Package
A package provides an easy way to install new software on FreeDOS.
Package files
FreeDOS uses zip files as the package file format. We chose zip files for several reasons, not the least of them the fact that zip files under DOS have become the de facto way to distribute collections of files. The zip file format is well-known, well-supported, and in the public domain. FreeDOS prefers Info-ZIP to create packages. FreeDOS packages must only contain files fitting the 8.3 convention (up to 8 characters for the filename and 3 characters for the extension) due to legacy concerns.
This is the recommended command line to create a package for a program named EXAMPLE:
ZIP −9 -r -k EXAMPLE.ZIP subdir1 subdir2 ... subdirN
If you use 7za to create packages, use this command line:
7za a -mm=deflate -mx=9 -tzip EXAMPLE.ZIP subdir1 subdir2 ... subdirN
Note that 7za allows to use a different compression algorithms. The FreeDOS package manager FDNPKG supports two compression methods: Deflate and LZMA. Usually LZMA provides better compression than Deflate, however it is not recommended for general use because LZMA decompression requires much more memory than Deflate. LZMA decompression needs about 24MiB of memory, which is often more than the total available memory on most DOS systems. LZMA might be used for packages that assume high-end systems (for example: 3D games, etc). But it's always safer to stick to Deflate.
Nevertheless, if you wish to create a package using LZMA, use this:
7za a -mm=lzma -tzip EXAMPLE.ZIP subdir1 subdir2 ... subdirN
Package filenames
Packages names must follow some basic rules: They must be no longer than 8 characters long (but should not be too short either, since a 1-letter or 2-letter package name might be confusing) and may only be composed of characters a-b, 0-9 or underscore. This is for backward compatibility with short file names (8.3) and ISO 9660 file systems (used on CD-ROM). FreeDOS package filenames always use the .ZIP extension.
FreeDOS 1.1 package structure
FreeDOS 1.1 uses a single package file that includes binary and source code. The Installer can choose to not extract sources at install time. The directory structure is otherwise the same as 1.0:
| Path | Meaning |
|---|---|
| APPINFO | Put the program's LSM file here |
| BIN | Binaries, such as EXE and COM programs |
| DOC\%PKGNAME% | Package documentation, with each package having its own directory |
| HELP | The help files |
| NLS\%PKGNAME% | Optional localizations (NLS language files) of the package |
| SOURCE\%PKGNAME% | The complete source code (when installed) with each package having its own directory |
Packages should only include subdirectories of the install target. For example, do not specify C:\FREEDOS in the path. The install target may be referred to after installation using the %DOSDIR% variable.
Programs that are not part of the core FreeDOS system (such as third party applications or games), can also be packaged using the same format described above, although they will probably need to have all files in their own directory most of the time. For example, for a package FOO containing a program that is not part of the FreeDOS core, we might have a package with the following structure:
| Path | Meaning |
|---|---|
| APPINFO\FOO.LSM | Package meta file for the FOO program |
| PROGS\FOO\FOO.EXE | The program's executable |
| PROGS\FOO\FOO.TXT | Some documentation |
| PROGS\FOO\FILE.DAT | Data file used by the FOO program |
| LINKS\FOO.BAT | A batch file to launch the program, see the "Links" section for more |
| SOURCE\FOO\* | All source code for the FOO program |
Note the PROGS directory above. This is a category to which the package belong. The package installer might change this directory at install time, depending on the user's preferences. Possible categories include:
| Category | Meaning |
|---|---|
| DEVEL | Devlepment tools, like compilers and assembleres |
| DRIVERS | Hardware drivers |
| GAMES | Fun games |
| PROGS | Other user programs and tools |
Links
Many utilities are meant to be used from the command line to work on files. Such tools are often expected to be somewhere in the PATH variable, so the user doesn't need to change to the directory where the said utility is stored to use it. A good example of such tools are archivers (like ZIP and UNRAR) but there are others, too.
For such tools, the FreeDOS package format provides a "linking" provision. A package that wishes to put one or more of its executable in the PATH will have to use a LINKS directory, and in this directory a batch file for every executable that needs to be listed in the PATH. The batch file must contain only the path and filename to the target executable (as stored in the zip package). During installation, the FreeDOS package manager will substitute these batch files with proper content.
FreeDOS 1.0 package structure
This section is obsolete. See FreeDOS 1.1 package structure, above.
FreeDOS 1.0 used separate packages for binaries ("pkg") and source code ("spkg"). The below directories are subdirectories of the base install directory. This format is obsolete, and should not be used for any new packages.
Binary packages used this directory structure:
| Path | Meaning |
|---|---|
| APPINFO | Put the program's LSM file here. The LSM file must have the exact same name as the package filename, except for the file's extension. |
| BIN | Binaries, such as EXE and COM programs. If a program uses a BAT file, that goes in BIN too. |
| DOC | Package documentation, with each package having its own directory. This allows a complicated package such as a compiler or programmable editor to include more than just a README file such as sample code for the compiler, technical notes or other references. |
| HELP | The help files. |
Source packages used this directory structure:
| Path | Meaning |
|---|---|
| SOURCE | The complete source code (when installed) with each package having its own directory. |