MS-DOS freeware- and shareware-related sites
JP Software: Even in these decadent latter
days of graphical user interfaces, the command line remains the fastest and
easiest way to accomplish most complex or repetitive tasks. What a shame
that Microsoft's bundled command processor is so pathetic! Fortunately,
there is an alternative. JP Software makes and supports high-quality command
shells for DOS, Windows, and OS/2. For integrated command history, aliases,
filename completion, visited-directory history, color directory listings,
internal variables and functions, command logging, popup selection windows,
NoClobber support, sensible wildcards, and many other functions that our
favorite monopoly will never implement in COMMAND.COM, check out 4DOS.
Shareware, $70 for a single-user license, and highly recommended for anybody
who spends much time at a DOS prompt.
Also of interest of 4DOS users:
Klaus Meinhard's home page, a collection of 4DOS batch files, aliases,
tools, tips, trivia, and related links.
Rich
Green's DOS Freeware site: An invaluable resource for anybody
still using DOS. Links to hundreds of free programs sorted into general
categories like text editors, archive utilities, file managers, and so on
and on. Most include detailed reviews. This is the spiritual successor to
Yves Bellefeuille's freeware site.
The Freeware Hall of Fame: You have
to dig for the gold at this site, but it's there. Once you get past the JKF
Coverup and the Anastasia Romanov material and the Johnny Carson interview
(and others), you'll find a list of MS-DOS-based freeware and shareware of
staggering size. Files are sorted both by general category and by legal status
-- freeware first, then similar shareware. Descriptions tend to be very short,
but the sheer volume must be the result of years of work.
The Garbo MS-DOS collection: Huge
compendium of DOS-related shareware, freeware, and information. Maintained
by Professor Timo Salmi, probably Finland's most famous hacker after Linus.
Simtel.Net
MS-DOS collection: Another major DOS archive. Not so pleasant as once
it was, IMHO, but there's still a lot of stuff in there.
NASM: The Netwide Assembler
project. An open-source assembler for Intel 8086 and compatibles; supports
all instructions up through the MMX extensions. It doesn't optimize like A86
does, but it's free: anybody can download and use it. I'm in the process
of converting many of my source files to assemble with NASM so that anyone
(not just registered A86 users) can distribute altered copies.
The FreeDOS Project: Headed by James
Hall, an ambitious attempt to provide an open-source alternative to Microsoft's
longtime cash cow.
Elvis: A free
workalike for the vi text editor, ported to MS-DOS (and Windows and various
other environments.) All the power and hairy inscrutability of vi, plus an
interesting assortment of new capabilities including multiple files,
multiple windows, and user-definable syntax highlighting for a myriad of
languages. Steve Kirkendall.
Pedit: A freeware text
editor by Paul Brand. Very straightforward and easy to use, especially if
you're familiar with either version of MS's EDIT. It has some innovative
improvements, such as integrated support for the clipboard and Windows printer
drivers when running in a DOS box. Not open-source, unfortunately.
File Wizard: By Gulyas
Antal Denes. This is a polished, customizable two- or one-pane file manager
reminiscent of Norton Commander, with the usual text editor and viewer, command
line, etc. Unusual features include support for a huge array of different
text modes (and some slick programming which allows graphic-like effects);
Win95 long filenames, 4DOS description files, and several archive formats;
and a batch-based design which allows near-zero memory usage when running
external programs.
UPX: A high-quality, freeware
executable packer with source code. I compress many of my DOS-based programs
with it, but it can actually pack many other kinds of programs as well:
device drivers, Win32 programs, Linux executables.... By Markus F.X.J.
Oberhumer and Laszlo Molnar.
The Jargon File: If you've
ever wondered why "bar" always follows "foo," what kind of "bug" affected
Grace Hopper's computer, or whether it's legal to blow a PROM in Alabama,
then Eric Raymond's site is for you. <plug> Also available in book
form -- buy it and help keep a True Hacker off the streets. </plug>