DOSBox
Encyclopedia
DOSBox is emulator
software that emulates an IBM PC compatible
computer running MS-DOS
. It is intended especially for use with old PC games
. DOSBox is free software
.
DOSBox can be used to run old MS-DOS software, especially games, that would otherwise not work on modern computers.
configuration file. For ease of use, several graphical front-ends have been developed by the user community.
DOSBox is a full CPU
emulator, capable of running DOS programs that require the CPU to be in either real mode
or protected mode
. Other similar programs, such as dosemu
or VDMs
for Windows and OS/2, provide compatibility layer
s and rely on virtualization capabilities of the 386
family processors. Since DOSBox can emulate its CPU by interpretation, it's independent of its host CPU. However, on systems which provide the i386 instruction set
, the option to use dynamic instruction translation
is available in DOSBox. Though this setting is less accurate and reliable, it is faster than interpretive CPU emulation.
It is capable of emulating many types of graphics and sound hardware. Graphics emulation includes text mode
, Hercules
, CGA
(including composite and 160x100x16 tweaked modes), Tandy
, EGA
, VGA
(including Mode X
and other tweaks), VESA
, and full S3 Trio 64
emulation. Sound hardware that can be emulated includes the PC speaker
, AdLib
, Gravis Ultrasound
, Tandy
, Creative Music System/GameBlaster
, Sound Blaster 1.x/2.0/Pro/16
, MPU-401
, and Disney Sound Source
. (MT-32
/CM-32L emulation is included in unofficial builds, but not in the official source code repository due to need for copyrighted ROM image
s.) Storage is handled by mapping (either through the configuration file or through a command within the emulator) a drive letter in the emulator to a directory, image file or CDROM drive on the host. A permanently mapped Z: drives stores dosbox commands and startup scripts.
A popular feature of DOSBox is its ability to capture screenshot
s and record gameplay footage. The video is compressed
using the Zip Motion Block Video codec. In its uncompressed state the footage is almost an exact replica of the actual program. The video recording feature was added in version 0.65. In earlier versions, one had to rely on custom modifications and a third-party screen recorder to record video, but the quality and emulator performance was generally very poor.
A component that differentiates DOSBox from other emulators is its ability to simulate peer-to-peer
or Internet
/Intranet
networking. This includes modem
simulation over TCP/IP
, allowing for DOS modem games to be played over modern LANs or the Internet, and IPX
network tunneling, which allows for old IPX DOS multiplayer games to be played as UDP/IP over modern LAN
s or the Internet. Win32 and Linux specific builds support direct serial port
access. Certain third-party patches also allow DOSBox to emulate an NE2000-class network interface card as a passthrough to the host computer's own network card, essentially allowing full internet connectivity (for example, using Windows 3.1 and Trumpet Winsock) and web browsing using programs such as Netscape Navigator
, albeit with little real world utility other than as a curiosity.
DOSBox contains its own internal DOS-like shell
, rather than being a fully virtual PC emulator like Bochs
. This means that it can be used without owning a license to any real DOS operating system. Most commands that are typically used in installer batch file
s are supported, but many of the more advanced commands of later MS-DOS versions (e.g. post-Windows 98
DOS shells) are not. In addition to its internal shell, it also supports running image files of games and software originally intended to start without any operating system
.
DOSBox is capable of timing-compatible implementation of the serial ports, and can run older hardware and software dependent on such; however, some USB devices that are supported by the host OS can act as a replacement for older serial port devices when using the emulator.
It can also be used to install Windows 3.1
, and can boot disk images with copies of other operating systems, including CP/M-86
and Windows 95
, as well as real DOS environments (MS-DOS
, PC DOS, DR-DOS
, FreeDOS
, etc.). However, the project has a policy of not adding features that aren't used by DOS games if they impact performance.
Emulation of Voodoo cards is in development. This should give not only support for games that use the Glide API, but also provide Direct3D support to Win9x guests.
library and has been ported
to many operating systems including Microsoft Windows
, Mac OS X
v10.3 or later (for example, Boxer), Linux
, KolibriOS
, and eComStation
. Using the HX DOS Extender
, it can even run in DOS
. The source code has also been fork
ed to provide compatibility on a number of non-x86 PC computer platforms, including the Palm OS
, PlayStation Portable
, Android, Symbian
, Maemo
, Wii
, and the GP2X
, on various computing architectures including PowerPC
, SPARC
, MIPS
and ARM
. DOSBox is included in the software repositories for many Linux distributions such as Fedora
, Debian
, and Ubuntu
. It has even been ported to Google Native Client
to run old games in a web browser.
compatibility layer
(a program which allows users to run some Windows programs in other operating systems which Wine is compatible with), have begun the process of integrating DOSBox to facilitate running DOS programs which are not supported natively by the Wine Virtual DOS machine
(winevdm).
has used DOSBox to re-release vintage games such as Wolfenstein 3D
and Commander Keen
on Valve
's Steam. In the process, it was reported they violated the program's license, the GNU GPL; the issue, which was reported as an oversight, was promptly resolved. Activision Blizzard
has also used it to re-release Sierra Entertainment
's DOS games. LucasArts
used it to re-release Star Wars: Dark Forces
for modern machines on Steam. 2K Games
producer Jason Bergman stated the company used DOSBox for Steam re-releases of certain parts of the X-Com
series. GOG.com
uses DOSBox for all of their DOS releases. Bethesda Softworks
recommends DOSBox and provides a link to the DOSBox website on the downloads page for The Elder Scrolls: Arena
and The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall
. 3D Realms
also recommends DOSBox and like Bethesda Softworks, provides a link to the DOSBox website on their downloads page.
Emulator
In computing, an emulator is hardware or software or both that duplicates the functions of a first computer system in a different second computer system, so that the behavior of the second system closely resembles the behavior of the first system...
software that emulates an IBM PC compatible
IBM PC compatible
IBM PC compatible computers are those generally similar to the original IBM PC, XT, and AT. Such computers used to be referred to as PC clones, or IBM clones since they almost exactly duplicated all the significant features of the PC architecture, facilitated by various manufacturers' ability to...
computer running MS-DOS
MS-DOS
MS-DOS is an operating system for x86-based personal computers. It was the most commonly used member of the DOS family of operating systems, and was the main operating system for IBM PC compatible personal computers during the 1980s to the mid 1990s, until it was gradually superseded by operating...
. It is intended especially for use with old PC games
Personal computer game
A PC game, also known as a computer game, is a video game played on a personal computer, rather than on a video game console or arcade machine...
. DOSBox is free software
Free software
Free software, software libre or libre software is software that can be used, studied, and modified without restriction, and which can be copied and redistributed in modified or unmodified form either without restriction, or with restrictions that only ensure that further recipients can also do...
.
DOSBox can be used to run old MS-DOS software, especially games, that would otherwise not work on modern computers.
Features
DOSBox is a command-line program, configured either by a set of command-line arguments or by editing a plain textPlain text
In computing, plain text is the contents of an ordinary sequential file readable as textual material without much processing, usually opposed to formatted text....
configuration file. For ease of use, several graphical front-ends have been developed by the user community.
DOSBox is a full CPU
Central processing unit
The central processing unit is the portion of a computer system that carries out the instructions of a computer program, to perform the basic arithmetical, logical, and input/output operations of the system. The CPU plays a role somewhat analogous to the brain in the computer. The term has been in...
emulator, capable of running DOS programs that require the CPU to be in either real mode
Real mode
Real mode, also called real address mode, is an operating mode of 80286 and later x86-compatible CPUs. Real mode is characterized by a 20 bit segmented memory address space and unlimited direct software access to all memory, I/O addresses and peripheral hardware...
or protected mode
Protected mode
In computing, protected mode, also called protected virtual address mode, is an operational mode of x86-compatible central processing units...
. Other similar programs, such as dosemu
DOSEMU
DOSEMU, alternatively rendered dosemu, is a compatibility layer software package that enables MS-DOS systems, DOS clones such as FreeDOS, and DOS software to run under Linux on x86-based PCs ....
or VDMs
Virtual DOS machine
Virtual DOS machine is Microsoft's technology that allows running legacy DOS and 16-bit Windows programs on Intel 80386 or higher computers when there is already another operating system running and controlling the hardware.-Overview:...
for Windows and OS/2, provide compatibility layer
Compatibility layer
A compatibility layer is a term that refers to components that allow for non-native support of components.In software engineering, a compatibility layer allows binaries for a legacy or foreign system to run on a host system. This translates system calls for the foreign system into native system...
s and rely on virtualization capabilities of the 386
Intel 80386
The Intel 80386, also known as the i386, or just 386, was a 32-bit microprocessor introduced by Intel in 1985. The first versions had 275,000 transistors and were used as the central processing unit of many workstations and high-end personal computers of the time...
family processors. Since DOSBox can emulate its CPU by interpretation, it's independent of its host CPU. However, on systems which provide the i386 instruction set
Instruction set
An instruction set, or instruction set architecture , is the part of the computer architecture related to programming, including the native data types, instructions, registers, addressing modes, memory architecture, interrupt and exception handling, and external I/O...
, the option to use dynamic instruction translation
Binary translation
In computing, binary translation is the emulation of one instruction set by another through translation of code. Sequences of instructions are translated from the source to the target instruction set...
is available in DOSBox. Though this setting is less accurate and reliable, it is faster than interpretive CPU emulation.
It is capable of emulating many types of graphics and sound hardware. Graphics emulation includes text mode
Text mode
Text mode is a kind of computer display mode in which the content of the screen is internally represented in terms of characters rather than individual pixels. Typically, the screen consists of a uniform rectangular grid of character cells, each of which contains one of the characters of a...
, Hercules
Hercules Graphics Card
The Hercules Graphics Card was a computer graphics controller made by Hercules Computer Technology, Inc. which, through its popularity, became a widely supported display standard. It was common on IBM PC compatibles connected to a monochrome monitor . It supported one high resolution text mode and...
, CGA
Color Graphics Adapter
The Color Graphics Adapter , originally also called the Color/Graphics Adapter or IBM Color/Graphics Monitor Adapter, introduced in 1981, was IBM's first color graphics card, and the first color computer display standard for the IBM PC....
(including composite and 160x100x16 tweaked modes), Tandy
Tandy 1000
The Tandy 1000 was the first in a line of more-or-less IBM PC compatible home computer systems produced by the Tandy Corporation for sale in its Radio Shack chain of stores.-Overview:...
, EGA
Enhanced Graphics Adapter
The Enhanced Graphics Adapter is the IBM PC computer display standard specification which is between CGA and VGA in terms of color and space resolution. Introduced in October 1984 by IBM shortly after its new PC/AT, EGA produces a display of 16 simultaneous colors from a palette of 64 at a...
, VGA
Video Graphics Array
Video Graphics Array refers specifically to the display hardware first introduced with the IBM PS/2 line of computers in 1987, but through its widespread adoption has also come to mean either an analog computer display standard, the 15-pin D-subminiature VGA connector or the 640×480 resolution...
(including Mode X
Mode X
Mode X is an alternative video graphics display mode of the IBM VGA graphics hardware that was popularized by Michael Abrash, first published in July 1991 in Dr...
and other tweaks), VESA
VESA BIOS Extensions
VESA BIOS Extensions is a VESA standard, currently at version 3, that defines the interface that can be used by software to access compliant video boards at high resolutions and bit depths...
, and full S3 Trio 64
S3 Trio
The S3 Trio range were popular graphics chipsets for personal computers and were S3's first fully integrated graphics accelerators. As the name implies, three previously separate components were now included in the same ASIC: the graphics core, RAMDAC and clock generator...
emulation. Sound hardware that can be emulated includes the PC speaker
PC speaker
A PC speaker is a loudspeaker, built into some IBM PC compatible computers. The first IBM Personal Computer, model 5150, employed a standard 2.25 inch magnetic driven speaker. More recent computers use a piezoelectric speaker instead. The speaker allows software and firmware to provide...
