Hi, On Jun 25, 2025, at 10:52 AM, Lawrence Perez via Freedos-user <freedos-user@lists.sourceforge.net> wrote:
hi,
I wasn't aware that there was a repository to download new software for FreeDOS. ISO images might still be a good workaround for many, especially if their DOS computer doesn't have modern ports, like USB and ethernet, Or if they want to install mini packages
in bulk.
For the most part, downloading and burning the DVD ISO is really only useful for machines that cannot talk to the repo over the internet. There are a lot of those out there.
But as you also pointed out, you were unaware these ISO files even existed. I think most people do not know they have been available for well over a decade.
However, one thing that comes to mind is to sort all the packages by category so that a file containing all the packages for that category can be downloaded.
Interesting idea.
Another idea is to have check boxes next to each package item list so that users can download the packages
they want in bulk, and have the server generate an ISO or zip file based on the packages the user has chosen. I think this would save bandwidth and space on the server and on the users computer where the entire repository would have otherwise been downloaded.
Unfortunately, this is not possible. Well, technically possible but not practical.
The server which hosts the Official FreeDOS Repositories is IBIBLIO. The space and bandwidth are graciously provided to host those files. After some fairly recent changes were made to that server, no type of client/server interactions can be performed outside of simple HTTP access. There is no support for php, perl, python, cgi or anything other than type of interactive connection. Sadly, this is something we have no control over.
This means that the entire repository must be generated and provided as a static site. While it is possible, every single option to customize the content doubles the number of HTML pages that need created. Sitting at roughly 10,000 pages already, it would quickly get out of hand.
:-)
From: Bill Allen via Freedos-user <freedos-user@lists.sourceforge.net>
Sent: Tuesday, June 24, 2025 7:17:14 AM
To: Discussion and general questions about FreeDOS. <freedos-user@lists.sourceforge.net>
Cc: Bill Allen <walle...@gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [Freedos-user] Download Repository ISO images
The Release and Latest are all that I have used. Beyond that, I just go grab an update of an individual package as needed. Very thankful this is all available!
Hi,
After reading your reply, I think I may need to clarify what is meant by the repository ISO.
The ISO files to which I am referring are created anytime there is an update to any package. They are the latest versions of the packages. There is a 1.4 repo DVD ISO that has all of the “Stable” package updates since the FreeDOS 1.4 Release. Also, there is
a Latest repo DVD ISO that contains the most recent “Stable” and “Unstable” versions of packages.
This ISO images are not the FreeDOS Release ISO and disk images. These contain the same and updated packages to the OS.
I’m not sure if most users are even aware that these other ISO images even exist.
> On Jun 23, 2025, at 12:55 AM, tsiegel--- via Freedos-user <freedos-user@lists.sourceforge.net> wrote:
>
> In answer to the question of whether you need to continue providing iso images in the archive, For what it's worth, my opinion is: yes, absolutely, and here's why.
>
> 99 percent of the time, when someone comes to the dos archive to grab a dos distro, they're downloading the iso image. Why? because it's simple, convenient, and quick. Folks see the ISO image, and download the image, thereupon obtaining everything there
is to obtain for that particular release in one fell swoop with no fuss, and no muss. The image is ready for use, either for burning onto physical media, or by mounting under your os of choice, with everything wrapped up in a single easy to use package without
having to do a thing to make it happen.
>
> It doesn't get any simpler than that.
>
> If you want folks to try and/or use dos, you need to make it easy for them to do so, and the ISO images do exactly that.
>
> I personally think dropping them from the archives would be doing the project and the future users a grave disservice.
>
> Of course, that's just the opinion of a single user, and you are of course free to do as you wish, but I'd wager that if you do drop them, you'll be fielding multiple questions a month from new users asking why there isn't an image available for download.
>
> Sometimes, the latest version isn't what the users want/need, and having the version they do want/need in a format that is simple and easy to operate on/with is just the thing.
>
> ISO images are the first thing I look for when downloading new operating systems I want to try, and I'm sure it's similar for plenty of others.
>
>
>> On 6/22/2025 9:14 PM, Jerome Shidel via Freedos-user wrote:
>> Earlier today FDRepo was deployed to the Official Download and Update Repositories on IBIBLIO.
>>
>>
https://www.ibiblio.org/pub/micro/pc-stuff/freedos/files/repositories/
>>
>> That transition has gone very well. But, there are a few more things to work out.
>>
>> For many years (and prior to me managing the repos), the repositories have provided an ISO image that
>> contains the latest version of the packages in that repository. FDRepo is currently configured to only provide
>> an ISO for the 1.4 and latest repositories. Those ISO images are very large and obviously require a large amount
>> of bandwidth to provide.
>>
>> To me, it seems like a big waste of resources. Resources we are graciously provided for free.
>>
>> Do we really need to keep supplying them?
>>
>> Thank you for your thoughts on this.
>>
>> :-)
>>
>> Jerome
>>
>>
>>
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>>
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>
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