4 ms·

I really, really doubt I can run most 1980s software on a modern machine without effort.

by agentdrtran 6y ago

NegativeLatency 6y ago
Depends on which software you're talking about, DOS box is pretty easy to use.
phkahler 6y ago
But it's probably not too hard. Try running something that needs Flash player, or IE6.
- the8472 6y ago
  Microsoft offers virtual machine images for that.
  - jeffhuys 6y ago
    You can find them here: https://developer.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-edge/tools/vms/ https://developer.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-edge/tools/v...
    - giantrobot 6y ago
      Unfortunately they stopped offering the XP/IE6 VM. I believe they also stopped offering the Vista and 7 VMs as well.
      - the8472 6y ago
        The download still seems to exist: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=11575 https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=115...
- rubber_duck 6y ago
  Setting up a XP VM shouldn't be that hard.
sudosysgen 6y ago
I do it every day, it's quite easy actually.
fortran77 6y ago
I can run 80s software on a modern PC very easily.
kikokikokiko 6y ago
t's easily doable by running a virtual machine. If you have an OS compatible, it will run out of the box. Now try to do that with one app that depends on one of the cutting edge development stacks of say, 2011... Good luck telling me how you can run it as easily as I can tell you about the last version of Netscape for instance - just run a Win98 VM and voila, you're set.
Spooky23 6y ago
Folks I work with support some clipper apps written in the late 80s. It’s getting harder now with 64bit windows not supporting 16bit apps — they are living on a “legacy” Linux VMs tenant in Azure now, and probably will continue until around 2030. Possibly longer, as they are on emulated DOS now!
- jandrese 6y ago
  DOSBox has been something of a godsend for getting a lot of 1980s software working again. Not so great if you also need to interface with proprietary ISA cards, but lots of software can be brought back to life.
  - msla 6y ago
    Not that this is relevant to DOS software, which needs whole-system heavyweight emulation right from the start these days, but... It would be interesting to have a solution which allowed you to progressively wrap software to allow it to run in just as much isolation as it needs, from the ultra-lightweight scripts that just futz with LD_PRELOAD (when most of the environment is still there) to actual Docker images (when the OS is still there) to images to run in a hypervisor (when the hardware is still there) to full-on heavyweight system emulation like SIMH, for when even the hardware has gone. It's all very Tao: When the userspace libraries have gone, there is LD_PRELOAD When the filesystem hierarchy is gone, there is Docker When the OS is gone, there is Xen When the hardware is gone, there's SIMH. Hi, SIMH! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vkfpi2H8tOE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vkfpi2H8tOE Laurie Anderson — O Superman
  - int_19h 6y ago
    Better yet, PCem. It's a lower level approach, because it emulates the actual hardware (which also means that you have to hunt down the firmware for said hardware, install DOS on it etc). But when it comes to fidelity, it's as close to real metal as it gets - and it's very close indeed. They even have 3dfx Voodoo emulation, for those early Glide-only games. https://pcem-emulator.co.uk/status.html https://pcem-emulator.co.uk/status.html
- jmull 6y ago
thescriptkiddie 6y ago
Any modern Linux or BSD box is full of 1980s and even 1970s software. Granted, most of it is still actively maintained, but old doesn't have to mean legacy.
deckard1 6y ago
https://archive.org/details/historicalsoftware https://archive.org/details/historicalsoftware https://archive.org/details/softwarelibrary https://archive.org/details/softwarelibrary You literally click a button in your browser and emulate right there. Have fun.
Falkon1313 6y ago
The only really hard things from then to run are things that did tricky hardware-specific memory management or otherwise used hardware that is no longer available. The only one I can think of offhand is Harpoon II Admiral's Edition, which had its own built-in memory manager that doesn't play well even with virtual machines. But that is one where they did eventually re-release an updated version that runs on modern systems. Edit: The original release was 1989, Admiral's Edition was 1996. I don't know if they did those memory tricks in the original, but it's doubtful.

