MS-DOS Application: DOS Shell
Emulation Item Preview
Share or Embed This Item
software
MS-DOS Application: DOS Shell
- Publication date
- 1988
DOS Shell is a file manager, debuted in MS-DOS and IBM PC DOS v4.0 (June 1988). It was discontinued in MS-DOS v6.0, but remained part of the "Supplemental Disk" until v6.22 (the last independent retail version of MS-DOS). It was, however, retained in PC DOS through PC DOS 2000.
The shell includes common features seen in other file managers such as copying, moving and renaming files as well as the ability to "launch" applications with a double-click. The shell could be run by the command "DOSSHELL". It had the ability to set simple colours and styles. The shell was one of the first successful attempts to create a basic graphical user interface (GUI) type file manager in DOS, although it is properly referred to as a text user interface (TUI) or Character Oriented Windows (COW) even though graphical modes were available on supported hardware (VGA equipped PCs). The shell is very much like a DOS version of Windows File Manager.
The shell also has a help system, "program list", and a "task swapper". Like modern file managers it had the ability to display dual hierarchy directory and file lists, i.e. left and right panes. The mouse was supported, however, like any other DOS application, it required an appropriate device driver.
One feature was the ability to list all files on a hard drive in a single alphabetized list along with the path and other attributes. This permitted the user to compare versions of a file in different directories by their attributes and easily spot duplicates.
DOS Shell was incapable of full multitasking. It supported rudimentary task switching; it could switch between programs running in memory, at the cost of performance hit. However, all the running programs had to fit into conventional memory area, as there was no support for paging to disk. (Programs with DOS extenders such as DOS/4GW were immune to this issue as DOS/4GW spared conventional memory from overflow.)
In time, Windows 3.1x, with its own graphical user interface, became much more popular among computer users. Windows was capable of multitasking. System performance was much higher, with complete access to the system's memory.
The shell includes common features seen in other file managers such as copying, moving and renaming files as well as the ability to "launch" applications with a double-click. The shell could be run by the command "DOSSHELL". It had the ability to set simple colours and styles. The shell was one of the first successful attempts to create a basic graphical user interface (GUI) type file manager in DOS, although it is properly referred to as a text user interface (TUI) or Character Oriented Windows (COW) even though graphical modes were available on supported hardware (VGA equipped PCs). The shell is very much like a DOS version of Windows File Manager.
The shell also has a help system, "program list", and a "task swapper". Like modern file managers it had the ability to display dual hierarchy directory and file lists, i.e. left and right panes. The mouse was supported, however, like any other DOS application, it required an appropriate device driver.
One feature was the ability to list all files on a hard drive in a single alphabetized list along with the path and other attributes. This permitted the user to compare versions of a file in different directories by their attributes and easily spot duplicates.
DOS Shell was incapable of full multitasking. It supported rudimentary task switching; it could switch between programs running in memory, at the cost of performance hit. However, all the running programs had to fit into conventional memory area, as there was no support for paging to disk. (Programs with DOS extenders such as DOS/4GW were immune to this issue as DOS/4GW spared conventional memory from overflow.)
In time, Windows 3.1x, with its own graphical user interface, became much more popular among computer users. Windows was capable of multitasking. System performance was much higher, with complete access to the system's memory.
- Addeddate
- 2015-01-14 08:24:06
- Emulator
- dosbox
- Emulator_ext
- zip
- Emulator_start
- DOSSHELL.EXE
- Identifier
- msdos_dosshell
- Scanner
- Internet Archive Python library 0.7.8
- Year
- 1988
comment
Reviews
Reviewer:
n0xx279
-
-
January 22, 2024
Subject: I'm sorry, but I broke this application by deleating the files.
Subject: I'm sorry, but I broke this application by deleating the files.
I assumed the application would be write-protected... Sorry about that.
This comment should serve as a heads-up to anyone who might be able to re-upload the files.
Again, I'm truly sorry, I just never thought deleting the files would actually work.
This comment should serve as a heads-up to anyone who might be able to re-upload the files.
Again, I'm truly sorry, I just never thought deleting the files would actually work.
Reviewer:
David Miguel431
-
favoritefavoritefavoritefavoritefavorite -
November 27, 2023
Subject: tip
Subject: tip
just type dosshell without the: .exe
Reviewer:
.a random person on the internet.
-
favoritefavoritefavoritefavoritefavorite -
May 15, 2022
Subject: To everyone who has said it is not downloadable
Subject: To everyone who has said it is not downloadable
just download the zip file and you have dosshell.
Reviewer:
Zarrik Schemmel
-
favoritefavoritefavoritefavoritefavorite -
March 2, 2021
Subject: Works fine for me
Subject: Works fine for me
You idiots are going on the wrong OS!!! use Chrome OS to work!!!
Reviewer:
livvy94
-
favorite -
July 7, 2020
Subject: Useless with download disabled
Subject: Useless with download disabled
Please enable downloads on this. All you can do is look at the blank C drive in the web emulator. A file browser with no files is not useful. I had this on DOSBox a few years ago and it was lovely, but it's really hard to find nowadays because someone made a DOSBox frontend with the same name, and you can only find links to that now.
Reviewer:
PF94
-
favorite -
January 3, 2020
Subject: Good app, but not a good idea to leave it stream only.
Subject: Good app, but not a good idea to leave it stream only.
Some people need this on their DosBOX installations like me, however, this is stream only.
Reviewer:
ForOldHack
-
favoritefavoritefavorite -
May 3, 2019
Subject: Some problems with Emulator
Subject: Some problems with Emulator
Emulator crashed...
Crash is repeatable: Type File, Run ... Z:MEM...
Works under cmd, does not work under DOSSHELL.EXE
Crash is repeatable: Type File, Run ... Z:MEM...
Works under cmd, does not work under DOSSHELL.EXE
24,956 Views
30 Favorites
DOWNLOAD OPTIONS
IN COLLECTIONS
Software Library: MS-DOS Applications and Programs The Software Library: MS-DOS Software Library The Emulation StationUploaded by bai0 on