Operating systems are designed to run programs specifically compiled for them, as a program may rely on specific libraries or function calls. To run DOS programs on Linux, you can use virtualization or emulation methods.
DOSBox is a popular emulation program that allows you to run DOS programs on Linux systems. It is widely available in most Linux distributions and can be installed via the distribution's default package manager in the terminal.
Steps for running DOS programs on Linux:
- If you don't already have a copy, download the desired DOS program.
Related: Abandonware DOS
- Open the terminal application on your Linux system.
- Extract the downloaded DOS program files.
$ cd ~/Downloads/ ~/Downloads$ unzip Golden\ Axe.zip Archive: Golden Axe.zip inflating: _DOSGAME.TXT inflating: A inflating: AMAZON.SPR ##### snipped
- Install DOSBox using the package manager in the terminal.
$ sudo apt update && sudo apt install --assume-yes dosbox # Ubuntu and Debian
- Launch the DOS program's executable file through DOSBox to run it on your Linux system.
$ dosbox GOLD.EXE DOSBox version 0.74-2 Copyright 2002-2018 DOSBox Team, published under GNU GPL. --- CONFIG: Generating default configuration. Writing it to /home/user/.dosbox/dosbox-0.74-2.conf ##### snipped
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Author: Mohd
Shakir Zakaria
Mohd Shakir Zakaria is an experienced cloud architect with a strong development and open-source advocacy background. He boasts multiple certifications in AWS, Red Hat, VMware, ITIL, and Linux, underscoring his expertise in cloud architecture and system administration.
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Mohd Shakir Zakaria is an experienced cloud architect with a strong development and open-source advocacy background. He boasts multiple certifications in AWS, Red Hat, VMware, ITIL, and Linux, underscoring his expertise in cloud architecture and system administration.
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