brunclik
- Timo Gransch
- Miky Gutman
- Greg Head
- Jon-Egil Korsvold
- Rick Lively
- Scott Nesbitt
- Arturo Padilla
- Lars-Erik Sandberg
- Howard Schwartz
- Bjørn Simonsen
- Dev Teelucksingh
- Marianna Van Erp
- Michael Wann
- Wørm
- Jennifer Zahn
- ...and to all who have sent suggestions, updates, and corrections over the years- thank you!
Editor: Rich Green
Newport Coast, CA [USA]
SITE STATISTICS...
Dates Online...NOV 1994-JUL 1995; SITE: U. of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
DEC 1996-MAR 1999; SITE: Sprynet-Mindspring
MAR 1999-SEP 2001; SITE: GeoCities, @HOME mirror
SEP 2001-MAR 2002; SITE: www.dosbin.com, @HOME mirror
MAR 2002- Current; SITE: www.cox.net
#Pages.........53
Disk usage.....1.2MB (text)
HTML ..........#URLS.......~1200 (external)
#Words.......132582
Most popular pages (unique sessions at GeoCities 7/00-07/01):
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disk2.htm 20527
0z1idx.htm 18765
misc01.htm 18688
boot.htm 18594
windos.htm 16300
txted01.htm 15865
desktops.htm 15671
communic.htm 15506
01index.htm 14699
compress.htm 13715
0z2idx.htm 13636
prgrmg01.htm 13368
02index.htm 13166
fileuti2.htm 12959
dbase.htm 12671
batch02.htm 11964
sound01.htm 11614
fileuti3.htm 11588
graphx01.htm 11031
fileman2.htm 10726
misc02.htm 9297
txted02.htm 8597
unix.htm 8421
screen.htm 8311
menu.htm 7735
z_resrc1.htm 7641
antvir01.htm 7561
txtfrmt.htm 6681
dir1.htm 6576
keyb01.htm 6368
htmlut01.htm 6240
txtms03.htm 5498
txtms01.htm 5427
arc.htm 5419
cal.htm 5341
txtvw01.htm 4977
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graphx02.htm 4757
math.htm 4700
filefind.htm 4047
dir2.htm 3107
txtms02.htm 2813
system01.htm 2624
htmlut02.htm 2602
crypt01.htm 2405
arc02.htm 2029
downloads.htm 1924
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txtfrmt2.htm 1420
print01.htm 1114
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TOTAL 751399
(c) 2003 by Richard L. Green
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