Web site: freedos.org
Origin: USA
Category: Desktop
Desktop environment: CLI
Architecture: x86
Based on: Independent
Wikipedia: FreeDOS
Media: Install CD
The last version | Released: active
Zobacz po polsku: FreeDOS
FreeDOS (Free-DOS, PD-DOS) – a DOS-like operating system designed for PCs and is free software. The goal of FreeDOS is 100% compatibility with both the proprietary and commercial MS-DOS. The command interpreter used by FreeDOS is called FreeCOM (the equivalent of Command.com from MS-DOS).
Differences from MS-DOS:
– Ultra-DMA disk support
– LBA hard drive support
– FAT32 file system
– Long filename support with VFAT
– Free license (GPL)
– Support for multilingual messages
The LiveCD installs a complete user-based DOS system including standard DOS programs, Applications, Archivers, Device Drivers, Games, Networking, Sound, and basic tools. Use the BonusCD to install Development, Editors, Boot Tools, OpenGEM, and extra utilities.
FreeDOS’s significant advantages include its free license and the availability of its source code, which have fueled its continued development. By implementing FAT32 file system support, FreeDOS can be run from a drive using this file system. Depending on your BIOS, drives can be used in LBA mode, but their size is limited to 128 GB or even 2 TB. Some BIOSes that support LBA contain bugs and cannot handle drives larger than 32 GB. This issue can be resolved by using OnTrack or EzDrive as disk managers. FreeDOS supports the use of long filenames (DOSLFN), but most DOS programs cannot use either this driver or long filenames.
If FreeDOS is run under the Linux emulator DOSEMU, it is possible to install DOS programs on any filesystem supported by the Linux kernel.
Wonderful project, great to see FreeDOS is keeping the flame alive.
There is also FreeDOS Plus Plus ( github.com/dosemu2/fdpp ) which is a 64bit DOS core based on FreeDOS ported to C++, which is an awesome idea.