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Life After MS-DOS: FreeDOS Keeps On Kicking

Posted by Soulskill on from the the-nineties-never-left dept.

angry tapir writes "FreeDOS — the drop-in, open source replacement for MS-DOS — was started after Microsoft announced that starting from Windows 95, DOS would play a background role at best for users. Almost two decades later, FreeDOS has survived and, as its creator explains in this interview, is still being actively developed, despite achieving its initial aim of an MS-DOS compatible OS, which quite frankly is somewhat amazing."

12 of 255 comments (clear)

  1. That's cool, I guess ... by 0racle · · Score: 5, Funny

    The graphics suck though.

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    1. Re:That's cool, I guess ... by ProzacPatient · · Score: 5, Funny

      Still looks better then Windows 8 though

    2. Re:That's cool, I guess ... by sootman · · Score: 5, Funny

      Agreed. Just check out this screenshot:

      C:\>_

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  2. That's awesome! by Ukab+the+Great · · Score: 3, Funny

    If only I hadn't used all my 5.25" floppies trying to decapitate attacking zombies...

    1. Re:That's awesome! by OzPeter · · Score: 4, Funny

      If only I hadn't used all my 5.25" floppies trying to decapitate attacking zombies...

      Ha! you call that a floppy disk? [pulls out and brandishes an 8" floppy disk]

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    2. Re:That's awesome! by rubycodez · · Score: 3, Funny

      12" (30 cm) laserdiscs, can even kill non-zombie with those mothers.

  3. They can take our lives... by jfdavis668 · · Score: 3, Funny

    They can take our lives, but they will never take our FreeDOS! William (Bill) Wallace

  4. Re:Dosbox or freedos by Cro+Magnon · · Score: 4, Funny

    In prehistoric times, when I upgraded from my olde 8088 to a speedy new 286, several of my games became nearly unplayable.

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  5. Re:Dosbox or freedos by Eyezen · · Score: 3, Funny

    Then just (de)press the turbo button!!! ;-)

  6. Modernization by jones_supa · · Score: 5, Funny

    DOS could really use a modern composited OpenGL accelerated desktop. Maybe call it "GL Accelerated Disk Operating System". What do you think?

  7. Re:Not surprising by Nyder · · Score: 3, Funny

    ...

    Gosh. "...can be loaded high.". I got a little tickle of nostalgia thinking about that. All those wonderful "load high and remain resident" hacks.

    Wait. Why is this good?

    640k is enough for everyone!

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  8. Re:Not surprising by gmhowell · · Score: 3, Funny

    I saw TSR and got the same feeling

    Pfft. TSR sucked after that lawsuit with Gygax's wife.

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