dosbox-automation vs iDOS 3
dosbox-automation
dosbox-automation.orgiDOS 3
litchie.comSide by side
| Figure | dosbox-automation | iDOS 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | — |
| Free plan | — | — |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| API | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 0 | 1 |
| Spec score · MS-DOS Emulators | 7.9 (#10) | 7.2 (#20) |
| Purpose | dosbox-automation is a DOSBox Staging fork that lets launchers, test harnesses, and scripts launch, drive, and inspect DOS applications and games. | iDOS 3 runs classic DOS games on iPhone and iPad, and can also be used for word processing and casual programming. |
| Support | The main branch and latest release are supported with security updates; the policy says private vulnerability reports receive a human reply. | The maker directs bug reports to the GitHub project or @litchiedev on Twitter; the App Store listing also provides [email protected] for support. |
Plans
In their own words
dosbox-automation
dosbox-automation is a free DOSBox Staging fork for automating the launch, control, and inspection of DOS applications and games. Its HTTP REST API uses bearer-token authentication and includes Swagger UI, while a sandboxed Lua engine can drive execution and input with frame-accurate timing. It can record and replay keyboard and mouse input, capture frames and video, read text in text modes, and inspect memory and CPU registers. TOML recipes can automate installations, including disk swaps, through the API and Lua engine. The project includes DOSBox Staging functionality, added fixes and hardening, and a FluidR3 General MIDI soundfont enabled by default. Official builds are available for Windows and Linux; the Linux build is statically linked and targets x86_64. There are no official macOS builds, and compiling from source is described as untested. The webserver is disabled by default. When enabled, it binds to localhost by default, requires a bearer token, restricts mounted paths, and runs Lua without filesystem or process access. Windows 9x is not supported.