Subj : Re: Freedos and Windows 3.x
To   : Fusion
From : AKAcastor
Date : Fri Feb 23 2024 13:46:50

 f> dosbox apparently requires one of the forked versions to do one thing, and
 f> perhaps another for the next.. dosbox-x might do 
 f> everything you want? but then i've had problems with 
 f> dosbox not properly emulating a serial port (closing the 
 f> tcp socket for the serial port doesn't drop DTR, so 
 f> nothing can tell there was a disconnect) ..

I have been using DOSBox-X on an ongoign basis for a while, setting up a multinode BBS in multiple DOSBox-X sessions.  I've had good luck with it, but like all the options there can be tradeoffs.  The "which fork of DOSBox should I use?" is for sure confusing - many parts the same, but some differences, and over time the different forks sometimes merge features from each other (but sometimes not).  Generally speaking, DOSBox-X has had more focus on running applications and other software, while the original DOSBox was game-oriented.  (I think over time this difference has become less distinct.)  As far as I understand it, DOSBox Staging is a more up-to-date version of mainline DOSBox.

There have been some serial port/telnet issues I had to work through (telnet escaping binary data), but at least in DOSBox-X the Carrier Detect is working to detect telnet disconnections.  The softmodem implementations are different in the forks of DOSBox, so YMMV.

 f> but i found a post stating they managed to run win3 at 
 f> 1600x1200 on dosbox-x? there's hope! lol. tbh i'll 
 f> probably look into this too. i'm quite fond of win3.. i 
 f> used to boot my old win3 machine a few times a year 
 f> because i kept my vacation checklist and some other junk 
 f> on there. never moved stuff over because it just felt 
 f> right to do it on there.

Win3 at 1600x1200 is absolute insanity, I can't really wrap my head around that idea.  I just.. I just don't even.

That's awesome you kept your Win3 machine going for so long.  I don't know if I have the same level of fondness for Win3 as you, but as time goes on it doesseem to improve in my memory. :)


Chris/akacastor

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 * Origin: Another Millennium - Canada - another.tel (21:1/162)

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