WPDOS under Modern Windows and macOS, New Printer Drivers, Euro Symbol Support, and Added Features for WPDOS 5.1 and 6.x
What this is
This repo contains downloads of compressed disk images of bootable USB keys.
Version 1 is based on several upstream FOSS projects, plus some ancient DOS freeware applications. The idea is to provide a complete, easy-to-use, distraction-free environment for writers. It is set up for English with provision for US and UK keyboard layouts. If you want other translations, I welcome help!
To get your work off the key, just insert the key into a computer that's already running any more modern OS than DOS.
You cannot go online with the keys and there are no Internet tools. There are also no games included. Both are intentional.
What it contains: SvarDOS plus a menu launcher and a choice of freeware writing tools
The operating system is SvarDOS, the latest release as of January 2025. For source code for the OS, go to the SvarDOS website.
There are no build scripts or source code here. I did not use any. I did not compile anything at all. What I did was take pre-existing compiled code from SvarDOS and other projects, install it, and configure it. Then I worked out how to make bootable media in VMs, imaged those DOS-bootable USB media, and put the downloads here.
The main writing-tools key has a simple launch menu using the DOSShell menu from PC DOS 2000, which back in 2021 I made into a Virtualbox VM and published on my tech blog.
It contains three word processors, two outliners, three plain-text editors, and some other apps. These alls are all explicitly freeware or products from companies that no longer exist.
By 21st century standards, DOS is so tiny and simple that it can run on almost anything. It has a library of thousands of apps, including some very powerful tools. Many were shareware or public domain, and are legal to use for free. Even many formerly commercial apps are legally freeware now. As an example, there's a good assortment at the FreeDOS repo. FOSS was not a big thing in the DOS era – it predates the invention of the GPL, for instance – but DOS versions of some of the big-name FOSS apps, such as Emacs and Vim, do exist. //
There's one purpose where being the digital equivalent of a hermit in a cave in the desert is an advantage. A function for which a total lack of ability to connect to a WLAN and access the Web is a desirable thing: a standalone, non-networked, multimedia-free writing machine.
Early versions of many of the big-name word processors ran on DOS, including the classic WordPerfect and the original Microsoft Word. There are other writers' tools, too, such as Symantec's GrandView outliner. Not all are free to use these days, but a surprising number are. For instance, one of the most popular British apps from the 1980s boom times, Arnor Protext, is now freeware. Even some of the big names, when the last inheritor ceased trading years ago, as we described regarding MicroPro's WordStar last year. //
Microsoft Word 5.5 came out in 1990 and was the first DOS release with a modern CUA user interface – in other words, drop-down menus using standard keystrokes. It still works well and Microsoft released this version as freeware in 1999 as a Year 2000 fix for all previous versions of Word for DOS and OS/2. (Unfortunately, this doesn't apply to Word 6.0 for DOS, which was the final DOS version and is a little more pleasant to use.) //
The result of the holiday season at the end of last year is our USB-DOS project on GitHub. It's a – so far, very small – collection of images of bootable USB keys. There are both FAT16 and FAT32 images. The FAT16 image will fit on a 256 MB key, if you can still find one that tiny; the FAT32 image will fit on a 4 GB key with a lot of room to spare. The first release, version 1.0, contains MS Word, Arnor Protext, an outliner, and the WordPerfect Editor. It boots straight into a graphical menu that lets you run the apps without ever even seeing DOS's command line. The second release, version 1.1, is nearly twice the size, but that's because it adds in the DOS components from Robert Sawyer's WordStar 7 archive, including file conversion utilities, and substantial documentation as PDF files. For that reason, we also added Adobe Reader for DOS.
When you install a fresh, clean copy of Windows – say, if you're switching to the LTSC edition – Ninite is here to kickstart provisioning the new OS.
Ninite is a very simple, but very clever, tool that automates the process of installing a user-configured suite of apps and runtimes onto Windows. Not only will it help you get up and running as quickly and easily as possible, but if you keep the tiny custom installer, you can re-run it later and it will update everything it originally installed to the latest version. //
If you're also missing some important device drivers, Snappy Driver Installer Origin can help you there, as we have described previously. With LTSC there's much less need for O&O AppBuster but O&O ShutUp10++ makes it trivially easy to turn off most Microsoft telemetry.
