DOS can also be a nice, predictable runtime for embedded or low-level systems, as long as you're running x86. Some implementations are even 64-bit clean, such as this one: https://github.com/dosemu2/fdpp.
I remember this project (https://jimhall.itch.io/toy-cpu), where the author shipped his emulator as a DOS binary instead of a web-based JavaScript version that would eventually break over time.
DOS can serve as a lightweight, efficient, and predictable runtime with extremely low system requirements and no need for updates. It can run on bare metal or as a WASM binary.
The development tools are small, free, and reproducible (e.g., Turbo C), ensuring that the code will still compile and run just fine even 10 years from now. Oh, and it also has some cool TUI libraries a la QuickBASIC. I’d argue it’s still a worthy option, if it’s not user-facing.
I remember this project (https://jimhall.itch.io/toy-cpu), where the author shipped his emulator as a DOS binary instead of a web-based JavaScript version that would eventually break over time.
DOS can serve as a lightweight, efficient, and predictable runtime with extremely low system requirements and no need for updates. It can run on bare metal or as a WASM binary.
The development tools are small, free, and reproducible (e.g., Turbo C), ensuring that the code will still compile and run just fine even 10 years from now. Oh, and it also has some cool TUI libraries a la QuickBASIC. I’d argue it’s still a worthy option, if it’s not user-facing.