I really, really doubt I can run most 1980s software on a modern machine without effort.

NegativeLatency 6y ago

Depends on which software you're talking about, DOS box is pretty easy to use.

phkahler 6y ago

But it's probably not too hard. Try running something that needs Flash player, or IE6.

the8472 6y ago
Microsoft offers virtual machine images for that.
- jeffhuys 6y ago
  You can find them here: https://developer.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-edge/tools/vms/ https://developer.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-edge/tools/v...
  - giantrobot 6y ago
    Unfortunately they stopped offering the XP/IE6 VM. I believe they also stopped offering the Vista and 7 VMs as well.
    - the8472 6y ago
      The download still seems to exist: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=11575 https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=115...
rubber_duck 6y ago
Setting up a XP VM shouldn't be that hard.

sudosysgen 6y ago

I do it every day, it's quite easy actually.

fortran77 6y ago

I can run 80s software on a modern PC very easily.

kikokikokiko 6y ago

t's easily doable by running a virtual machine. If you have an OS compatible, it will run out of the box. Now try to do that with one app that depends on one of the cutting edge development stacks of say, 2011... Good luck telling me how you can run it as easily as I can tell you about the last version of Netscape for instance - just run a Win98 VM and voila, you're set.

Spooky23 6y ago

Folks I work with support some clipper apps written in the late 80s. It’s getting harder now with 64bit windows not supporting 16bit apps — they are living on a “legacy” Linux VMs tenant in Azure now, and probably will continue until around 2030. Possibly longer, as they are on emulated DOS now!

jandrese 6y ago
DOSBox has been something of a godsend for getting a lot of 1980s software working again. Not so great if you also need to interface with proprietary ISA cards, but lots of software can be brought back to life.
- msla 6y ago
  Not that this is relevant to DOS software, which needs whole-system heavyweight emulation right from the start these days, but... It would be interesting to have a solution which allowed you to progressively wrap software to allow it to run in just as much isolation as it needs, from the ultra-lightweight scripts that just futz with LD_PRELOAD (when most of the environment is still there) to actual Docker images (when the OS is still there) to images to run in a hypervisor (when the hardware is still there) to full-on heavyweight system emulation like SIMH, for when even the hardware has gone. It's all very Tao: When the userspace libraries have gone, there is LD_PRELOAD When the filesystem hierarchy is gone, there is Docker When the OS is gone, there is Xen When the hardware is gone, there's SIMH. Hi, SIMH! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vkfpi2H8tOE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vkfpi2H8tOE Laurie Anderson — O Superman
- int_19h 6y ago
  Better yet, PCem. It's a lower level approach, because it emulates the actual hardware (which also means that you have to hunt down the firmware for said hardware, install DOS on it etc). But when it comes to fidelity, it's as close to real metal as it gets - and it's very close indeed. They even have 3dfx Voodoo emulation, for those early Glide-only games. https://pcem-emulator.co.uk/status.html https://pcem-emulator.co.uk/status.html
jmull 6y ago

thescriptkiddie 6y ago

Any modern Linux or BSD box is full of 1980s and even 1970s software. Granted, most of it is still actively maintained, but old doesn't have to mean legacy.

deckard1 6y ago

https://archive.org/details/historicalsoftware https://archive.org/details/historicalsoftware https://archive.org/details/softwarelibrary https://archive.org/details/softwarelibrary You literally click a button in your browser and emulate right there. Have fun.

Falkon1313 6y ago

The only really hard things from then to run are things that did tricky hardware-specific memory management or otherwise used hardware that is no longer available. The only one I can think of offhand is Harpoon II Admiral's Edition, which had its own built-in memory manager that doesn't play well even with virtual machines. But that is one where they did eventually re-release an updated version that runs on modern systems. Edit: The original release was 1989, Admiral's Edition was 1996. I don't know if they did those memory tricks in the original, but it's doubtful.