Dosbox: how to run that old DOS game / program on Linux

DOSBox is an emulator that recreates an environment similar to the DOS system in order to be able to run programs and video games originally written for the MS-DOS operating system on more modern computers or on different architectures (such as Power PC). It also allows these games to run on other operating systems such as GNU / Linux.

DOSBox is free software, and it is available for many operating systems, such as Linux, FreeBSD, Windows, Mac OS X, OS / 2, and BeOS. It has even recently been adapted to the PSP and GP2X portable consoles.

Among the highlights of this true gem is that it does not require an x86 processor or a copy of MS-DOS or any other DOS to run, and that it can run games that require the CPU to be in real mode or protected mode ( that is, that the computer does not go so fast that those old, very old games are not "playable").

Installation

dosbox it is, in visual terms, a terminal or command console in the DOS style. Of course, "behind the scenes" is much more than that, allowing us to run applications developed for that operating system on our well-loved Linux. To install it, therefore, only a simple would suffice:

sudo apt-get install dosbox

Once DOSBox is installed, you can run it. When you do, you will see that the command console appears. To start running applications using DOSBox, you first have to mount a path (yes, just like in Linux), which will be used as root. Then, yes, you will be able to run that old game or application that you want to use so much again.

But, for lazy people like one, there are graphical interfaces to avoid having to mount the disk or folder that we want to take as root, manually run the executable, etc. One of the many GUIs for Dosbox that exist is DBGL, for me the best of all.

Installing DBGL is a real bullshit and, in addition, it already comes with the latest version of Dosbox incorporated, thus avoiding the step of having to install it with apt-get.

Just go to DBGL official page, download the version that suits you best (32 or 64 bit Linux; there are also versions for Windows, Mac, etc.) and unzip the contents of the downloaded file where it suits you best.

Before you start using DBGL, you have to make sure you have the libsdl-sound and libsdl-net packages installed. To install them on Ubuntu, I opened a terminal and typed:

sudo apt-get install libsdl-sound1.2 libsdl-net1.2

Now yes, run dbgl.jar with administrator privileges. Running this command without administrator privileges is going to go crazy, so be sure to put "sudo" on.

sudo java -jar "/path_where_compressed_the_file/dbgl.jar"

Using DBGL

Using DBGL is very easy. If you don't want to get fancy and add screenshots and other eccentricities, there are basically 2 pieces of information that DBGL needs to run your program: a descriptive name and the path of the executable (and / or the installer).

To add a game / program go to add profile. In Title enter the name of the game / program. In the tab mounting, where says Execute> DOS, riding a Hair You can enter the path of the executable and in -Setup the installer path (if the game / program needs to be installed in order to be used).

Ready. Once you save your changes, select Run Profile. It only remains to sit down and enjoy.

Some useful shortcuts

One of the great virtues of DOSBox is the ability to control the speed of the processor and video. This makes it possible for us to run applications and games that need to emulate a very (old, that is…) slow processor or video card.

To adapt the speed as the program / game runs, you can use the following keyboard shortcuts:

CTRL-F7 Decrease the frameskip (the speed at which on-screen graphics are updated).
CTRL-F8 Increases the frameskip (the speed at which the graphics on the screen are updated).
CTRL-F11 Decreases cycles (the speed at which emulation is performed).
CTRL-F12 Increase cycles (the speed at which emulation is performed).

Other useful shortcuts:
CTRL-F9 Kill the DOSBox session.
CTRL-F10 Capture / Release the mouse (in case you have to use it within DOSBox).
At Wiki In DOSBox there is a complete listing of DOSBox keyboard shortcuts. I recommend that you read it carefully as it is very useful.

Where do I get DOS games and programs?

Most of the games and programs for DOS today are considered Abandonware. Abandonware is a compound term that comes from the English terms "abandoned" and "software".

They are those programs and especially video games that are discontinued or difficult to find for sale, due to their age, because the developer company changed its name, disappeared, declared bankruptcy or have an uncertain legal status for various reasons. And for this reason it is understood that this software will no longer be marketed and therefore its non-profit downloading, which is not the same as distributing it for free, will not cause any financial damage.

One of the factors that are used to consider a program or video game as abandonware is its age, which is usually around 5 or 10 years, but it is an approximate time since this may vary depending on the time of commercialization of the product or of support. In many cases, the creator company disappeared, making it impossible to acquire new licenses or simply use them.

However, the concept of "abandonware" is not specifically contemplated by copyright laws, which continue to protect intellectual property regardless of the continuity of its commercialization, and in any case it continues to belong to its owners like any other right.

Some Abandonware sites I remember:

• Home of the Underdogs, the best and most complete.
• Abandon
• Publigames
• DOS abandonment