Free Software for DOS
DOS freeware and other DOS resources.

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[ ^ ] OTHER RESOURCES


Locating programs...


  1. Newsgroups:
  2. Major FTP archives:
    • Simtel.Net- Very large selection of DOS programs; New DOS files activity low-moderate. You might wish to grab a custom search tool for offline browsing of the large SimtelNet DOS index (e.g., SIMTOOL.ZIP, 13K.)
    • Coast - Now extinct. Largely inactive since 1996 or so; up to this time COAST's SIMTEL archive was very similar- but not identical- to Simtel.Net. A few ftp sites still function as mirrors for the collection.
    • Garbo (or US mirror)- Large selection of quality DOS programs, many not available elsewhere. New files activity low.
    • SAC- Includes many DOS programs from developers in eastern Europe. DOS and WIN programs are not separated. New DOS files activity high.
    • While relatively small, the University of Cologne's MSDOS collection is up-to-date and carries some excellent programs not stored on the other big sites.
    • Hobbes- focus is OS/2, but some command line OS/2 apps are also ported to DOS (and not easy to locate).
  3. General Web search engines: Find files that are accessed through HTTP rather than FTP.
    • AltaVista: Search for known files on web servers using this syntax: link: <filename>
    • Excite or Infoseek: Both of these advanced engines allow exact phrase searches.
  4. File search engines:
    • FTP search v3.3 -for files stored on FTP sites only; great if you know the filename- or part of it. Search in descriptions too.
    • www.shareware.com -search for file names, keywords, descriptions. Restricted to major FTP sites.
  5. BBS's: A good source of programs never uploaded to the Net. Some BBS's have file lists on the Net- many make their files freely available to non-members.
  6. Proprietary network online services (CompuServe, America Online)- Contain many free programs not (yet) available on the Net. I've already rummaged through most of AOL's freeware offerings. CompuServe is the place to look.
  7. ZDNET- Search the zdnet file libraries. Include program reviews. The HTML on ZDNET is not well-suited to text mode browsers or low resource PC's. New files activity high
Other DOS / Win3x freeware sites . . .
  1. Freeware Only:
    • DOS
      • Best freeware for DOS and Windows 3.1 has been compiled by Yves Bellefeuille. Highly recommended, and still the first place to look for a concise, intelligent selection of DOS programs. (Last update was May 97- some links to files may not work, just use ftpsearch to find live links).
      • The valuable DOS Freeware page. Compiled by a DOS programmer, another good list that should interest the power user, programmer, and DOS network/ Internet user.
      • FreeDOS: MS-DOS may be "dead," but that doesn't mean DOS is dead. "The goal of the FreeDOS Project is to create a free implementation of MS-DOS." Take a look at the FreeDOS development site for the current status of the project and download links.
      • GNU(ish) projects- Free software, mostly ports of Unix programs to DOS. Generally intended for users already familiar with the Unix counterparts.
    • WIN3x
      • Completely Free Software: An excellent meta-guide to free software- with an emphasis on Win3x/ 9x software, but also some good DOS finds.
      • Freeware Wizard: This site is composed in German- but English users should explore this site for the good selection of newer Win3x programs; some DOS apps are also listed. Frequent updates. Graphics biased navigation.
  2. Other Sites with a mix of DOS freeware and shareware:
  3. For the kids: Instead of tossing that old 286 into the dumpster, let the little ones use it for fun and learning. Check out this DOS retro site for young 'uns with hand-picked games, puzzles, menus, screen savers, etc. (mostly freeware).
  4. Other: Other sites of interest to DOS users:

SITE STATISTICS


Online:

  1. NOV 1994-JUL 1995 (U. of Illinois, Urbana)
  2. DEC 1996-MAR 1999 (Sprynet-Mindspring)
  3. MAR 1999- current (GeoCities, @HOME mirror)

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© 1994-1999. Rich Green