FreeDOS is an open-source version of DOS - China DOS Union Forum

Da Yu: FreeDOS is DOS Wearing an Open Source Vest

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http://www.sina.com.cn July 06, 2006 11:58 ChinaByte

　　Author: Da Yu

　　According to foreign media reports, the open source version of MS-DOS, FreeDOS, is about to release version 1.0 at the end of this month. According to relevant information, the development of FreeDOS started in 1994 when Microsoft announced that it would release Windows 95 and stop supporting MS-DOS.

　　From a historical perspective, the release of Windows 95 made PCs first accepted by the general public. PCs, which were once "swallows in Wang Xie's hall", finally "flew into the homes of ordinary people" on a large scale. However, although Windows has many advantages brought by its GUI, its bloated size also makes many programmers dissatisfied. Many people miss the compactness of MS-DOS even more, so they continue to develop MS-DOS software. FreeDOS is one of the DOS systems that are still continuously developed and updated. It is completely compatible with MS-DOS, and the vast majority of domestic and foreign developed DOS software can also run normally on it.

　　For example, when I went to the foreign FreeDOS website (freedos.sourceforge.net/freedos/about/), I saw many functions that were not originally in MS-DOS. Of course, it also maintained the original functions of MS-DOS, such as dual-boot functions with Win95-2003 and NT/XP/ME; support for LBA and disk cache support in LBA mode; support for up to 4 hard disks; support for devices such as DVD-ROM, mouse, game joystick; can directly play MP3 files and read ZIP compressed files. In addition, the 32-bit kernel DOS operating system FreeDOS 32 can directly read USB flash drives, supports multitasking, long file names, can surf the Internet, and also supports devices such as DVD-ROM, mouse, game joystick. From the above functions, it can be seen that FreeDOS is simply a copy of the early development of many current versions of Linux!

　　If you compare the current FreeDOS with the latest versions of Linux and Windows, it is easy to find that FreeDOS is not as rich in functions as Linux, and gets much less support than Linux; in terms of interface, although FreeDOS also has some interface emulators such as Seal, Qube, WinDOS, etc., which are relatively beautiful in interface, they are still slightly inferior to Windows XP.

　　Overall, the path that FreeDOS takes is the path that current Linux is taking or has taken. FreeDOS was launched by programmers out of dissatisfaction with Windows and to resist Windows, so it inadvertently came to the same front as Linux. In a broader sense, or when FreeDOS develops to a certain extent in the future, FreeDOS may appear as a competitor of Linux.

　　However, compared with Linux, the only advantage of FreeDOS is its compatibility with previous MS-DOS. To a certain extent, this can make many previous software developed for DOS be used again. But let's think about the following question: If these software really need to be used, MS-DOS is now free and works well. Why must we use FreeDOS? In addition, compared with Linux, the disadvantages of FreeDOS are too obvious, that is, there is no support from industry giants. It is difficult to further develop and reach the current level of Linux!

　　Linux has developed quite well in the server field, but in the personal desktop operating system field, it is far worse than Windows. Some people may attribute this to the lack of a GUI interface. If you think so, you are completely wrong. Some Linux systems use graphical emulation interfaces, and their operation modes and interfaces are exactly the same as Windows, and some are even more beautiful than Windows XP. Therefore, the interface is not the reason for the large gap between Linux and Windows in the personal desktop operating system field. Then what is the real reason? Da Yu believes that the fundamental reason is that the number and quality of application software developed based on the two are not at the same level. For the vast majority of ordinary users, they don't care what operating system they use. What they care about is what application software can be installed on the computer! Compared with Windows, the number of application software supporting Linux is too small.

　　Comparing FreeDOS and Linux from the aspect of functions, FreeDOS is still relatively weak. Linux has not defeated Windows in the personal desktop operating system field. Therefore, Da Yu believes that without the support and hard promotion of industry giants, the development space of FreeDOS will not be very large! I believe that many people will object with "all previous DOS software can be reused", but don't forget that as long as there are viable DOS software, most of them have now developed corresponding Windows versions, and the functions have been greatly expanded. Who would upgrade the original DOS version for FreeDOS just to run on FreeDOS?

　　Based on the above analysis, it can be seen that FreeDOS is like DOS wearing the current fashionable open source vest. For those who have been in contact with DOS before, they may have the feeling "Hey! I still recognize you even if you wear a vest", but for those who have never used DOS, no matter what vest you put on, they still don't recognize you. For these people, "reusing previous DOS software" is completely meaningless. There are different types of Windows and basically the same type of Linux. It is difficult for FreeDOS to surpass both!

