I wonder if newer FreeDOS kernel will be available in SvarDOS repo?
Hi Roy, I am genuinely curious, so please indulge me:
What do you find attractive from the FreeDOS kernel that the Enhanced DR-DOS kernel does not already have?
Thanks in advance.
> What do you find attractive from the FreeDOS kernel that the Enhanced DR-DOS kernel does not already have?
smaller file size, and faster startup time.
The usage conditions of the FreeDOS kernel also are less questionable than those of the EDR-DOS kernel. And we have the matching FreeDOS share as opposed to the closed source DR-DOS share that might not work correctly on FAT32 file systems.
Thank you Roy I appreciate your comments.
Yes, the 386 kernel is smaller in size than the EDR-DOS one. But it is certainly slower, at for example, startup, but not by much though (or perhaps it is just this particular 386).
It seems the FreeDOS kernel requires a 386 or better. Is there a variant that supports lower end processors?
Last update: I have just tested FreeDOS T2603 (March 2026) and it is able to boot on an 8088.
There's build options to create either a 386+ or an 8086-compatible kernel for FreeDOS.
I will keep an eye on FreeDOS. Still, I haven't found a compelling reason to use it. I tried v1.4 on an 8088 XT with 640 KB RAM and it was eating conventional memory like there was no tomorrow. Conventional memory usage (skipping both autoexec and config):
FreeDOS v1.4 -> 134KB
EDR-DOS 7.01 20250427 -> 64 KB
MS-DOS 6.22 -> 62 KB
PC-DOS 7.1 -> 68 KB
Novell DOS 7 -> 48 KB
SvarDOS 2025 build -> 55 KB
PTS-DOS 2000 -> 55 KB
I have used many different DOSes in the past. I have found each of them has some unique trait that is worth its weight. FreeDOS has some really cool external command reimplementation's, but I find it as a distribution, overall untidy/confusing and a bit of a resource pig, in a DOS context.
I still use MS-DOS 6.22 when I need assured retro-compatibility.
And when I want modern-ish features, I use my own hybrid EDR-DOS kernel + PC-DOS shell with my own selected set of external commands and tools.
Of course, opinion are like asses: we all have one, and it stinks.
> I wonder if newer FreeDOS kernel will be available in SvarDOS repo?
Sure, why not? Only requirement will be that it is the 8088 compatible kernel build. That should be in
https://github.com/FDOS/kernel/releases/download/ke2044/ke2044_86f32.zip. Has anyone tested that build on an 8088?
@Bernd
I overwrote the FreeDOS kernel.sys of the link into SvarDOS build 20251005.
Booted from that floppy on an XT 8088 with 640 KB memory and MDA.
I get the corresponding error in line 3 due to the HISTORY statement being present in CONFIG.SYS , but otherwise, it continues booting as it should into the installation program and its welcome screen. I just selected English and quit to DOS as soon as it gave me the chance. No real issues detected so far, and no further tests conducted.
I hope it helps.