, AdLib
AdLib
Ad Lib, Inc. was a manufacturer of sound cards and other computer equipment founded by Martin Prevel, a former professor of music and vice-dean of the music department at the Université Laval...
, Gravis Ultrasound
Gravis Ultrasound
Gravis UltraSound or GUS is a sound card for the IBM PC compatible system platform, made by Canada-based Advanced Gravis Computer Technology Ltd...
, Tandy
Tandy 1000
The Tandy 1000 was the first in a line of more-or-less IBM PC compatible home computer systems produced by the Tandy Corporation for sale in its Radio Shack chain of stores.-Overview:...
, Creative Music System/GameBlaster
Sound Blaster
The Sound Blaster family of sound cards was the de facto standard for consumer audio on the IBM PC compatible system platform, until the widespread transition to Microsoft Windows 95, which standardized the programming interface at application level , and the evolution in PC design led to onboard...
, Sound Blaster 1.x/2.0/Pro/16
Sound Blaster
The Sound Blaster family of sound cards was the de facto standard for consumer audio on the IBM PC compatible system platform, until the widespread transition to Microsoft Windows 95, which standardized the programming interface at application level , and the evolution in PC design led to onboard...
, MPU-401
MPU-401
The MPU-401, where MPU stands for MIDI Processing Unit, was an important but now obsolete interface for connecting MIDI-equipped electronic music hardware to Personal Computers...
, and Disney Sound Source
Covox Speech Thing
The Covox Speech Thing was an external audio device attached to the computer to output digital sound. It was composed of the most primitive 8-bit DAC using a resistor ladder and an analogue signal output, and plugged in to the printer port of the PC.The circuit was marketed around 1986 by Covox,...
. (MT-32
Roland MT-32
The Roland MT-32 Multi-Timbre Sound Module is a MIDI synthesizer module first released in 1987 by Roland Corporation. Along with its compatible modules, it established an early de-facto standard in computer music and was the first product in Roland's ミュージくん line of Desktop Music System packages...
/CM-32L emulation is included in unofficial builds, but not in the official source code repository due to need for copyrighted ROM image
ROM image
A ROM image, or ROM file, is a computer file which contains a copy of the data from a read-only memory chip, often from a video game cartridge, a computer's firmware, or from an arcade game's main board...
s.) Storage is handled by mapping (either through the configuration file or through a command within the emulator) a drive letter in the emulator to a directory, image file or CDROM drive on the host. A permanently mapped Z: drives stores dosbox commands and startup scripts.
A popular feature of DOSBox is its ability to capture screenshot
Screenshot
A screenshot , screen capture , screen dump, screengrab , or print screen is an image taken by a computer to record the visible items displayed on the monitor, television, or another visual output device...
s and record gameplay footage. The video is compressed
Data compression
In computer science and information theory, data compression, source coding or bit-rate reduction is the process of encoding information using fewer bits than the original representation would use....
using the Zip Motion Block Video codec. In its uncompressed state the footage is almost an exact replica of the actual program. The video recording feature was added in version 0.65. In earlier versions, one had to rely on custom modifications and a third-party screen recorder to record video, but the quality and emulator performance was generally very poor.
A component that differentiates DOSBox from other emulators is its ability to simulate peer-to-peer
Peer-to-peer
Peer-to-peer computing or networking is a distributed application architecture that partitions tasks or workloads among peers. Peers are equally privileged, equipotent participants in the application...
or Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
/Intranet
Intranet
An intranet is a computer network that uses Internet Protocol technology to securely share any part of an organization's information or network operating system within that organization. The term is used in contrast to internet, a network between organizations, and instead refers to a network...
networking. This includes modem
Modem
A modem is a device that modulates an analog carrier signal to encode digital information, and also demodulates such a carrier signal to decode the transmitted information. The goal is to produce a signal that can be transmitted easily and decoded to reproduce the original digital data...
simulation over TCP/IP
Internet protocol suite
The Internet protocol suite is the set of communications protocols used for the Internet and other similar networks. It is commonly known as TCP/IP from its most important protocols: Transmission Control Protocol and Internet Protocol , which were the first networking protocols defined in this...
