DOSBox and Doom 2

I downloaded DOSBox version 0.7 last night. DOSBox is an opensource MS-DOS emulator that runs on Windows and other platforms. Basically that means you can run your old DOS programs in Windows XP even though XP has (very) limited MS-DOS support. Basically, what that means is you can run old DOS games in Windows, because I really can't think of that many DOS programs that haven't been replaced with better Windows versions. DOSBox does not offer all the functionality of MS-DOS but it does get the job done. You can run applications windowed or full-screen. It also lets you mount directories, partitions and CD/DVD drives. You can also speed up or slow down the emulator to try and make your old software run smoothly.

I created a directory on my c: drive called DOS and mounted it by typing "mount c c:\dos" (an earlier, uninformed attempt to mount the drive proved to be messy and ineffective). I then fired up a game of Doom 2, which for some reason I had been dying to play since I started listening to that Alice In Chains album. I really wanted to hear Alice In Chains midi! Everything worked as I remembered it although the joystick was a little buggy, enough so that I switched to keyboard control (my joystick is a newer Logitech USB pad with, I think, a bit too much going on for Doom to handle - I'll have to play around with it a bit).

Playing Doom 2 really took me back. Games today seem so disposable - I don't play as much as I used to but even when I do I never log the kind of hours and replayability I got out of Doom 2, or a lot of the games I played back then. I played Doom over and over, beating it countless times, exploring every nook and cranny of the maps. I played it for years - playing again last night was like going back to visit an old neighborhood (other than the fact that I was killing all of the neighbors).

I'm kind of on a classic game "kick" now, thanks to DOSBox. Ah, nostalgia! If anyone wants to hook up for a Doom deathmatch let me know...

You can download DOSBox here:
http://dosbox.sourceforge.net/download.php?main=1

There's a FAQ here:
http://dosbox.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php

As far as finding your own copy of Doom 2, you're on your own. I think you can still buy it from Id. I keep my copy carefully preserved in a vault, where it will remain for eternity, lovingly tended, that I might never go wanting for it's sweet, sweet gratification...

Free Anti-Virus

Continuing with the free software... I'd used Norton and McAfee for quite some time. After purchasing a new hard drive for my laptop and reinstalling Windows XP I decided to look for something else to meet my anti-virus needs. The problem with Norton and McAfee is they both have a tendancy to take over your computer and getting them to uninstall is nearly impossible. Both have these annoying pop-ups that will actually interrupt other programs - I get extraordinarily pissed when I'm playing a first-person shooter online with a buddy and McAfee dumps me to the desktop to check for updates. I'm in charge around here, bitch! So I decided to kick both of them to the curb.

I asked a friend of mine who had recently hooked me up with some blazin' third party video drivers if he had any recommendations and he suggested AVG Free. I went to the website (link below), downloaded and installed. I've been using the software for about three months now and other than the little icon in the system tray I wouldn't even know it was there. In fact, the only problem I've had was when I ignored a warning and let a virus loose on my system, but the software contained it when I realized my mistake and I was able to eradicate the offender with no damage done. Pretty stupid mistake on my part - I was downloading a Linux distro from the maker of the distros site and thought I could trust them. AVG knew better and I should have listened...

The software scans incoming and outgoing emails and the default setup provides a fairly sensible level of protection. You can schedule regular virus scans and updated virus lists are also free. I'm using it in conjunction with the free version of AdAware and I'm happy with both. Grisoft, the manufacturer, also sells a version with more advanced features. They also have free and pay anti-spyware and anti-rootkit software.

You can check out the free antivirus here:
http://free.grisoft.com/doc/1

If you're interested in their other products go here:
http://www.grisoft.com/

Adobe CS3 for free?

Well, not quite. This is from the Daily Download over on CNet. It's a list of free alternatives to the programs in Adobe's Creative Suite 3, a $2500 software package. While not all of it is as sophisticated as it's Adobe counterparts some of it is extremely solid. I've used the Gimp before and would definitely recommend it as a Photoshop replacement. After reading this article I think I'm also going to try Komposer (the Dreamweaver substitute).

At the very least the article is a good introduction to the open source movement. If anyone has any experience with any of the programs listed please feel free to leave a comment with your impressions...

Part One:
http://www.download.com/8301-2007_4-9714054-12.html?tag=head
Part Two:
http://www.download.com/8301-2007_4-9714110-12.html?tag=more

Read more about the open source concept at Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_source