Floor1　ddctczy	Posted 2006-09-25 11:01
中级用户　Posts 43　Credits 245
Da Yu: FreeDOS is DOS Wearing an Open Source Vest -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.sina.com.cn July 06, 2006 11:58 ChinaByte 　　Author: Da Yu 　　According to foreign media reports, the open source version of MS-DOS, FreeDOS, is about to release version 1.0 at the end of this month. According to relevant information, the development of FreeDOS started in 1994 when Microsoft announced that it would release Windows 95 and stop supporting MS-DOS. 　　From a historical perspective, the release of Windows 95 made PCs first accepted by the general public. PCs, which were once "swallows in Wang Xie's hall", finally "flew into the homes of ordinary people" on a large scale. However, although Windows has many advantages brought by its GUI, its bloated size also makes many programmers dissatisfied. Many people miss the compactness of MS-DOS even more, so they continue to develop MS-DOS software. FreeDOS is one of the DOS systems that are still continuously developed and updated. It is completely compatible with MS-DOS, and the vast majority of domestic and foreign developed DOS software can also run normally on it. 　　For example, when I went to the foreign FreeDOS website (freedos.sourceforge.net/freedos/about/), I saw many functions that were not originally in MS-DOS. Of course, it also maintained the original functions of MS-DOS, such as dual-boot functions with Win95-2003 and NT/XP/ME; support for LBA and disk cache support in LBA mode; support for up to 4 hard disks; support for devices such as DVD-ROM, mouse, game joystick; can directly play MP3 files and read ZIP compressed files. In addition, the 32-bit kernel DOS operating system FreeDOS 32 can directly read USB flash drives, supports multitasking, long file names, can surf the Internet, and also supports devices such as DVD-ROM, mouse, game joystick. From the above functions, it can be seen that FreeDOS is simply a copy of the early development of many current versions of Linux! 　　If you compare the current FreeDOS with the latest versions of Linux and Windows, it is easy to find that FreeDOS is not as rich in functions as Linux, and gets much less support than Linux; in terms of interface, although FreeDOS also has some interface emulators such as Seal, Qube, WinDOS, etc., which are relatively beautiful in interface, they are still slightly inferior to Windows XP. 　　Overall, the path that FreeDOS takes is the path that current Linux is taking or has taken. FreeDOS was launched by programmers out of dissatisfaction with Windows and to resist Windows, so it inadvertently came to the same front as Linux. In a broader sense, or when FreeDOS develops to a certain extent in the future, FreeDOS may appear as a competitor of Linux. 　　However, compared with Linux, the only advantage of FreeDOS is its compatibility with previous MS-DOS. To a certain extent, this can make many previous software developed for DOS be used again. But let's think about the following question: If these software really need to be used, MS-DOS is now free and works well. Why must we use FreeDOS? In addition, compared with Linux, the disadvantages of FreeDOS are too obvious, that is, there is no support from industry giants. It is difficult to further develop and reach the current level of Linux! 　　Linux has developed quite well in the server field, but in the personal desktop operating system field, it is far worse than Windows. Some people may attribute this to the lack of a GUI interface. If you think so, you are completely wrong. Some Linux systems use graphical emulation interfaces, and their operation modes and interfaces are exactly the same as Windows, and some are even more beautiful than Windows XP. Therefore, the interface is not the reason for the large gap between Linux and Windows in the personal desktop operating system field. Then what is the real reason? Da Yu believes that the fundamental reason is that the number and quality of application software developed based on the two are not at the same level. For the vast majority of ordinary users, they don't care what operating system they use. What they care about is what application software can be installed on the computer! Compared with Windows, the number of application software supporting Linux is too small. 　　Comparing FreeDOS and Linux from the aspect of functions, FreeDOS is still relatively weak. Linux has not defeated Windows in the personal desktop operating system field. Therefore, Da Yu believes that without the support and hard promotion of industry giants, the development space of FreeDOS will not be very large! I believe that many people will object with "all previous DOS software can be reused", but don't forget that as long as there are viable DOS software, most of them have now developed corresponding Windows versions, and the functions have been greatly expanded. Who would upgrade the original DOS version for FreeDOS just to run on FreeDOS? 　　Based on the above analysis, it can be seen that FreeDOS is like DOS wearing the current fashionable open source vest. For those who have been in contact with DOS before, they may have the feeling "Hey! I still recognize you even if you wear a vest", but for those who have never used DOS, no matter what vest you put on, they still don't recognize you. For these people, "reusing previous DOS software" is completely meaningless. There are different types of Windows and basically the same type of Linux. It is difficult for FreeDOS to surpass both!

Floor2　electronixtar	Posted 2006-09-25 20:17
铂金会员　Posts 2,672　Credits 7,493
It's difficult for DOS to develop desktop/server/embedded applications. But what future does an OS have if it doesn't apply in these 3 aspects? So using PE is the way to go～～～HOHO～～～～Pure water filling

Floor3　brglng	Posted 2006-09-26 04:39
银牌会员　Posts 466　Credits 1,200　From 上海
Still too few supports~ In fact, there are many things that only DOS can do, which Linux/Windows can't. Can Linux/Windows directly access hardware like DOS? FreeDOS can boot with just two files adding up to more than 100 KB. Can Linux/Windows do that? The key is still too few people support, and no one is willing to develop DOS and its software, so it is like this now.