DOSBoxFrontends

2008-06-27T15:42:44Z

124.170.117.123: /* Windows Frontends */ Clarification to Tcl/tk

= Frontends for DOSBox =

A [[DOSBoxFrontends|frontend]] pulls together the many functions of the program it is for and "stands in front of" it. It makes your life and the configuration a bit simpler.

'''DOSBox''' is controlled by its [[dosbox.conf|config file]]. [[DOSBoxFrontends|Frontends]] are a nice graphical way to maintain or edit that [[dosbox.conf|config file]].

If you are a newbie or you don't like editing [[dosbox.conf]] by hand then a [[DOSBoxFrontends|frontend]] is the solution for you.

== Incomplete overview of the Frontends available ==
=== Windows Frontends ===

* '''DOSShell'''
: x86 applications launcher plus convenient Explorer-like entries manager.
: '''Website''': http://www.loonies.narod.ru/dosshell.htm

* '''DOSBoxGui'''
: A portable DOSBox frontend. Currently confirmed to run on Linux and Windows flavors.
: Needs Tcl/Tk (which is an albeit free 20 MB big software compiler that you will need to assemble the program for your operating system).
: '''Website''': http://losfinkos.googlepages.com/dosboxgui

* '''DOSBOXer'''
: Scott Duensing at Jaeger Technologies has created "DOSBOXer" for Windows 9x, ME, 2000 and XP.
: '''Website''': http://www.jaegertech.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=19&Itemid=40 (download link on that page does not work)

* '''DBFrontend''' - '''D'''OS'''B'''ox'''Frontend'''
: It's a very simple frontend which allows you to have thumbnails of screen shots so you can easy recognize the game you want to run.
: '''Website''': http://www.ingoknito.de/produkte/dbfrontend/

* '''D.O.G.'''
: D.O.G. is a work in progress DOSBox frontend, tested on Windows XP and 2000. D.O.G. is currently compatible with all DOSBox versions, from 0.58 up to 0.70. It will present you only with the available options of the selected DOSBox. D.O.G. also allows users to use not one DOSBox for their profiles, but an unlimited number. Switching between DOSBox versions is as easy as a click on a button. Besides the standard features of DOSBox, D.O.G. also extends these features with zip and 7-zip capability. Users can select a zip as a drive and D.O.G. will automatically unpack and repack the archive when running DOSBox. Besides this archiving capability D.O.G. also allows you to convert the captured Wave-files to the MP3 format of your choice and it allows you to convert the captured screen shots to a JPG format of your choice.
: '''Website''': http://www.freewebs.com/erikgg/

* '''DBGL''' - DOSBox Game Launcher
: DBGL is an open-source, multi-platform frontend for DOSBox, based largely upon the proven interface of D-Fend.
: '''Website''': http://home.quicknet.nl/qn/prive/blankendaalr/dbgl/

* '''DosBlaster'''
: Windows Explorer shell extension for DOSBox. You can launch DOSBox by right click on DOS executable files in your Windows Explorer.
: '''Website''': http://sourceforge.net/projects/dosblaster

* '''Turbo Dos Box'''
: x86/x64 very simple and small (~100KB) manager for configuration.
: '''Website''': http://www.turboirc.com/tdb

* '''D-Fend Reloaded''' - '''D'''OSBox-'''F'''ront'''end''' Reloaded
: In some way D-Fend Reloaded is a successor of the discontinued software D-Fend. Both environments look alike and D-Fend Reloaded contains all the features of D-Fend. Even the D-Fend config files are compatible with D-Fend Reloaded. However, unlike D-Fend, D-Fend Reloaded is open source.
: The development objective for D-Fend Reloaded was (besides 100% D-Fend compability) to make the program operation more simple with respect to DosBox beginners. Simultaneously more features for administration and configuration became available.
: '''Website''': http://dfendreloaded.sourceforge.net/

=== Mac OS X Frontends ===

* '''Boxer'''
: Boxer makes it easy to run your favourite DOS games: without editing configuration files, without typing command line parameters, without mounting folders, without learning a confusing frontend; without doing any more than clicking on a game in Finder.
: '''Website''': http://boxer.washboardabs.net/

* '''DBGL''' - DOSBox Game Launcher
: DBGL is an open-source, multi-platform frontend for DOSBox, based largely upon the proven interface of D-Fend.
: '''Website''': http://home.quicknet.nl/qn/prive/blankendaalr/dbgl/

* '''DOSBOXer'''
: Scott Duensing at Jaeger Technologies has created "DOSBOXer" for Mac OS X 10.3 or later.
: '''Website''': http://www.jaegertech.com/dosboxer

* '''Radnor'''
: Sveinbjorn Thordarson has created the frontend "Radnor" for the MacOS X 10.3 or later version of DOSBox.
: '''Website''': http://sveinbjorn.vefsyn.is/radnor

