Introduction:
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While this list does offer a few programs not found elsewhere- much here is admittedly redundant. Critical reviews of applications can lend more value to a list and I have attempted that here for a majority of the applications. Not wholly successful, but I do try to present a fair evaluation of a program's strengths and limitations. I am an end user- not a programmer. I won't knowingly include a bad or buggy app. And I'm always open to correction and enlightenment. Although I started the list 3 years ago (original site was born at the U. of Illinois, Urbana in 1994), the present list is a new incarnation- everything has been re-worked, and the list has recently been advertised to major search engines. This site was revived, somewhat in response to the predominance of bloated HTML that masquerades as useful software sites (are you also tired of the "free download" sites that contain no freeware?) My pages are less than adequate for some users, but I believe they do pack useful information into fewer bytes- and the apps here really are free for individual use.
This compilation is somewhat pretentious- personal biases and program needs dictate what I consider "useful" utilities. I use WFW 3.1 and OS/2 for 80% of my computing tasks and view DOS as a useful auxilliary operating environment. That bias is probably evident, but it's a bias many users share. The list generally comprises utilities friendly enough for most "home" users and is not geared toward the network, business, or DOS power user, e.g., power users will not find many DOS ports of UNIX programs or exotic batch or system utilities here (at least not yet). Nevertheless, you will not see apps that are more "show" than "go." Finally, I am not a collector of DOS multimedia, sound, CDROM, game, printing, or bbs/network/Internet programs. I suggest you peruse the SimtelNet, Garbo, and other ftp sites for utilities not found here.
There is an abundance of DOS freeware, and I have tried to keep the size of the list managable by selecting the better utiltites in each group of applications. Executable size, number of features, customization, ease of use, and stability are used as factors in selection (when time permits I try to evaluate most apps on both a 1991 386sx/20 VGA laptop and a Pentium desktop- both running DOS 6.2). If more than one good app exists for a task, I'll try to list them all. Most download links access USA servers. I'm sure I have missed many apps that deserve inclusion and new submissions (and reviews) are welcome.
Finally, the list and reviews are shamefully "Anglo-centric." I speak/write no language other than English (uh... does Latin count?). I do try to include links to non-English versions of programs where they exist. Some ( I might dare say, most) of the best DOS freeware is of European origin. Yanks have this peculiar attraction to money [:-)]. I have explicitly copyrighted these pages only to protect them from "commercial exploitation." [No, I'm not anti-business -I just like the sound of that phrase...]
Please note that "free" generally means free for individual use- special conditions may apply for commercial use. The status of a few apps listed here is not well-defined in the documentation. I often explicitly term these as "donationware" since the authors prefer - but do not require- payment from users.
I maintain this list in my spare time and regrettably, have little time to respond to e-mail or reader suggestions.
Notes and disclaimers about software written by me:
Any of the programs on these pages which were written or compiled by me are free, but some may be copyrighted or covered by special licenses. See included readme files for more info. I haven't tested these programs on any systems except mine (a 386sx w/ DOS 6.2, and a Pentium w/dual boot DOS 6.2/Win 3.1 and OS/2 Warp); therefore they should be considered beta programs until I receive feedback on how they perform on other systems.
I disclaim all responsibility for any harm or loss caused by these programs. My programs carry no warranties of any type, explicit or implied.
Rich Green
6-3-97
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(c)1997 Richard L. Green