# schellingb/dosbox-pure

DOSBox Pure is a new fork of DOSBox built for RetroArch/Libretro aiming for simplicity and ease of use.

Repository: https://github.com/schellingb/dosbox-pure
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/dosbox-pure
Language: C++
License: GPL-2.0
License Family: copyleft
Last push: 2026-07-28T15:40:35+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 86/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-02T17:46:02.011165+00:00)
- activity 94, release rhythm 69, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 2081, "days_push": 36, "days_rel": 50, "gap_med": 100, "n_releases_24m": 6}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 1169, forks 105 (observed 2026-08-28T04:03:51.058832+00:00)

## What it is
DOSBox Pure is a fork of the DOSBox DOS emulator built as a libretro core for RetroArch, focused on simplicity and ease of use. It supports loading games directly from ZIP files, mounting disk images, and gamepad-friendly menus.

## Use cases
- play DOS games in RetroArch
- run old DOS software from ZIP archives without extracting
- emulate DOS games with a gamepad
- mount floppy and CD images inside ZIP files
- auto-start DOS executables skipping loading screens
- use an on-screen keyboard for DOS games

## When to choose
- you use RetroArch and want a simple DOS emulator core
- you want to run DOS games directly from ZIP files
- you prefer gamepad-driven menus and on-screen controls

## When to avoid
- you need advanced DOSBox configuration options or vanilla DOSBox compatibility
- you don't use a libretro frontend
- you need cycle-exact emulation tuning outside RetroArch

## Facets
- artifact type: plugin
- maturity: active
- function: game, simulation, gui
- domain: gaming-tools, cross-platform, developer-tools
- platform: cross-platform, windows
- tags: dosbox, libretro, retroarch, dos-emulator, retro-gaming, emulator-core, gamepad-support, linux, macos, android, ios

## Member repositories
- schellingb/dosbox-pure (main) score 86

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:03:51.058832+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T06:28:43.581618+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/schellingb/dosbox-pure (fetched 2026-08-28T04:03:51.058832+00:00, sha 741023d1b194)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.