Basic concepts of Microsoft Word for beginners and those who want to start again
But if you value more control over your digital footprint, consider cultivating a file collection as part of that:
- Cobalt.tools is a free web-based utility that converts content from YouTube, Instagram, and other online sources into downloadable video and audio files.
- PlayOn, which I’ve written plenty about on the cord-cutting beat, can save videos from streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu.
- Keep an offline archive of articles you find useful. The Single File browser extension can save web pages as self-contained HTML files that are readable offline, and Obsidian has a free web clipper that works in tandem with its desktop app.
- If you’re a big note-taker, consider apps that store your notes in open formats that other apps can access. Obsidian is one, but there are others, like Joplin and Logseq.
For all the melodies you have in you
Speldosa is the result of a unique collaboration between Klevgrand and the Swedish artist Wintergatan/Martin Molin. Wintergatan has primarily worked in the physical world (the Marble Machine is probably the most astonishing example), while Klevgrand has performed its craft within the digital sphere. When these two worlds now meet, it results in a product that both visually and audibly inspires the creation of music that you didn’t know you had in you.
Speldosa (Swedish for "Music Box") is the essence of the shared beliefs of Klevgrand and Wintergatan, and their fascination with minimalism. A simple melody played on a music box can contain an equal amount of emotional power as any symphonic work. There is something about the music box sound that never ceases to fascinate.
The instrument itself has been meticulously recorded by Wintergatan and transformed into a playable digital instrument plugin. It features four different models (Modern, Vintage, Antique, and Eternal = Reversed), two different Room models, and an algorithmic reverb.
Obsidian has made managing my work significantly easier
For someone who struggles with organization, it really helps
There are a lot of note-taking apps out there that I've tried, but Obsidian is the first to have finally captured me. I don't need overly complex notes, I just need something to help me keep track of my day-to-day life... and this finally does it for me in a way no other app has before. //
CJ
Key features:
- Sync across devices
- Data control of your files/data
- Ease of dropping a note from your phone or desktop
- Ability to organize your notes based on your method
I feel like the author was trying to convey they chose a new note taking methodology that worked for him.
You can apply a note taking methodology to anything, including the trusty pocket notebook.
This author chose a new methodology and chose to use obsidian. That's it. Not that obsidian is better at note taking apps.
So far for the literal speed to note taking onenote and Trello seem to be the winners. They also sync flawlessly. There may be other apps too.
All that being said, you can make a mess of your notes in any app too.
Download MusConv - Version 4.10.268
MusConv transfers playlists, albums, followed artists and liked songs across various services – Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube, YouTube Music, iTunes, Deezer, Tidal, SoundCloud, Pandora and 125+ music services!
Manage playlists, albums, and artists across more than 125 popular music services
Plan your projects with the elegance
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Vikunja, the fluffy, open-source, self-hostable to-do app.
Self-Hosted, Open-Source, Unconventionally-Named Vehicle Maintenance Records and Fuel Mileage Tracker
Features
Create backups locally and remotely
Set a schedule for regular backups
Save time and disk space because Pika Backup does not need to copy known data again
Encrypt your backups
List created archives and browse through their contents
Recover files or folders via your file browser
Pika Backup is designed to save your personal data and does not support complete system recovery. Pika Backup is powered by the well-tested BorgBackup software.
A #DOScember surprise: fits on a single floppy, but has a network-capable package manager
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It is compatible with all storage visible in the Windows explorer : folder of hard disk drive, USB key, network folder, CD, DVD, etc...
Ente Auth
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There are many great free and open-source alternatives to closed source and/or paid photo libraries. This project aims to track and compare the feature set between the many different options with a focus on ‘Gratis’ (free as in free beer) open source photo libraries. ‘Libre’ (free as in free speech) projects are also welcome, but will likely need to be submitted via a pull request since the time in testing each different project is significant.
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browse, search and organize your photos and videos with ease, without sacrificing your privacy