For many years, the cross-platform emulator that allows us to enjoy MS-DOS software on modern operating systems was standing. In fact, its last official version was released in 2010, but recently the community picked up the glove to launch a fork and continue its development. The name has changed little, they only added an -X to the end, and a few hours ago they launched DOSBox-X 0.83.8, an update that comes loaded with news.
Of all the new that comes with DOS-Box-X 0.83.8, there is a novelty that catches my attention above the rest: they have added support for Apple M1. And why am I so interested if what I use the most is Linux? Because I'm left with a feeling: Apple's move to launch ARM-architecture computers has kept developers from getting stuck at x86_x64, which will probably end up translating into an extension of support for other ARM devices. For dreaming that it is not.
DOSBox-X 0.83.8 Highlights
- Scalable TrueType font (TTF) output for DOS applications.
- On-screen text styles for DOS applications.
- Support for newer Macs with M1 and macOS Big Sur.
- You can now paste text from the clipboard into macOS SDL1 builds.
- System menu in Windows SDL2 builds.
- Selection of common host keys from the menu.
- Now it changes OpenGL (GLSL) shaders at runtime.
- Displays the status of the IDE disk or CD.
- Support for mounting CD MAME CHD images.
- Support to save files for save status function.
- Improved MODE command to change screen dimensions.
- Improved LOADFIX command to auto-allocate memory.
- Improved automatic fix for "Packaged file corrupted" error.
- Improved map editor interface.
- Loading DOSBox-X mapper files from the menu.
- Displays DOS command help from the menu.
- Search for configuration file and mapper file in DosBox-X executable path.
- More saving options for the built-in configuration tool.
- New configuration options to save status options.
- Bug fixes and other improvements.
- Full list of changes, here.
DosBox-X 0.83.8 It is now available from the author's website, which can be accessed from this link. For Linux users, the fastest installation system is to do it from your flatpak package. The other options are to use the binaries, wait for our distribution to update the packages from their official repositories or, well, also install their snap package for those who prefer this option.