Terminal-Notepad-Dos

Terminal-Notepad-DOS is a text editor inspired by Windows Notepad, built entirely from scratch in C++, compiled with Borland Turbo C and DJGPP, and with the help of Google Gemini for classic MS-DOS environments. It brings a modern, Windows-like GUI experience into a pure text-mode terminal. Yes, I know that the whole program is made with the help of AI. Because I'm not good at coding at this level, I only know how to design the user interface, and I love a DOS and retro-futuristic aesthetic.

Designed mainly for mouse-based usage, but keyboard navigation is completely supported.

Main Screen, running under DOSBox

Preview with demo text

Menus preview

Features of the application:

Core Engine & Architecture:

• Direct VRAM Rendering: Bypasses standard printf I/O to write directly to VGA memory (0xB800), resulting in instant, flicker-free screen updates.

• Low-Level Hardware Polling: Uses BIOS memory peeking to track Shift, Alt, and Ctrl modifier keys in real-time without blocking the main program loop.

• Custom Mouse Driver Integration: Communicates directly with INT 33h to provide full left/right click, double-click, and click-and-drag support.

• Cross-Compatible Configs: Reads and writes to a config.txt file that is 100% interchangeable with the modern Windows version.

Advanced Editing Capabilities:

• Dynamic Word Wrap: A highly optimised layout engine that wraps text in real-time, with a toggle to respect whole words or break mid-word.

• Undo/Redo Time Machine: Features a robust state snapshot system, grouped smartly by typing bursts and manual actions.

• Text Selection & Clipboard: Hold Shift with arrow keys or click-and-drag the mouse to highlight text. Includes full Cut, Copy, Paste, and Delete mechanics via an internal memory clipboard.

• Decoupled Camera System: Independent horizontal and vertical scrolling allows you to view text far beyond the 80x25 screen limit.

Modern UI/UX in Text Mode:

• Interactive File Browser: A completely custom open/save dialog that reads DOS directories. Includes live search filtering, file size formatting, and address path history (Back/Forward).

• Keyboard Navigable: True to classic DOS software, the entire GUI can be used without a mouse (Except settings page). Press Alt to drop down menus, use Arrow Keys to navigate, and use Tab to cycle focus through dialog boxes.

• Context Menus: Right-click anywhere on the text canvas to open a modern context menu at the cursor's location.

• Dynamic Theming: Change background, foreground, selection, and critical warning colors in real-time.

• Visual Polish: Includes modern UX touches like mouse hover effects, custom extended ASCII borders, and a "dimmed" background overlay when modal dialogs (like the Exit Warning) appear.

Settings page

Display information

Graphics settings with theme settings

Other settings

Some preview screenshots with different themes

Recommended System Requirements

• OS: MS-DOS 6.22+, FreeDOS, or modern emulators (DOSBox, DOSBox-X, PCem)

• CPU: Intel 386

• RAM: 8 MB

• Video: VGA Compatible Graphics Card

• Input: Microsoft Compatible Mouse (Serial or PS/2) and Standard Keyboard

Absolute Minimum System Requirements

• OS: MS-DOS 5.0+

• CPU: Intel 8086

• RAM: 1 MB

• Video: VGA or MDA (Monochrome Display Adapter)

• Input: Standard Keyboard [Mouse is required for changing settings, otherwise, use config.txt to edit settings]

Tested on

DOS version 7.10 on DOSBox-X, from 1 MB to 16 MB RAM