https://github.com/lexandro/dosui
Lightweight native Linux frontend for DOSBox, D-Fend Reloaded style (Rust + GTK4)
https://github.com/lexandro/dosui
dosbox dosbox-staging frontend gtk4 launcher linux retro rust
Last synced: 20 days ago
JSON representation
Lightweight native Linux frontend for DOSBox, D-Fend Reloaded style (Rust + GTK4)
- Host: GitHub
- URL: https://github.com/lexandro/dosui
- Owner: lexandro
- License: mit
- Created: 2026-06-29T15:41:56.000Z (about 1 month ago)
- Default Branch: main
- Last Pushed: 2026-06-29T21:41:10.000Z (about 1 month ago)
- Last Synced: 2026-06-29T23:21:44.679Z (about 1 month ago)
- Topics: dosbox, dosbox-staging, frontend, gtk4, launcher, linux, retro, rust
- Language: Rust
- Size: 220 KB
- Stars: 1
- Watchers: 0
- Forks: 0
- Open Issues: 0
-
Metadata Files:
- Readme: README.md
- Changelog: CHANGELOG.md
- Contributing: CONTRIBUTING.md
- License: LICENSE
- Code of conduct: CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md
- Codeowners: .github/CODEOWNERS
- Security: SECURITY.md
Awesome Lists containing this project
README
# dosui
A lightweight, native **Linux frontend for [DOSBox](https://www.dosbox.com/)** —
a game/profile launcher and configuration manager in the spirit of
[D-Fend Reloaded](https://dfendreloaded.sourceforge.io/), but without the Java
runtime and without the Windows baggage.
[](https://github.com/lexandro/dosui/actions/workflows/ci.yml)
[](LICENSE)
[](https://www.rust-lang.org/)
[](https://www.gtk.org/)
## Why dosui?
Existing launchers (e.g. **DBGL** and **D-Fend Reloaded**) are heavyweight: they
need a Java runtime or are Windows-centric. dosui aims to be a **fast-starting,
low-dependency, natively integrated** alternative for the Linux desktop. You
manage one profile per game, tweak the important `dosbox.conf` settings from a
GUI, and launch — no hand-editing INI files.
## Features
- **Profile library** with cover art, a sortable details list, and an icon view
(D-Fend-style layout: category tree on the left, list on top, tabbed preview
below — **Screenshots / Notes / Data folder**).
- **Tabbed profile editor** (General / Mounts & Run / CPU / Memory / Graphics /
Sound / Input / DOS / Advanced) covering the settings most games need —
Sound Blaster, GUS, MIDI/SoundFont, shaders, XMS/EMS/UMB, joystick, and more —
with a live `dosbox.conf` preview and an Advanced passthrough for anything else.
- **New-profile wizard** — point at a folder, auto-scan for `.exe`/`.bat`/`.com`,
fill in metadata.
- **Global defaults** every profile inherits, plus per-profile overrides.
- **Built-in "DOS Console"** profile: a bare DOSBox prompt with a ready C: drive,
re-addable from the toolbar if you delete it.
- **Category sidebar** (genre / developer / year / favourites) and
find-as-you-type search.
- Favourites, duplicate, delete, open-folder, and **bulk metadata editing**.
- **Import** existing setups: `dosbox.conf` (D-Fend / DBGL) and zipped games
(drag & drop supported).
- Ships as a single **AppImage** that bundles `dosbox-staging` yet follows your
host GTK theme.
## Screenshots
Edit a profile's metadata and reach every DOSBox setting from one tabbed editor:
Configure the sound hardware — Sound Blaster, Gravis UltraSound, MIDI/SoundFont,
PC speaker / Tandy — without hand-editing `dosbox.conf`:
## Installation
### AppImage (recommended)
Grab the latest `dosui-x86_64.AppImage` from the
[Releases](https://github.com/lexandro/dosui/releases) page, then:
```sh
chmod +x dosui-x86_64.AppImage
./dosui-x86_64.AppImage
```
The AppImage bundles the GTK 4 runtime and `dosbox-staging`, so no system
DOSBox is required. It still follows your desktop's GTK theme.
