When I programmed X-GUI 3 back in 2001 I never thought here I'd be 23 years later watching a random recommended channel on youtube with a video showing it. I stopped at version 4 as programming the source in various QuickBASIC versions became too large and jumbled for the compiler and programming environment to handle and my interests went into other directions in life. Version 4 had the ability to run its own programs that were generated by a scripting language and then interpreted internally by the GUI to be windowed and processed which is how its paint, clock, calculator, game and so on ran within it in a pseudo cooperative multitasking way but at that point the project was hitting the limits of QuickBASIC and 640k system memory itself and I couldn't find many people who wanted to learn the scripting language and help build small programs to run within it. X-GUI 3 was more of a desktop shell with movable icons and windowing and was probably more "DOSBOX" compatible than 4 as the latter had some hardware tricks and was more of a mini virtual OS running on DOS, but all of the versions should run on actual old computers of the day just fine. Clearly I was inspired by Amiga OS during those years as I borrowed heavily from their UI look.
@@djopensource Not sure if youtube removed the link I replied with but if you do a search online there is still a website with QBasic DOS GUIs where you can still download it.
@@djopensource I totally agree with payamvarposhti5185... Amiga has nothing to do with DOS. DOSUAE is just an amiga emulator... So the OS ist called "Amiga OS" and not "DOSUAE". Btw Amiga DOS is called CLI to be correct
@@payamvarposhti5185 I think Amiga DOS is part of the Amiga OS and not the operating system name. To use Amiga DOS commands you typed this into the Shell/CLI, so you are not completly wrong.
OS/2, a DOS GUI? 😂 Yeah, nah. OS/2 was a completely different operating system. Sure, it could start up DOS and run some DOS software. But it did so in a manner closer to running DOS in a virtual machine.
Very nice showdown, but other than the title also the year of release and some minimum requirement would have helped to evaluate propery the interfaces! (some of them would run on 8088 with 256k, some other needed 32bit cpu eg 386 minimum, and evrything in the middle)...
I though that it would be GUI/TUI (program manager/multi-program/windowing systems) that run over DOS... There were some full fledge OS that didn't use DOS, or even the PC, some filebrowser and some "menu" programs... nevertheless, it was still an interesting video. Thank you for it, I've shared it with some friends that also are into "old computing stuff"
While it's nice to get screenshots of these in action, it would be even more interesting to get an idea of when they came out and how long they may have been popular, if they were. Obviously, things like DeskMate and early Windows versions actually came out when DOS was a widely-used OS, late 80s/early 90s. But some of these are clearly later implementations only useful for retro-computing, as they weren't around that early. And we don't get to see improvements of later versions unless they're visual. Windows 2 was an improvement on Windows 1, even though they're similar visually. Windows 3.1 was a big improvement on Windows 3.0, although again, they looked very similar.
When I programmed X-GUI 3 back in 2001 I never thought here I'd be 23 years later watching a random recommended channel on youtube with a video showing it. I stopped at version 4 as programming the source in various QuickBASIC versions became too large and jumbled for the compiler and programming environment to handle and my interests went into other directions in life.
Version 4 had the ability to run its own programs that were generated by a scripting language and then interpreted internally by the GUI to be windowed and processed which is how its paint, clock, calculator, game and so on ran within it in a pseudo cooperative multitasking way but at that point the project was hitting the limits of QuickBASIC and 640k system memory itself and I couldn't find many people who wanted to learn the scripting language and help build small programs to run within it.
X-GUI 3 was more of a desktop shell with movable icons and windowing and was probably more "DOSBOX" compatible than 4 as the latter had some hardware tricks and was more of a mini virtual OS running on DOS, but all of the versions should run on actual old computers of the day just fine. Clearly I was inspired by Amiga OS during those years as I borrowed heavily from their UI look.
x-gui 3 looks amazing. I have never tried it since the homepage link is broken. You should make it available again.
@@djopensource Not sure if youtube removed the link I replied with but if you do a search online there is still a website with QBasic DOS GUIs where you can still download it.
do you have its source code? Thankfully now github exists.
GEOS looks great. Might be my favorite.
Yeah after using on the C64 I installed on some Viglen DOS machines at Uni 😀
OS/2 wasn't a DOS GUI but it could run DOS in a Virtual DOS Machine... It was 30 years ahead of its time in that respect.
