Screenshots of Windows 3.1 running on the iPad with the now-banned iOS DOS emulator
by Volker Weber
Christo van Gemert just sent me these screenshots of his iPad running Windows 3.1 using a DOS emulator that appeared briefly on the iTunes App Store last night. Apple soon realised that the application would allow people to run thousands of DOS applications and games - not to mention early versions of Windows - and soon pulled it, unfortunately.
Comments
Repeat after me (and Volker): DRM is bad for the customer...
This actually has nothing to do with DRM. Is there anything similar to this available for Android or Windows 7 devices? The Nokia N8 could give a way better experience for old programs as well, due to HDMI output and bluetooth keyboard.
A monopoly is bad for the customer. Apple has a monopoly with the app store. As far as i know you can not even install such an application that is banned from the app store without jailbreak your apple device. Feel free to correct me if i am wrong.
And maybe this is not only a problem on the ipad/iphone. The app store censor nightmare is already announced for Mac OS X too.
Ralf, whilst I agree with your assessment of the iOS app store, I fail to see how the “app store censor nightmare” applies for OS X. Apple control iOS because the app store is the only way to get software on your (un-jailbroken) phone. This is not the case when it comes to OS X: there is nothing to stop you installing what you want, the app store is just an extra provisioning route.
@Ben -
Edit:
"This is not the case when it comes to OS X: there is nothing [AT THIS POINT] to stop you installing what you want"
No worries, it's coming. Apple has found the control they have over the iPhone & iPad so delectable that there are virtually guaranteed to be OS X machines that shipped locked down and open only to the App Store.
For an IT company, platform control is a drug, and Apple is addicted.
I disagree. iOS devices are consumer devices. Laptops and desktops are something else. That wouldn’t fly, and people would abandon the platform in droves.
Is there any way to get the file of the actual DOS emulator, and put it in some directory on my ipod touch, and iTunes will just push it to the device? Never thought about it, but I want this emulator, and be it to play the old 'Pool of Radiance' or other fun games from my C128 times. Or Bard's Tales FWIW.
