4DOS 8.00 command interpreter has been added, many thanks to Luchezar Georgiev for updating JPSOFT's code
This release contains several new features such as drag and drop support when accessing archives and FTP sites, user defined tools and the ability to display and write comments on files using the
4DOS description format.
For the author's classroom use, all packages are MS-DOS-based but have been run under the DR-DOS 6.0 system (which is now Novell DOS) and an older version of the shareware
4DOS system.
Additional device drivers (such as
4DOS, Brooklyn Bridge, QEMM) are now identified by brand name.
In the April 1991 issue, I wrote, "It would be difficult to go back to plain vanilla DOS after sampling 4DOS." Let me rephrase that, "It would be impossible to go back to plain vanilla DOS."
4DOS's combination of new features and enhancements to existing DOS functions quickly made this program an essential part of my computing.
Available as shareware for a $50 registration fee, 4DOS does not require you to reformat you hard disk or perform other risky maneuvers.
When you install 4DOS, its versatility will surprise and delight you, especially if you are prone to curse the lack of a MOVE command in DOS, or if you wish you could define your own commands.
It took a little more than an hour to install 4DOS correctly.
After some trial and error, I was able to get 4DOS installed.
You will have to modify this line to use 4DOS. In my case, I edited this line from SHELL=C:\DOS\COMMAND.COM /P /E:256 to the line shown in Figure 1.
Demonstrating that shareware still has a place in the PC environment, PC Magazine selected a package called
4DOS (JP Software, Box 1470, East Arlington, MA 02174) from that category as a replacement for the DOS command.com interpreter and noted that it adds "power and flexibility to nearly every command." The Norton Commander, Version 3.0 (Peter Norton Computing, Inc., 100 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica, CA 900401), one of the best DOS shells available, was its third choice in the technical excellence category.