To quote the manual, "dosemu is a user-level program which uses certain special features of the Linux kernel and the 80386 processor to run MS-DOS in what we in the biz call a `DOS box.' The DOS box, a combination of hardware and software trickery, has these capabilities:
o the ability to virtualize all input/output and processor control instructions
o the ability to support the word size and addressing modes of the iAPX86 processor family's "real mode," while still running within the full protected mode environment
o the ability to trap all DOS and BIOS system calls and emulate such calls as are necessary for proper operation and good performance
o the ability to simulate a hardware environment over which DOS programs are accustomed to having control.
o the ability to provide MS-DOS services through native Linux services; for example, dosemu can provide a virtual hard disk drive which is actually a Linux directory hierarchy."
The newest version of dosemu is dosemu0.52 and can be
ftp'ed from the following sites:
dspsun.eas.asu.edu:/pub/dosemu/
tsx-11.mit.edu:/pub/linux/ALPHA/dosemu/
However, pre-release versions are also available for developers and ALPHA testers. They may be found in
dspsun.eas.asu.edu:/pub/dosemu/Development/
tsx-11.mit.edu:/pub/linux/ALPHA/dosemu/Development
and have names of the form pre0.53_??. The pre-release code
has the distinct advantage that it is compatible with the most recent
Linux kernels. Also, it includes new features (most notably X
support). Remember that this is ALPHA code, however: there may be
serious bugs and very little documentation for new features.
If you want to follow the development of dosemu, you should
consider subscribing to the MSDOS channel on Linux-activists. To
subscribe, send mail to
linux-activists-request@niksula.hut.fi. Your mail HEADER or
FIRST LINE must contain the line:
X-Mn-Admin: join MSDOSTo post to the list, send mail to linux-activists@niksula.hut.fi. Your mail HEADER or FIRST LINE must contain the line:
X-Mn-Key: MSDOS
The dosemu manual (dosemu.texinfo) written by Robert
Sanders has not been updated in some time but is still a good source
of information. It is distributed with dosemu.
The "dosemu Novice's Altering Guide" or DANG is a road map to the
inner workings of dosemu. It is designed for the adventurous, those
who wish to modify the source code themselves. The DANG is maintained
by Alistair MacDonald (am20@unix.york.ac.uk) and is
posted once in a while to the MSDOS channel of Linux Activists.
The EMU success list (EMUsuccess.txt) is a list of all programs that have been reported to work with dosemu. It is posted once in a while to the MSDOS channel of Linux Activists. The most recent version can be found on dspsun.eas.asu.edu:/pub/dosemu.
And then, of course, there is the dosemu FAQ/HOWTO. But you already
know about that, don't you. It is also posted once in a while to the
MSDOS channel of Linux Activists. The most recent version can be
found on dspsun.eas.asu.edu:/pub/dosemu.
The preferred method is to edit the file,
dosemu-HOWTO-xx.x.sgml to incorporate the changes, create a
diff file by typing something like
diff original-file new-file
and send it to deisher@dspsun.eas.asu.edu. If you do not
know SGML, that's ok. Changes or new information in any form will be
accepted. Creating the diff file just makes it easier on the HOWTO
maintainer. :-)
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