Hi! > How compatible is FreeDOS with applications written to other DOS > operating systems(for example MS-DOS and Windows 95/98/ME, PC-DOS, > DR-DOS)? Are there any known specific utilities or more complex DOS > applications which do not work under FreeDOS? Or is FreeDOS fully > compatible with (all other) DOS variations?
FreeDOS is generally quite compatible, and runs better on modern hardware than e.g. MS DOS (where the newest version is 18 years old by now)... It also supports FAT32 and there are drivers for long file names, so it is similar to Win9x DOS in that sense but of course it is not meant for running Windows programs. You can run some (even graphical) Windows programs with the HXRT extender under DOS, though. Also, while Windows 3.0 and 3.1 work okay, it is possible that 386enh mode and Windows for Workgroups 3.11 do not run well in FreeDOS. Note that they also do not work if you have too much RAM anyway. Even with special config tricks, you have to hide RAM beyond 1 GB from Windows... Some very low-level DOS drivers might also give problems. Recently there was a thread about concurrent file access in the network - apparently FreeDOS SHARE and kernel support for it are not as good as in MS DOS but for example software and drivers for modern hardware (USB stuff, HDA / AC97 media player) might be even more tested and compatible with FreeDOS than with older DOS versions :-) As said, as far as everyday use and software are concerned, they should run equally well on all DOS variants and you can most of the time use drivers and tools from mixed versions together to get a best of all worlds system if you have licenses for all used DOS versions :-) I think drivers used in the FreeDOS world often need only little DOS RAM and are often more modern than what you may be used to from MSDOS. Regards, Eric ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Live Security Virtual Conference Exclusive live event will cover all the ways today's security and threat landscape has changed and how IT managers can respond. Discussions will include endpoint security, mobile security and the latest in malware threats. http://www.accelacomm.com/jaw/sfrnl04242012/114/50122263/ _______________________________________________ Freedos-user mailing list Freedos-user@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-user
