Applications for DOS and other legacy systems

Abandonware DOS isn’t just about games. Those of us who grew up loving the classic games of the '80s, '90s, and early 2000s will likely remember using non-gaming software at some point for a variety of purposes. These applications were an integral part of the computing experience of that era, and for many, they hold a special nostalgic charm.

Whether it was graphic editing tools like Paint Shop, music trackers like the iconic Fast Tracker for composing chiptunes and electronic music, or word processors such as WordStar and WordPerfect for writing and documentation, these programs left their mark. Developers, too, relied on groundbreaking tools like Turbo Assembler and Turbo Pascal to create software and explore the art of coding.

And who could forget utility programs that became essential companions for navigating the early PC environment? Norton Commander, with its distinctive dual-pane file manager, revolutionized file organization and made complex tasks approachable for everyday users. These tools were more than just software; they were gateways to creativity, productivity, and learning, shaping how we interacted with computers in a pre-Internet world.

The best applications on Abandonware DOS

Alice: The Personal Pascal

application1985 -

Arj

application1990 -

ARJ is a file compression utility and file format created by Robert K. Jung. The name "ARJ" stands for "Archived by Robert Jung." It was popular in the late 1980s and early 1990s as a compression tool for MS-DOS and other systems. ARJ offered high compression ratios and various features, such as archive encryption and error recovery.

Borland Paradox 4.5

application1993 Borland Software Corporation

Borland Turbo Pascal 3.0

application1986 Borland Software Corporation

DBGL: DOSBox Game Launcher

application2017 -

DBGL is a free and open-source frontend for DOSBox available for many platforms, developed in Java.

Deluxe Paint 2

application1988 Electronic Arts

Deluxe Paint, often abbreviated as DPaint, was a popular bitmap graphics editor and animation software package. It was developed by Electronic Arts (EA) and released in the mid-1980s. Deluxe Paint was initially designed for the Commodore Amiga computer, which was known for its advanced graphics capabilities at the time.

Melody Maker 3

application1992 -

NeoPaint 3.2

application1993 -

Norton Commander 5.5

application1998 Peter Norton Computing

Norton Commander was one of the most popular and influential file management applications ever released for MS-DOS. Introduced in 1986, it featured an innovative, dual-pane interface that allowed users to perform tasks like copying, deleting, moving, and previewing files with ease, eliminating the need to type every command manually. This side-by-side window setup was both intuitive and powerful, quickly becoming a favorite among DOS users for managing files more efficiently. The final version for DOS, Norton Commander 5.51, was released in 1998, marking the end of an era for this pioneering software.

Norton Editor 2

application1990 Peter Norton Computing

Norton Utilities 8

application1994 Peter Norton Computing

QBASIC

application1991 Microsoft

QBasic, or QuickBASIC, was an interpreted version of the BASIC programming language developed by Microsoft. It was designed to be easy to learn and use, making it accessible to beginners and hobbyist programmers. QBasic was part of Microsoft's QuickBASIC product line, which included both compiled and interpreted versions of the language. QBasic gained popularity in the late 1980s and early 1990s, particularly for educational purposes and hobbyist programming.

ScummVM

application2001 -

Turbo Assembler (TASM)

application1989 Borland Software Corporation

Turbo Assembler, often referred to as TASM, is an x86 assembler for MS-DOS and Microsoft Windows. As a key component of Borland's suite of development tools, TASM was packaged alongside Turbo Debugger (TD), forming the Turbo Assembler/Turbo Debugger (TASM/TD) bundle. Turbo Assembler was favored for its speed and compatibility with the popular x86 architecture, which was widely used in personal computers of the time. Borland was a software company known for its development tools during the 1980s and 1990s.

Turbo Pascal 7

application1992 Borland Software Corporation

Turbo Pascal 7 (TP7) is a programming language and integrated development environment (IDE) that was popular in the late 1980s and early 1990s. It was developed by Borland as an evolution of their earlier Turbo Pascal versions. Turbo Pascal 7 was released around 1992.Turbo Pascal 7 gained popularity in educational settings and among hobbyist programmers due to its ease of use, fast compilation times, and the availability of a free version.

Virtual Reality Studio 2.0

application1992 Incentive Software

VisiCalc 1.0

application1979 Software Arts

VisiCalc was the first spreadsheet software for personal computers, and it played a pivotal role in the early history of personal computing. It was developed by Dan Bricklin and Bob Frankston and first released in 1979 for the Apple II computer. VisiCalc is often considered the first electronic spreadsheet, and its success had a significant impact on the business world, transforming the way people handled financial calculations and data analysis.