DOSbox with External DOS Commands
 

I'm trying to use DOSbox to emulate a PC on my Linux Mint system. I like the DOS FC (File Compare) command, which is an external command in DOS and available on Windows. I have been using fc for years and haven't found its equal.

DOSbox claims that FC, fc, or fc.exe is an Illegal Command. Is there a work-around?

Thank you for any hints.

seacue

seacue,

Why on gods earth would you want to emulate DOS on Linux ? :ugh:

Linux has always been infinitely more powerful than DOS, which is why Microsoft clambered and rushed out PowerShell in order to try to compete on features.

You have not been trying very hard. diff has come installed as standard on most Linux distributions since time immemorial.

Like fc.exe?
 

Deary me.

I find fc almost useless since it cannot compare files of differing lengths.

I used to compare router configuration files a lot and tkdiff was the one for me. Tkdiff needs tcl/tk to be installed and is a GUI program that displays the two files side by side and flags the differences in colour. It runs on Windows and Linux etc.

I don't know if it works with unicode but it presumably does now.

There is now a windows (and other) binary so no need for tcl/tk.

tkdiff | Free Development software downloads at SourceForge.net

It may even have automagically handled Unix/Dos line ends:-)

Found somewhere
 

1. "Download DOSBox and install it.
2. Create a folder on a disk which will later become your C partition; in short, create DOS folder on C disk.
3. Copy to the folder your favorite managers if you want to, for example Norton Commander, Xtree, or Dos Navigator.
4. Copy doxbox.conf to the folder with installed DOSBox. It will be “mount c c:\dos” in our case.
5. Last lines show that it is, simply speaking, running Norton Commander in order to get rid of DOS command typings every time the DOSBox is started."

mixture - he didn't ask for your opinion about fc (which I agree is a pretty useless command), but how to implement it on DosBox.


I have no idea why people want to do wierd things with their installations, or why they write elaborate shell scripts to do something for which there is a perfectly good command but I don't pee on 'em.


Mac

I was not questioning fc. I was questioning the rather stupid idea of trying to mimic DOS on Linux !

Possibly
 

Perhaps they are conversant with DOS and are more comfortable doing some things that way. I know that for me, losing DOS gave me problems doing some things like formatting HD's; what I once did in moments now took research and time and I still have problems remembering what was once rote accomplished with hardly any thought at all. Getting older does things like that to some of us!

The main beef I have with a lot of software designs is that they not only do things differently, but many do not allow you to do things in the manner which you were used to doing them. It forces a learning curve which not all users can easily deal with no matter how much better the new/ different design actually is. It's easier for many to transition slowly than to completely change in an instant. There's a pretty big divide between those who understand the tech and those of us who simply use it, and in that gap lies the human factor which is all too often overlooked.

Never assume that the average user understands you- if they did they would have created the design themselves!

Thank you SawMan.

You have identified with commendable clarity the issues I face every time I am confronted with a new operating system or a new version of a long trusted and understood program or process. :ok: