FreeDOS open-source text-based OS turns 30, still in active development and primarily used for retro gaming | Tom's Hardware
FreeDOS dates back to 1994, when its developer, Jim Hall announced it as PD-DOS. With Microsoft switching to the Windows operating system that focused on a graphical user interface, Hall wanted to keep this seminal command-line interface-based OS alive, so he built a public domain version (PD) of the text-based operating system. He would rename PD-DOS to FreeDOS soon thereafter, and it still receives updates up until today.
An update:
In his own words:
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What I’ve learned about Open Source community over 30 years
The FreeDOS Project Celebrates 30 Years of Open Source. Jim Hall shares the origin story and the importance of community. Learn his seven key lessons for maintaining a thriving Open Source community.
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FreeDOS turns 30 shortly after FreeBSD turns 31
There's still life in the DOS world. The classic GEOS graphical desktop, which started out on the Commodore 64 and later moved to the PC and was variously renamed GeoWorks, Breadbox Ensemble, and other names, is now FOSS and you can get it from GitHub – as you can the 386Max memory manager whose author made it GPL in 2022. Lots of other legitimate, legal DOS freeware and FOSS apps can be found in the FreeDOS repo including Microsoft Word, Protext, DataPerfect, VisiCalc, Adobe Acrobat Reader, and more. For now, FreeDOS still can't run on UEFI systems, and it still can't run Windows 3.x, but the latter at least is being worked on and may come in version 1.4.
One more here:
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Celebrating 30 years of Open Source with FreeDOS
Marking its 30th anniversary in 2024, FreeDOS offers a robust platform for running classic DOS games and business applications.
LWN:
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FreeDOS turns 30
FreeDOS is an open-source operating system designed to be compatible with the now-defunct MS-DOS. Three decades have now passed since the FreeDOS project was first announced, and it is still alive and well with a small community of developers and users committed to running legacy DOS software, classic DOS games, and developing modern applications that extend its functionality well beyond the original MS-DOS. It may well be around in another 30 years.