Tag: MSDOS

  • Let’s recreate a 90’s PC BIOS Boot Screen

    Because why not, it looks simpler than it really is and we’ll get to fall down a rabbit hole trying to draw the Energy Star logo. “Hello World” is one of the most basic programming tasks we do. It’s the equivalent of getting a new car and taking it for a short drive down the…

  • Nostalgic DOS Development Part 1 – FreeDOS, DJGPP, RHIDE and other madness.

    Modern programming is too abstract, let’s get down to basics and do some programming in DOS using C. You can join in too! In this video I explain how to set up 86Box with FreeDOS, and then how to install DJGPP the C compiler and RHIDE the IDE. Then we write some good old C…

  • Nostalgic DOS Development Part 2 – Writing our first programs

    This is part two, go read part 1 first. Last time we set up FreeDOS and installed DJGPP and RHIDE. Now let’s go through how to use them and write some simple programs. I am going to assume you know how to use DOS. If not, all you need to know is how to make…

  • Forcing DOS onto an unwilling ThinkPad R60e

    I decide that doing DOS development means I need a real computer, rather than an emulator. I have an old laptop, surely making it run DOS can’t be that hard, right? The device in question is this. It’s an IBM ThinkPad R60e. It says IBM on the lid, it says IBM in the BIOS, but…

  • Emulation Sucks

    … because it’s so realistic you still have to put up with the same problems you had 30 years ago… Ah yes, that’ll be the problem, something ate the system.ini file, because of course it did, didn’t it There’s some 30 year old muscle memory going on here, if I don’t think I can drive…

  • Dodgy DOS Development

    From the mind that brought you “let’s try to write games using just pure C” I have a new idea for making my life difficult. Let’s write DOS software using period correct tools… This is just me organising a thought, I’ve not started yet. Further research will be needed – or in other words, if…