ChatGPT Can Now Answer Questions on PCs Running MS-DOS

ChatGPT can be accessed with a few clicks of the mouse in a web browser, but one tinkerer decided to get the chatbot answering questions on an IBM PC running MS-DOS.

That tinkerer is Yeo Kheng Meng(Opens in a new window), and he’s successfully developed a ChatGPT client and demonstrated it running on MS-DOS 6.22. You can see the chatbot in action in the video below, and the source code is available(Opens in a new window) to view and download on GitHub.

Meng developed the client on Windows 11, but owns an 1984 IBM 5155 Portable PC which allowed him to test the software on real hardware. The 5155 uses an Intel 8088 4.77MHz CPU with 640KB of memory, CGA ISA graphics, an NE2000-compatible ISA Ethernet adapter, and runs MS-DOS 6.22.

Using a 32-bit Open Watcom C/C++ compiler and a virtual machine running DOS 6.22, Meng set about creating the client. His biggest challenge was networking APIs because “DOS does not natively come with those.” The solution was a Packet Driver API from 1983 and an open source network library called mTCP(Opens in a new window). It’s worth noting that the mTCP web page is hosted on an IBM PCjr(Opens in a new window) which is also from 1984.

Meng said the project was a fun experience and admitted it was easier than the Windows 3.1 Slack client(Opens in a new window) he developed back in 2019. Once complete, Meng decided to ask ChatGPT (through his DOS client) to write a DOS ChatGPT client.

The chatbot did not provide any working code, but listed some guidance and suggestions on how to build one. It concluded the response with the following warning:

“Keep in mind that creating a DOS ChatGPT client may be challenging, as DOS is an outdated operating system and may not have the necessary tools and resources to develop modern applications.”

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