* '''Petit dosbox'''
: Petit dosbox is a very easy to use interface to help you running the emulator, and will keep your last configuration for the next time you use it.
: New updates have included a Game Manager and more configuration options.
: '''Website''': http://web.jet.es/guilly/slouc/software_petitdosbox.html

=== Linux Frontend ===

* '''DOSBoxGui'''
: A portable DOSBox frontend. Currently confirmed to run on Linux and Windows flavors.
: Needs Tcl/Tk.
: '''Website''': http://losfinkos.googlepages.com/dosboxgui

* '''DOSBOXer'''
: Scott Duensing at Jaeger Technologies has created "DOSBOXer" for most Intel x86 Linux distributions.
: '''Website''': http://www.jaegertech.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=19&Itemid=40

* '''DBoxFE'''
: DBoxFE creates and manages configuration files for DOSBox. You can create different profiles for your games, etc.
: '''Need to run:'''
: * KDE 3.1.x / 3.2.x
: * Qt 3.1.x / 3.2.x / 3.3.x
: '''Website''': http://chmaster.freeforge.net/dboxfe-project.htm

* '''pyDOSBox'''
: The program is still in alpha stage but usable.
: '''Website''': http://www.panayotis.com/prog/scripts/pydosbox/index.html

* '''DBGL''' - DOSBox Game Launcher
: DBGL is an open-source, multi-platform frontend for DOSBox, based largely upon the proven interface of D-Fend.
: '''Website''': http://home.quicknet.nl/qn/prive/blankendaalr/dbgl/

== Incomplete overview of discontinued Frontends ==
=== Windows Frontends ===

* '''D-Fend''' - '''D'''OSBox-'''F'''ront'''end'''
: The largest DOSBox Frontend availabe. This frontend has supports for all '''DOSBox''' features and allows you generate default profiles for your system. It's also the only frontend which supports the unsupported cvs features. Because of its profile system and its intelligent mount system it's great for newbies and people using the cvs version of '''DOSBox'''. *Now supports Screenshot viewing for each Game Profile*
However recently Anthony announced officially that he stopped his work on D-Fend.
: '''Website''': http://members.home.nl/mabus

* '''Boxer''' - DOS'''Boxer'''s
: The smallest (in filesize) of the frontends available. It tries to keep up with the stable '''DOSBox''' version and allows you to edit every aspect of ((dosbox.conf)). Great if you want a very small frontend which just gets the job done.
: '''Website''': unknown

TOOLS:ScummVM

2008-06-27T14:56:03Z

124.170.117.123: typos

{{Infobox Tool
|title=ScummVM
|homepage=http://www.scummvm.org
}}

'''ScummVM''' is a free and open source software that allows you to run certain classic graphical point-and-click adventure games, only if you have their data files. In other words, it replaces the original executables of the games, allowing you to play the games directly (without DOSBox like emulation) on new system.

Unlike DOSBox, ScummVM provides custom emulation for each game and not for DOS itself. Of course, this means ScummVM emulates games in an opt-in fashion. That is, the developers choose which games would be supported, as opposed to DOSBox in which you can (at least try) run anything that runs under DOS.

==Conclusion==
Since ScummVM uses the same license as DOSBox, almost as unintrusive in its installation (the general configuration file must be put in one of Windows' special folders), and just as cross-platformed, once a game is within the limited range of games supported by ScummVM, it is pointless to run it in DOSBox anymore.

AUTOEXEC

2008-06-27T14:51:24Z

124.170.117.123: Location of the autoexec.bat

The '''AUTOEXEC.BAT''' file is a reference to original MS-DOS systems which would load settings from a file called '''CONFIG.SYS''' (which had to be located in the '''C:\''' path), and then execute any commands found in the '''AUTOEXEC.BAT''' (also in the '''C:\''' path). Commonly the '''AUTOEXEC.BAT''' file would define the system [[PATH]], load any drivers, and launch [[Software:Windows|Windows]]. Because DOSBox already emulates most of what a '''CONFIG.SYS''', and '''AUTOEXEC.BAT''' would do, there isn't much need to define anything other than your mountable drives.

The AUTOEXEC.BAT is a segment of the [[dosbox.conf]] file in the program directory of your DOSBox installation.

== A Common AUTOEXEC.BAT ==
@ECHO OFF
MOUNT C C:\DOSGAMES
C:
CLS
@ECHO Starting MS-DOS 6.22...

This '''AUTOEXEC.BAT''' file [[MOUNT|mounts]] a [[CDrive|C drive]] (pointed to the Local-Directory C:\DOSGAMES), changes to that drive (from [[ZDrive|Z:]]), [[Commands#CLS|Clears the Screen]] and prints the message

Starting MS-DOS 6.22...

(The message that MS-DOS printed immediately before loading the '''CONFIG.SYS''' and '''AUTOEXEC.BAT''').

DOSBoxWiki - User contributions [en]

DOSBoxFrontends

TOOLS:ScummVM

AUTOEXEC