Not really 30 years ahead. Even Windows 95 can "run" multiple DOS sessions.
DOSUAE has nothing to do with DOS itself. It is an Amiga emulator software to emulate an entirely different platform.
@@djopensource
I totally agree with payamvarposhti5185... Amiga has nothing to do with DOS. DOSUAE is just an amiga emulator... So the OS ist called "Amiga OS" and not "DOSUAE". Btw Amiga DOS is called CLI to be correct
@MrVainSCL Amiga DOS is the operating system name, and CLI is its Command Line Interface.
@@payamvarposhti5185
I think Amiga DOS is part of the Amiga OS and not the operating system name. To use Amiga DOS commands you typed this into the Shell/CLI, so you are not completly wrong.
PC Geos is a masterpiece of programming, and it was/is way more than a DOS shell.
Lots of memories in this video. Nice to see both professional GUIs and homemade GUIs together. Thank you for the trip down memory lane!
OS/2, a DOS GUI? 😂 Yeah, nah. OS/2 was a completely different operating system. Sure, it could start up DOS and run some DOS software. But it did so in a manner closer to running DOS in a virtual machine.
And it started with a collab with IBM, and lead to modern, NT-based Windows.
What about Turbo Vision?
Seems like I missed it.
This is fantastic!
Wow, some of them very very nice and never heard of!!
This is awesome, thanks man - it's just the inspiration I needed right now, too!
Hope to see more of this and thank you again You are a ⭐
Cool, had no idea most of these existed.
Win95 and Win98 are missing, since they are GUIs that run on top of DOS 😅
True.
The best DOS UI is the Amiga Workbench. Lol.
But that doesen't run on the Dos. And here its just an emulator running as DOSprogramm.
DESQview by far was the best.
its crazy how most all DOS apps mimicked Norton commander GUI
stores used some clipper software that mimicks norton commander UI
Now, I Want the:
All WMs And Desktop environment on LINUX
That will be a 6-hour video
Os/2 was an operating system not a gui for DOS!!
If you update this video please include PC-Tools PC SHELL. Much better than dosshell and it came with disk maintenance utilities.
Ahhhh Norton Commander 🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹
What about QEMM 386 and DesqView/X?
I believe this is a memory manager tool and not a gui?
@@djopensource not the DesqView/x window manager
@@MrLukealbanese I included the DESQview.
@@djopensource no, DesqView/X. It's a X window based window manager and very powerful
@@MrLukealbanese Well I knew I will miss something. Next time! :)
Very nice showdown, but other than the title also the year of release and some minimum requirement would have helped to evaluate propery the interfaces! (some of them would run on 8088 with 256k, some other needed 32bit cpu eg 386 minimum, and evrything in the middle)...
when I learn C++ I dream of that kind of UI, now I stilln't code them
What is xcom?
I though that it would be GUI/TUI (program manager/multi-program/windowing systems) that run over DOS... There were some full fledge OS that didn't use DOS, or even the PC, some filebrowser and some "menu" programs... nevertheless, it was still an interesting video. Thank you for it, I've shared it with some friends that also are into "old computing stuff"
DOS Navigator, Volkov Commander, DesqView/X, Norton Desktop, Packard Bell Desktop, Central Point PC Tools, Gauvain 2.2 ....
While it's nice to get screenshots of these in action, it would be even more interesting to get an idea of when they came out and how long they may have been popular, if they were. Obviously, things like DeskMate and early Windows versions actually came out when DOS was a widely-used OS, late 80s/early 90s. But some of these are clearly later implementations only useful for retro-computing, as they weren't around that early. And we don't get to see improvements of later versions unless they're visual. Windows 2 was an improvement on Windows 1, even though they're similar visually. Windows 3.1 was a big improvement on Windows 3.0, although again, they looked very similar.
2:56 like as on Fallout.
Also Central Point PC Tools and and XTree Gold, maybe more for managing DOS but great DOS GUIs. Until Symantec bought them to terminate.
Real name for these is TUI “text based user interfaces”
Ah ok well it would still be GUI as they use graphics. Text user interface is the shell prompt.
Norton Commander = Midnight Commander
Nice, but there are some Macintosh screencasts, too.
Oh so you like DOS? Then name all its' GUIs
Oh, ok nevermind 😅
2:36 LOL
you missed mcshell
My best web gui: windows93 😅
Sorry to hear about your divorce (2:37).
Must have missed QQ.