, allowing for DOS modem games to be played over modern LANs or the Internet, and IPX
IPX
Internetwork Packet Exchange is the OSI-model Network layer protocol in the IPX/SPX protocol stack.The IPX/SPXM protocol stack is supported by Novell's NetWare network operating system. Because of Netware's popularity through the late 1980s into the mid 1990s, IPX became a popular internetworking...
network tunneling, which allows for old IPX DOS multiplayer games to be played as UDP/IP over modern LAN
Län
Län and lääni refer to the administrative divisions used in Sweden and previously in Finland. The provinces of Finland were abolished on January 1, 2010....
s or the Internet. Win32 and Linux specific builds support direct serial port
Serial port
In computing, a serial port is a serial communication physical interface through which information transfers in or out one bit at a time...
access. Certain third-party patches also allow DOSBox to emulate an NE2000-class network interface card as a passthrough to the host computer's own network card, essentially allowing full internet connectivity (for example, using Windows 3.1 and Trumpet Winsock) and web browsing using programs such as Netscape Navigator
Netscape Navigator
Netscape Navigator was a proprietary web browser that was popular in the 1990s. It was the flagship product of the Netscape Communications Corporation and the dominant web browser in terms of usage share, although by 2002 its usage had almost disappeared...
, albeit with little real world utility other than as a curiosity.
DOSBox contains its own internal DOS-like shell
Shell (computing)
A shell is a piece of software that provides an interface for users of an operating system which provides access to the services of a kernel. However, the term is also applied very loosely to applications and may include any software that is "built around" a particular component, such as web...
, rather than being a fully virtual PC emulator like Bochs
Bochs
Bochs is a portable x86 and x86-64 IBM PC compatible emulator and debugger mostly written in C++ and distributed as free software under GNU Lesser General Public License...
. This means that it can be used without owning a license to any real DOS operating system. Most commands that are typically used in installer batch file
Batch file
In DOS, OS/2, and Microsoft Windows, batch file is the name given to a type of script file, a text file containing a series of commands to be executed by the command interpreter....
s are supported, but many of the more advanced commands of later MS-DOS versions (e.g. post-Windows 98
Windows 98
Windows 98 is a graphical operating system by Microsoft. It is the second major release in the Windows 9x line of operating systems. It was released to manufacturing on 15 May 1998 and to retail on 25 June 1998. Windows 98 is the successor to Windows 95. Like its predecessor, it is a hybrid...
DOS shells) are not. In addition to its internal shell, it also supports running image files of games and software originally intended to start without any operating system
Operating system
An operating system is a set of programs that manage computer hardware resources and provide common services for application software. The operating system is the most important type of system software in a computer system...
.
DOSBox is capable of timing-compatible implementation of the serial ports, and can run older hardware and software dependent on such; however, some USB devices that are supported by the host OS can act as a replacement for older serial port devices when using the emulator.
It can also be used to install Windows 3.1
Windows 3.1x
Windows 3.1x is a series of 16-bit operating systems produced by Microsoft for use on personal computers. The series began with Windows 3.1, which was first sold during March 1992 as a successor to Windows 3.0...
, and can boot disk images with copies of other operating systems, including CP/M-86
CP/M-86
CP/M-86 was a version of the CP/M operating system that Digital Research made for the Intel 8086 and Intel 8088. The commands are those of CP/M-80. Executable files used the relocatable .CMD file format...
and Windows 95
Windows 95
Windows 95 is a consumer-oriented graphical user interface-based operating system. It was released on August 24, 1995 by Microsoft, and was a significant progression from the company's previous Windows products...
, as well as real DOS environments (MS-DOS
MS-DOS
MS-DOS is an operating system for x86-based personal computers. It was the most commonly used member of the DOS family of operating systems, and was the main operating system for IBM PC compatible personal computers during the 1980s to the mid 1990s, until it was gradually superseded by operating...