### From source
You need a stable **Rust toolchain** (MSRV 1.80 — see `rust-version` in
[`Cargo.toml`](Cargo.toml); install via [rustup](https://rustup.rs/)) and the
**GTK 4 development libraries**.
Install the build dependencies for your distro:
| Distro | Command |
| --------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Debian / Ubuntu / Mint| `sudo apt install build-essential libgtk-4-dev librsvg2-common` |
| Fedora | `sudo dnf install gcc gtk4-devel librsvg2` |
| Arch / Manjaro | `sudo pacman -S --needed base-devel gtk4 librsvg` |
| openSUSE | `sudo zypper install gcc gtk4-devel librsvg-2` |
Then build, run, and (optionally) install. A [`Makefile`](Makefile) wraps the
common tasks:
```sh
make # build the release binary (target/release/dosui)
make run # run from source
make check # fmt + clippy + test (the same gate CI runs)
sudo make install # install into /usr/local (binary, .desktop, icon, metainfo)
sudo make install PREFIX=/usr # or pick a prefix; honours DESTDIR for packaging
sudo make uninstall # remove it again
```
Prefer plain Cargo? `cargo run --release` works too. When running from source,
dosui uses a `dosbox-staging` (or `dosbox`) found on your `PATH`; you can also
point it at a specific binary in **Settings**.
## Usage
1. **Add a game** — toolbar ▸ *New profile*, or drag a zipped game onto the
window, or *Import* an existing `dosbox.conf`.
2. **Tune it** — *Edit* opens the tabbed editor; the `dosbox.conf` preview
updates live.
3. **Play** — double-click the tile (or *Run*). dosui regenerates the profile's
`dosbox.conf` and launches DOSBox.
### Where your data lives
dosui follows the XDG base-directory spec:
| Path | Contents |
| ---------------------------- | ----------------------------------------- |
| `~/.config/dosui/` | settings + global defaults (TOML) |
| `~/.local/share/dosui/` | the profile library (the valuable content)|
dosui's own files are **TOML**. The generated `dosbox.conf` is an output
artifact — never a source of truth.
### Command-line options
With no option dosui launches its GUI. It also accepts:
```
dosui --install add applications-menu and desktop shortcuts (AppImage)
dosui --uninstall remove those shortcuts
dosui --version print the version
dosui --help show this help
```
When run as an AppImage, dosui offers to add the shortcuts on first launch and
exposes the same *Add* / *Remove* actions under **Settings ▸ Application**.
## Packaging an AppImage
```sh
make appimage # or: ./packaging/build-appimage.sh -> dist/dosui-x86_64.AppImage
```
The script bundles `dosbox-staging` and the GTK runtime. It uses a local
dosbox-staging build if one is under `~/.local/opt/dosbox-staging*` (override
with `DOSBOX_STAGING_DIR`), otherwise it downloads a pinned version
(`DOSBOX_STAGING_VERSION`). The same script runs in the tag-driven
[Release workflow](.github/workflows/release.yml) — see
[docs/RELEASING.md](docs/RELEASING.md). The bundled `dosbox-staging` is
GPL-2.0-or-later and ships as a separate program (mere aggregation); dosui's own
code is MIT.
## Contributing
Contributions are welcome — see [CONTRIBUTING.md](CONTRIBUTING.md) for the dev
workflow, coding principles, and how the codebase is organised. A high-level map
lives in [docs/ARCHITECTURE.md](docs/ARCHITECTURE.md). By participating you agree
to the [Code of Conduct](CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md).
## Scope
- **Not** a DOSBox replacement — dosui drives an existing `dosbox-staging` /
`dosbox` / `dosbox-x` binary.
- **Linux-first.** Windows/macOS are not targeted for now.
## License
[MIT](LICENSE) © 2026 lexandro2000.
## Acknowledgements
- Inspired by [D-Fend Reloaded](https://dfendreloaded.sourceforge.io/) and
[DBGL](https://dbgl.org/).
- Powered by [dosbox-staging](https://dosbox-staging.github.io/) and
[gtk4-rs](https://gtk-rs.org/).