# FDOS/kernel

FreeDOS kernel - implements the core MS-DOS/PC-DOS (R) compatible operating system. It is derived from Pat Villani's DOS-C kernel and released under the GPL v2 or later. Please see http://www.freedos.org/ for more details about the FreeDOS (TM) Project.

Repository: https://github.com/FDOS/kernel
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/fdos-kernel
Homepage: http://kernel.fdos.org/
Language: C
License: GPL-2.0
License Family: copyleft
Last push: 2026-07-05T21:20:25+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 88/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 91, release rhythm 78, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 3113, "days_push": 59, "days_rel": 65, "gap_med": 77.5, "n_releases_24m": 3}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 1046, forks 177 (observed 2026-08-28T04:03:21.612937+00:00)

## What it is
The FreeDOS kernel (DOS-C), an MS-DOS/PC-DOS compatible operating system kernel implementing the core DOS API. It is written in C and assembly, derived from Pat Villani's DOS-C, and released under GPL v2 or later.

## Use cases
- run legacy DOS applications and games on modern or vintage hardware
- build a free open-source MS-DOS compatible operating system
- boot old PCs that cannot run modern operating systems
- embed a DOS-compatible environment in embedded or industrial systems
- develop and test DOS software in an authentic environment
- replace MS-DOS on an existing installation by copying kernel.sys

## When to choose
- you need a free, GPL-licensed MS-DOS compatible kernel
- you want to revive or maintain legacy DOS hardware and software
- you need FAT12/FAT16/FAT32 support on 8086+ or 80386+ machines
- you want to contribute to or study a classic operating system kernel written in C

## When to avoid
- you need a modern multitasking, networked, or 64-bit operating system
- you want a general-purpose desktop OS with a GUI
- you need drivers or features beyond the DOS API
- your hardware is not IBM PC compatible

## Facets
- artifact type: application
- maturity: active
- function: file-system, cli
- domain: operating-systems, developer-tools, cross-platform
- platform: c
- tags: ms-dos-compatible, freedos, kernel, fat32, legacy-hardware, retro-computing, operating-system, x86, dos

## Member repositories
- FDOS/kernel (main) score 88

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:03:21.612937+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 2026-08-30T07:01:54.651368+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/FDOS/kernel (fetched 2026-08-28T04:03:21.612937+00:00, sha 9b5c87f9a36b)
  - homepage: http://kernel.fdos.org/ (fetched 2026-08-29T13:02:32.203144+00:00, sha 842bc143660b)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.