FreeDOS 1.4 is here
MS-DOS was closed source for the longest time. In 1994, Jim Hall decided to create an open source alternative: FreeDOS. It has matured to version 1.4.
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(Image: Daniel AJ Sokolov)
Version 1.4 of the open source system FreeDOS, which provides PCs and laptops with simple operating system functions, is now available for download. FreeDOS was launched at the end of June 1994 by Jim Hall as an alternative to MS-DOS and is licensed under the GNU General Public License (GNU GPL). FreeDOS 1.0 was released in 2006 and today the operating system is particularly popular with users who want to use DOS-based software, often computer games, on the latest devices.
(Image:Â FreeDOS/Jim Hall)
According to Hall, the current update focuses on bug fixes to improve stability, but there is also a new installer. There are also new versions of various DOS tools, such as fdisk, format, ldebug, dog, fdnet and others. Fresh editions of various DOS software, including the text editing program edlin and the compressor 7zip, are also included. Finally, the volunteers have updated the help pages. Hall published an installation guide for FreeDOS for the release candidate at the beginning of the year, and the release notes now provide information on the details of the changes.
For most users, especially those with virtual retro hardware, the LiveCD is a good choice. It contains several standard programs from the DOS era, drivers, games and software for networks and sound output. You can also create a bonus CD with programs for developers, boot tinkering and more.
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The installer for setting up on real, established hardware is available in several variants, depending on the installation medium selected: for USB sticks, CD-ROM, data DVD and as slimmed-down floppy-only editions, not only for the 3.5-inch storage giants (1.44 MByte), but even reduced to 1.2 MByte or even just 720 KByte for old-school 5.25-inch floppy disks. So you are safe from bloatware.
The current version jump to FreeDOS 1.4 was comparatively quick: Just over three years have passed since the update from FreeDOS 1.2 to 1.3. The three steps from 1.0 to 1.3, on the other hand, took around five years each.
Microsoft is no longer developing MS-DOS. The final edition, MS-DOS 8.0, was released around 25 years ago. The company has published some older versions as source code; MS-DOS 4.0 was released in 2024 under an MIT license.
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