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DOS Navigator

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DOS Navigator
Company typeSoftware
IndustryFile management software
Founded1991
FounderStefan Tanurkov, Andrew Zabolotny, Sergey Melnik
Headquarters
Chișinău
,
Moldova
ProductsOrthodox file manager software for DOS, OS/2, Windows

DOS Navigator (DN) is an orthodox file manager designed for DOS, OS/2, and Windows operating systems.

Influence

DOS Navigator was a trailblazer in the realm of orthodox file managers by introducing three innovative types of virtual file systems (VFS): namely, XTree, Briefcase, and list-based systems. It offers support for an unlimited number of panels along with a wide array of advanced features, positioning itself as one of the most sophisticated and feature-rich OFMs available.

History

The initial version, DN I (v 0.90), was launched in 1991 by developers Stefan Tanurkov, Andrew Zabolotny, and Sergey Melnik from Chișinău, Moldova. Subsequently, Tanurkov and Dmitry Dotsenko at Moscow State University undertook a complete rewrite using Turbo Vision, resulting in DN II.

In 1993, Slava Filimonov joined forces with Stefan to co-develop DN, contributing various new modules, design enhancements, and performance optimizations. Filimonov also implemented a software key protection mechanism that remained secure for nearly four years.

Development of DN II proceeded actively until 1995, culminating with version 1.35. Thereafter, bug fixes and incremental updates from versions 1.37 through 1.39 were maintained by Filimonov and Ilya Bagdasarov. After their departure, stewardship reverted to Tanurkov and Maxim Masiutin.

By 1998, development emphasis shifted primarily to maintenance and bug resolution as Ritlabs concentrated efforts on their commercially successful product, The Bat!. The final shareware edition was version 1.50; late in 1999, Ritlabs released version 1.51 as freeware accompanied by open source code.

Currently, multiple open source derivatives of DN exist, including the win32/dpmi/os2 "dn/2" initiative and the Linux adaptation known as "dn2l."

Disadvantages

The original DN contains a significant amount of assembly language code, which complicates its portability across different platforms. The cross-platform iteration, DN OSP, relies on the now obsolete Virtual Pascal compiler and its associated runtime library. As of January 2022, no DN variant offers full Unicode support outside the Windows environment, despite available cross-platform Unicode implementations of Turbo Vision for Pascal. Furthermore, the licensing terms for the source code introduce additional complications.

Source code license

Although DN's source code was distributed under the 3-clause BSD license, it incorporates an implementation of the Turbo Vision library derived from the original Turbo Pascal distribution—software that was never authorized for derivative licensing. Additionally, DN OSP includes altered components of the Virtual Pascal runtime library; its license forbids redistribution of modified versions. It remains uncertain whether this restriction pertains solely to the compiler or extends to the runtime as well.

Legacy

A variety of projects continue to evolve software based on DN’s open source foundation, enhancing it with features such as support for long filenames and compatibility with Linux.

  • DN 1.51 (650 KB) for Win32 & OS/2 - Source code (Virtual Pascal)
  • DOS Navigator Open Source Project (ODN)
  • dn2l Linux port derived from DN OSP sources
  • DN OSP 6.4.0 (1 MB) for DOS/DPMI (Windows 9x)
  • Necromancer's DOS Navigator (NDN)
  • DN 4.9.0 (2004) for DOS included in Ultimate Boot CD (UBCD) v3.4

See also

External links

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