, PC DOS, DR-DOS
DR-DOS
DR-DOS is an MS-DOS-compatible operating system for IBM PC-compatible personal computers, originally developed by Gary Kildall's Digital Research and derived from Concurrent PC DOS 6.0, which was an advanced successor of CP/M-86...
, FreeDOS
FreeDOS
FreeDOS is an operating system for IBM PC compatible computers. FreeDOS is made up of many different, separate programs that act as "packages" to the overall FreeDOS Project...
, etc.). However, the project has a policy of not adding features that aren't used by DOS games if they impact performance.
Emulation of Voodoo cards is in development. This should give not only support for games that use the Glide API, but also provide Direct3D support to Win9x guests.
Ports
DOSBox uses the SDLSimple DirectMedia Layer
Simple DirectMedia Layer is a cross-platform, free and open source multimedia library written in C that presents a simple interface to various platforms' graphics, sound, and input devices....
library and has been ported
Porting
In computer science, porting is the process of adapting software so that an executable program can be created for a computing environment that is different from the one for which it was originally designed...
to many operating systems including Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
, Mac OS X
Mac OS X
Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...
v10.3 or later (for example, Boxer), Linux
Linux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
, KolibriOS
KolibriOS
Kolibri or KolibriOS is a small open source x86 operating system written completely in assembly.It was forked off from MenuetOS.-System requirements:* i586 compatible CPU required* 8 MB of RAM* Boots from several devices; NTFS is also supported...
, and eComStation
EComStation
eComStation or eCS is a PC operating system based on OS/2, published by Serenity Systems. It includes several additions and accompanying software not present in the IBM version of the system.-Differences between eComStation and OS/2:...
. Using the HX DOS Extender
HX DOS Extender
The HX DOS Extender is a free DOS extender with built-in Win32 PE file format support. Usually the purpose of a DOS extender is to make protected mode features, especially large memory and 32-bit addressing, available for DOS applications. HX fully supports this goal, but goes some steps further...
, it can even run in DOS
DOS
DOS, short for "Disk Operating System", is an acronym for several closely related operating systems that dominated the IBM PC compatible market between 1981 and 1995, or until about 2000 if one includes the partially DOS-based Microsoft Windows versions 95, 98, and Millennium Edition.Related...
. The source code has also been fork
Fork (software development)
In software engineering, a project fork happens when developers take a legal copy of source code from one software package and start independent development on it, creating a distinct piece of software...
ed to provide compatibility on a number of non-x86 PC computer platforms, including the Palm OS
Palm OS
Palm OS is a mobile operating system initially developed by Palm, Inc., for personal digital assistants in 1996. Palm OS is designed for ease of use with a touchscreen-based graphical user interface. It is provided with a suite of basic applications for personal information management...
, PlayStation Portable
PlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
, Android, Symbian
Symbian
Symbian is a mobile operating system and computing platform designed for smartphones and currently maintained by Accenture. The Symbian platform is the successor to Symbian OS and Nokia Series 60; unlike Symbian OS, which needed an additional user interface system, Symbian includes a user...
, Maemo
Maemo
Maemo is a software platform developed by the Maemo community for smartphones and Internet tablets. It is based on the Debian Linux distribution, but has no relation to it...
, Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
, and the GP2X
GP2X
The GP2X is an open-source, Linux-based handheld video game console and portable media player developed by South Korean company GamePark Holdings. It was released on November 10, 2005, in South Korea only....
, on various computing architectures including PowerPC
PowerPC
PowerPC is a RISC architecture created by the 1991 Apple–IBM–Motorola alliance, known as AIM...
, SPARC
SPARC
SPARC is a RISC instruction set architecture developed by Sun Microsystems and introduced in mid-1987....
, MIPS
MIPS architecture
MIPS is a reduced instruction set computer instruction set architecture developed by MIPS Technologies . The early MIPS architectures were 32-bit, and later versions were 64-bit...
and ARM
ARM architecture
ARM is a 32-bit reduced instruction set computer instruction set architecture developed by ARM Holdings. It was named the Advanced RISC Machine, and before that, the Acorn RISC Machine. The ARM architecture is the most widely used 32-bit ISA in numbers produced...
. DOSBox is included in the software repositories for many Linux distributions such as Fedora
Fedora (operating system)
Fedora is a RPM-based, general purpose collection of software, including an operating system based on the Linux kernel, developed by the community-supported Fedora Project and sponsored by Red Hat...
, Debian
Debian
Debian is a computer operating system composed of software packages released as free and open source software primarily under the GNU General Public License along with other free software licenses. Debian GNU/Linux, which includes the GNU OS tools and Linux kernel, is a popular and influential...
, and Ubuntu
Ubuntu (operating system)
Ubuntu is a computer operating system based on the Debian Linux distribution and distributed as free and open source software. It is named after the Southern African philosophy of Ubuntu...
. It has even been ported to Google Native Client
Google Native Client
Google Native Client is a sandboxing technology for running a subset of Intel x86 or ARM native code using software-based fault isolation...
to run old games in a web browser.
DOSBox and the Wine compatibility layer
The developers of the WineWine (software)
Wine is a free software application that aims to allow computer programs written for Microsoft Windows to run on Unix-like operating systems. Wine also provides a software library, known as Winelib, against which developers can compile Windows applications to help port them to Unix-like...
compatibility layer
Compatibility layer
A compatibility layer is a term that refers to components that allow for non-native support of components.In software engineering, a compatibility layer allows binaries for a legacy or foreign system to run on a host system. This translates system calls for the foreign system into native system...
(a program which allows users to run some Windows programs in other operating systems which Wine is compatible with), have begun the process of integrating DOSBox to facilitate running DOS programs which are not supported natively by the Wine Virtual DOS machine
Virtual DOS machine
Virtual DOS machine is Microsoft's technology that allows running legacy DOS and 16-bit Windows programs on Intel 80386 or higher computers when there is already another operating system running and controlling the hardware.-Overview:...
(winevdm).
Unofficial builds
There are several unofficial DOSBox builds providing additional functionality compared to official release:- ykhwong's build: Glide, MT-32, Save/Load states, etc. This build updates not only with stable DOSBox releases, but with intermediate SVN builds too.
- gulikoza's build: Glide, etc.
Commercial deployment
id SoftwareId Software
Id Software is an American video game development company with its headquarters in Richardson, Texas. The company was founded in 1991 by four members of the computer company Softdisk: programmers John Carmack and John Romero, game designer Tom Hall, and artist Adrian Carmack...
has used DOSBox to re-release vintage games such as Wolfenstein 3D
Wolfenstein 3D
Wolfenstein 3D is a video game that is generally regarded by critics and gaming journalists as having both popularized the first-person shooter genre on the PC and created the basic archetype upon which all subsequent games of the same genre would be built. It was created by id Software and...
and Commander Keen
Commander Keen
Commander Keen is a series of video games developed by id Software in the early 1990s. The series focuses on the adventures of Billy Blaze, an 8-year old boy who travels through space and assumes the identity "Commander Keen". The series was successful at replicating the side-scrolling action of...
on Valve
Valve Corporation
Valve Corporation is an American video game development and digital distribution company based in Bellevue, Washington, United States...
's Steam. In the process, it was reported they violated the program's license, the GNU GPL; the issue, which was reported as an oversight, was promptly resolved. Activision Blizzard
Activision Blizzard
Activision Blizzard, Inc., formerly Activision, Inc. is the American holding company for Activision and Blizzard Entertainment. The company is majority owned by French conglomerate Vivendi SA and was created through the merger of Activision and Vivendi Games, announced on December 2, 2007, in a...
has also used it to re-release Sierra Entertainment
Sierra Entertainment
Sierra Entertainment Inc. was an American video-game developer and publisher founded in 1979 as On-Line Systems by Ken and Roberta Williams...
's DOS games. LucasArts
LucasArts
LucasArts Entertainment Company, LLC is an American video game developer and publisher. The company was once famous for its innovative line of graphic adventure games, the critical and commercial success of which peaked in the mid 1990s...
used it to re-release Star Wars: Dark Forces
Star Wars: Dark Forces
Star Wars: Dark Forces is a first-person shooter video game developed and published by LucasArts. It was released in 1995 for DOS and Apple Macintosh, and in 1996 for the PlayStation. The storyline within the Dark Forces is set in the Star Wars fictional universe and follows the character Kyle...
for modern machines on Steam. 2K Games
2K Games
2K is a global developer, marketer, distributor and publisher of interactive entertainment software games. 2K Games is a subsidiary of Take-Two Interactive, which also owns Rockstar Games notable for the Grand Theft Auto series...
producer Jason Bergman stated the company used DOSBox for Steam re-releases of certain parts of the X-Com
X-COM
X-COM is a series of strategy games created by Julian Gollop. In 2010 2K Marin announced the official reboot of the series, entitled simply XCOM. The original game has a cult following.- Original series :...
series. GOG.com
GOG.com
Good Old Games is a computer game sale and distribution service owned by Polish company CD Projekt.- History :The service sells older PC games. In order to ensure compatibility with newer versions of Microsoft Windows, some games are pre-patched or bundled with Open Source emulation and...
uses DOSBox for all of their DOS releases. Bethesda Softworks
Bethesda Softworks
Bethesda Softworks, LLC, is an American video game company. A subsidiary of ZeniMax Media, the company was originally based in Bethesda, Maryland and eventually moved to their current location in Rockville, Maryland...
recommends DOSBox and provides a link to the DOSBox website on the downloads page for The Elder Scrolls: Arena
The Elder Scrolls: Arena
The Elder Scrolls: Arena is the first game in the Elder Scrolls series. It is a first-person computer role-playing game for MS-DOS, developed by Bethesda Softworks and released in 1994...
and The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall
The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall
The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall is a first-person, traditional role-playing video game for MS-DOS developed by Bethesda Softworks and released in 1996. It is a sequel to the RPG The Elder Scrolls: Arena and the second installment in The Elder Scrolls series. On July 9, 2009, it was made available...
. 3D Realms
3D Realms
3D Realms is a current video game publisher and former video game developer based in Garland, Texas, United States, established in 1987...
also recommends DOSBox and like Bethesda Softworks, provides a link to the DOSBox website on their downloads page.
See also
- Comparison of platform virtual machines
- List of MS-DOS games
- Legacy modeLegacy modeIn computing, legacy mode is a state in which a computer system, component, or software application behaves in a way different from its standard operation in order to support older software, data, or expected behavior...
- Virtual DOS machineVirtual DOS machineVirtual DOS machine is Microsoft's technology that allows running legacy DOS and 16-bit Windows programs on Intel 80386 or higher computers when there is already another operating system running and controlling the hardware.-Overview:...
- DOSEMUDOSEMUDOSEMU, alternatively rendered dosemu, is a compatibility layer software package that enables MS-DOS systems, DOS clones such as FreeDOS, and DOS software to run under Linux on x86-based PCs ....
- WineWine (software)Wine is a free software application that aims to allow computer programs written for Microsoft Windows to run on Unix-like operating systems. Wine also provides a software library, known as Winelib, against which developers can compile Windows applications to help port them to Unix-like...
- ScummVMScummVMScummVM is a collection of game engine recreations. Originally designed to play LucasArts adventure games that use the SCUMM system , it now also supports a variety of non-SCUMM games by companies like Revolution Software and Adventure Soft. It was originally written by Ludvig Strigeus...
, a portable interpreter for classical adventure gameAdventure gameAn adventure game is a video game in which the player assumes the role of protagonist in an interactive story driven by exploration and puzzle-solving instead of physical challenge. The genre's focus on story allows it to draw heavily from other narrative-based media such as literature and film,...
scripting languages - FreeDOSFreeDOSFreeDOS is an operating system for IBM PC compatible computers. FreeDOS is made up of many different, separate programs that act as "packages" to the overall FreeDOS Project...
External links
- Official DOSBox website
- Official DOSBox forum
- Interview with Qbix, a developer of DOSBox. A technical insight into DOSBox.