FreeDOS: The Last Active Development of MS-DOS Turns 30, Preserving Computer History and Legacy Applications

Seattle, Washington United States of America
First version of FreeDOS was released as Alpha in September 1994, first Beta in 1998, first stable release (1.0) in 2006
FreeDOS allows users to run legacy applications and games designed for DOS
FreeDOS includes modern features like a package manager and live CD image
FreeDOS is important for preserving computer history and providing a simple alternative to modern operating systems
Jim Hall and team started FreeDOS as an open-source recreation of MS-DOS
Microsoft ended MS-DOS sales in favor of Windows in 1994
FreeDOS: The Last Active Development of MS-DOS Turns 30, Preserving Computer History and Legacy Applications

Microsoft announced the end of MS-DOS sales in favor of Windows in 1994. In response, Jim Hall and a team of developers started FreeDOS, an open-source recreation of MS-DOS. FreeDOS turned 30 years old in June 2024.

FreeDOS is significant because it's the last MS-DOS-compatible operating system under active development. It allows users to run a wide range of legacy applications and games that were designed for DOS, including early versions of Microsoft Word, Fallout, DOOM, The Secret of Monkey Island, SimCity and Lotus 1-2-3.

The project began in 1994 when MS-DOS was phased out by Microsoft. Jim Hall started FreeDOS as a continuation of MS-DOS with the goal of running all software compatible with it. The team has been successful, and FreeDOS now includes modern features like a package manager and live CD image.

FreeDOS is still under active development, with a sizable community of retro computing enthusiasts contributing to its growth. It's available for download on the official website and can be run on real hardware or in emulators like DOSBox.

The first version of FreeDOS was released as an Alpha in September 1994, with the first Beta following in 1998 and the first stable release (1.0) coming in 2006. The team has continued to develop and improve FreeDOS over the past three decades.

FreeDOS is important for preserving computer history by making it possible to run software from an era when MS-DOS was the dominant operating system. It's also a simple and uncomplicated alternative to modern, complicated operating systems.


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Confidence

96%

Doubts
  • Is there any ongoing legal dispute or copyright issues with Microsoft regarding the use and distribution of FreeDOS?

Sources

98%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

30 years later, FreeDOS is still keeping the dream of the command prompt alive

Ars Technica Andrew Cunningham Saturday, 29 June 2024 11:30
  • Unique Points
    • FreeDOS is the last MS-DOS-compatible operating system under active development.
    • Jim Hall wrote a post announcing PD-DOS, later renamed FreeDOS, to keep the command-line interface alive.
  • Accuracy
    No Contradictions at Time Of Publication
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication

100%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

FreeDOS, the Open-Source MS-DOS, Is Now 30 Years Old (And Still Going)

How-To Geek Corbin Davenport Saturday, 29 June 2024 12:00
  • Unique Points
    • FreeDOS is an open-source recreation of MS-DOS, capable of running new and old DOS games and applications on real PCs or emulators.
    • FreeDOS project started in 1994 by Jim Hall as a continuation of MS-DOS.
    • There’s a massive library of games and applications built for DOS, including early versions of Microsoft Word, Fallout, DOOM, The Secret of Monkey Island, SimCity and Lotus 1-2-3.
    • FreeDOS helps keep decades of computer history accessible by running on real hardware or in an emulator.
    • FreeDOS has modern features like a package manager and a live CD image.
    • There are ported versions of modern utilities, like Vim and Curl, and built-in support for FAT32 file systems in FreeDOS.
    • FreeDOS is still under active development with a sizable community of retro computing enthusiasts who run classic operating systems like DOS.
  • Accuracy
    No Contradictions at Time Of Publication
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication

100%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

Nearly 30 Years Of FreeDOS And Looking Ahead To The Future

Hackaday Sunday, 23 June 2024 08:00
  • Unique Points
    • FreeDOS was first released on September 16, 1994
    • Main developer Jim Hall and team created functional DOS using existing elements
    • FreeDOS has been used for embedded and industrial applications, utility booted from USB stick
    • Within retro computing community, FreeDOS allows use of modern DOS on old PCs instead of MS-DOS from early 90s
    • FreeDOS is simple and uncomplicated compared to complicated modern OSes
  • Accuracy
    • MS-DOS ceased development in favor of Windows
    • First version (0.01) was an Alpha release with stable release (1.0) still to come
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (0%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication