32 Applications from the 1980s     

These shareware and public domain files came from Public Brand Software, a shareware distributor. The zip files contain the files that were on the original floppies, usually one per .zip file,  but sometimes two or three floppies per .zip. PKXarc or something similar is included in the .zip files to uncompress the files. There is documentation (more or less) that tells how to use each application. Most work under the command prompt in XP, but some have a little trouble. You might have to go to the MSDOS mode of Windows 98 or Me to get a few of them running. Even so, the documentation is pretty entertaining.

Here are some tips on getting cantankerous DOS applications running on Windows XP.

     http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314106

I haven't seen it happen, but it's possible that the graphics applications could leave your display adapter in a weird mode, in which case you may have to do some kind of reset.

In addition to the shareware, here's a 1986 release of the CAD software ProDesign II:

          http://xpda.com/ProDesignII

Bob Webster                                           Back to Top