The MS-DOS API is an API used in MS-DOS, PC-DOS and other compatible operating systems. The MS-DOS API has been extended with the so-called DOS extenders. DOS extenders such as DOS/4GW have been used in computer games written for DOS. The MS-DOS API is mostly based on x86 code.
Current state of the MS-DOS API
The MS-DOS API lives on in Microsoft Windows as a subsystem on cmd.exe.
Modern movements to maintain compatibility of the MS-DOS API involve FreeDOS and DOSBox. They are both an installable operating system and an emulator respectively. DOSBox has even extended the MS-DOS API to other chipsets outside of x86. The other chipsets DOSBox has extended MS-DOS's API support to include PowerPC, ARM Architecture, MIPS, SPARC, etc.
The MS-DOS API has made its way onto handheld game consoles, such as the GP2X; thanks to DOSBox being ported to the system. And has enabled some DOS games to be played on a handheld device. However, commonly ported DOS games such as DOOM, Quake and Duke Nukem 3D don't need to rely on the MS-DOS API because they were extended to other operating systems and processor architectures through source ports.
The MS-DOS API may not be compatible with older DOS drivers when run on MS-DOS subsystems on Windows, thereby rendering some older hardware unusable, or creating a dependency for Windows-specific drivers. But the advent of USB renders older parallel and serial port devices unusable anyway as newer PCs omit them. The same for game ports as well.
However, some USB drivers have been written for DOS. But as long as the host OS supports USB, the MS-DOS API will be able to read data off USB mass storage devices with no problem.
Operating systems with support for the MS-DOS API
- FreeDOS (free, open source
- Microsoft Windows (with the aid of a DOS subsystem)
- All versions prior to Windows XP (all non-NT versions are based on DOS anyway, excluding Windows CE and Windows Mobile)
- Windows XP (home, pro, media center)
- Windows Server 2003
- Windows Vista
- MS-DOS (most famous example)
- PC-DOS
- ROM-DOS (a version of DOS specifically for solid state ROM)
Programs with support for the MS-DOS API
Brief list of programs on the MS-DOS API
- Alley Cat (classic IBM PC game)
- COMMAND.COM (command line shell for DOS)
- Windows 1.0
- Windows 2.0
- Windows 3.0
- Windows 3.1