However it's not the end of the road for 486s! They are pefectly capable of running FreeDOS as well. Not an emulator, actual code running on metal, DOS.
You can check out that project here:
Installing #FreeDOS on actual hardware (a 486dx40) and it's like watching paint dry. I had completely forgotten how slow things were back then :)
The first disk took the longest to process (about 20 minutes). After the second disk it started to pick up the pace, and have me changing disks every few minutes. I'm on disk 4 of 7 now. Fingers crossed it'll end up with a working installation!
Somehow it didn't want to see the entire 1GB CF card and only used half of it. I can live with that I believe.
(Linux news in previous posts)
FOSS NEWS
GrapheneOS says it won't comply with age verification laws & will stay available worldwide:
https://alternativeto.net/news/2026/3/grapheneos-says-it-won-t-comply-with-age-verification-laws-and-will-stay-available-worldwide/
FreeDOS reacts to age verification laws, considering the exclusion of Californian users, similar to MidnightBSD:
https://sourceforge.net/p/freedos/mailman/freedos-devel/thread/trinity-ea582184-aa57-47fe-a9ca-1eaf3c3e7066-1772568482107%40trinity-msg-rest-gmx-mailcom-live-66f5884f57-86bbb/
(An older post, but I discovered it now through Whonix's post, so I include it here.)
Firefox 149 Web Browser Is Now Available for Download, This Is What's New:
https://9to5linux.com/firefox-149-web-browser-is-now-available-for-download-this-is-whats-new
Firefox 150 Promises Support for the GTK Emoji Picker on Linux, Beta Out Now:
https://9to5linux.com/firefox-150-promises-support-for-the-gtk-emoji-picker-on-linux-beta-out-now
Floorp v12.11.0: now supports Chrome Extensions & fixes key bugs:
https://alternativeto.net/news/2026/3/floorp-v12-11-0-now-supports-chrome-extensions-and-fixes-key-bugs/
Thunderbird 149 Email Client Enables Exporting of Selected Address Book Cards:
https://9to5linux.com/thunderbird-149-email-client-enables-exporting-of-selected-address-book-cards
Matrix 1.18 adds policy servers, invite blocking and safety API updates:
https://alternativeto.net/news/2026/3/matrix-1-18-adds-policy-servers-invite-blocking-and-safety-api-updates/
Mullvad Browser Alpha adopts Firefox Rapid Release and adds Linux ARM support:
https://alternativeto.net/news/2026/3/mullvad-browser-alpha-adopts-firefox-rapid-release-and-adds-linux-arm-support/
Linkwarden 2.14 adds improved team collaboration, tag pagination, and faster & enhanced UI:
https://alternativeto.net/news/2026/3/linkwarden-2-14-adds-improved-team-collaboration-tag-pagination-and-faster-and-enhanced-ui/
Funkwhale 2.0 debuts API v2, new responsive UI, ListenBrainz sync and multi-artist support:
https://alternativeto.net/news/2026/3/funkwhale-2-0-debuts-api-v2-new-responsive-ui-listenbrainz-sync-and-multi-artist-support/
Monado becomes the open source foundation for various OpenXR (VR) vendors:
https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2026/03/monado-becomes-the-open-source-foundation-for-various-openxr-vr-vendors/
Unvanquished 0.56 Released With More Renderer Improvements, OpenMP Added To Engine:
https://www.phoronix.com/news/Unvanquished-0.56
Thief-like open source game project The Dark Mod 2.14 released:
https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2026/03/thief-like-open-source-game-project-the-dark-mod-2-14-released/
Infinity Engine open source remake GemRB 0.9.5 gets Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition playable:
https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2026/03/infinity-engine-open-source-remake-gemrb-0-9-5-gets-baldurs-gate-ii-enhanced-edition-playable/
(more FOSS news in comments)
#WeeklyNews #OpenSource #FOSSNews #FOSS #OpenSourceNews #News #GrapheneOS #FreeDOS #AgeVerification #Firefox #Firefox149 #FirefoxBeta #Floorp #Thunderbird #Matrix #MullvadBrowser #Linkwarden #Funkwhale #Monado #Unvanquished #TheDarkMod #GemRB #BaldursGate #WebBrowser #Browser #Game #FOSSGame #FOSSGaming #OpenXR #Email #EmailClient #FosseryTech
GrapheneOS refuses to comply with regulations requiring age data collection, prioritizing privacy over regional laws. This stance aligns with criticisms of mandatory OS-level age verification and appeals to privacy-focused users.
Look what arrived in the mail last week!
What a beauty. I haven't turned it on yet. I'll do a deep dive on it in a future video. For now, I'm just admiring it.
It's got an 8088 CPU, one megabyte of RAM and a PCMCIA interface. I wonder if it will run FreeDOS.
#RetroComputing #8088 #Intel8088 #Sharp #SharpPC3000 #PC3000 #FreeDOS
Moin und Frage an die Netzgemeinde:
ich möchte gerne ein neues Laptop anschaffen und das sollte aus Gründen entweder ohne OS, mit FreeDOS oder (idealerweise) einer Linux -Distri zu haben sein. Sonstige Eckdaten: ab 15", AMD 5 oder 7 (ab 4 richtigen Kerne / 8 Threads), keine zusätzliche GraKa, ab 16G RAM und ab 512G SSD plus das übliche (LAN, WLAN, BT, USB 2/3). Kann jemand was empfehlen? Danke.
Gerne Boost.
TrèsFluke
Sijmen 🧑💻
gmc
Fossery Tech 
The FreeDOS Project
sys3175
FozzTexx
ℒӱḏɩę 💾☮∞🎶♲☀🔋
ꙮ 𝄃𝄁𝄂𝄀𝄀𝄁𝄃🇫🇯🇱🇨🇱🇧