XOSL

xOSL (meaning Extended Operating System Loader) is the name of a bootloader, which is a program product class that launches operating systems from a bootable device such as a hard disk or floppy drive. xOSL was originally developed by Geurt Vos.

xOSL provides a graphical user interface which allows the user to set up and boot a computer into any of 24 different operating systems. xOSL is nondenominational bootloader, owing allegiance to no system in particular, and booting them all equally well.

The xOSL interface installs and uninstalls easily. The xOSL program poses very little risk of permanent damage to existing data. Removing the program can be accomplished with the DOS command fdisk /MBR, which returns the disk to its original boot configuration. Generally Xosl resides on its own fat32 partition requiring less than 2mb, and it does not intermingle with other data.

If xOSL is installed on a DOS partition the configuration files are marked as hidden. They all have a filetype beginning with 'X' (.XCF, .XXF, .XDF) You can see the xOSL files with the command "dir /a /w *.x*".

The xOSL solution is highly portable (less than 1 MB) and incorporates easily navigable menu boxes and interfaces. The program requires very little time to configure.

Note: The 24 system limitation is imposed by the physical space available on the operating system menu. Theoretically, the program could support an infinite number of operating systems. By 'chainloading' the bootloader, users have reported booting vastly more operating systems than the program is claimed to support.[1]

xOSL is free software released under the GPL license. The project was actively developed by Geurt Vos between 1999 and 2001 and spanned four major revisions and two minor revisions after its initial creation.

From its origin in xOSL version 1.0.0, xOSL underwent major changes in ver. 1.1.0, 1.1.1, 1.1.2 and 1.1.3. These revisions were significant departures from one another, and introduced new features to the program. These features ranged from drastic user interface improvements to improved compatibility on diverse hardware platforms.

xOSL ver. 1.1.4 and 1.1.5 only introduced improvements to existing functionality and repaired features that should have been functional in their predecessors. Although their improvements were subtle, they did serve to stabilize a developing protocol, and are the most polished revisions of the original to date.

The project lapsed into a dormant state and was abandoned by its original developer from 2001-2007. xOSL remained available for download and use throughout this period.

...
Wikipedia