Editing 4DOS (section)

==Overview==
4DOS is most often used as a command-line replacement for the following operating systems:
* command-line: [[MS-DOS]], [[IBM PC DOS]], [[DR-DOS]].
* graphical: [[Windows 95]] to [[Windows 98]], [[Windows 98SE]].

Since Windows NT and Windows 2000 includes both <code>COMMAND.COM</code> and <code>cmd.exe</code>, 4DOS and [[4NT (shell)|4NT]] and derivatives can both be installed. Earlier versions of [[4OS2]] can be run under Windows NT, and OS/2 can run the two DOS and Windows NT shells, all three can be used on Windows NT-type machines and OS/2 multiple boot machines.

Among the many commands, statements and functions in 4DOS and lacking in DOS/Windows 95–98 <code>COMMAND.COM</code> are reading keyboard input and a simpler method of working with colors of screen and text.

The default file extension for 4DOS scripts is .btm.

A graphical version of 4DOS, 4OS2, and 4NT, called [[Take Command Console|Take Command]], was released with a feature set corresponding to version 4DOS 5.5, 4OS2, and 4NT 2.5 and updated after this. Development on this line stopped with the corresponding [[text mode]] versions. There was a graphical program [[Take Command Console|Take Command/16]], for Windows 3.1.

[[4OS2]] is a similar replacement for IBM's [[OS/2]] command interpreter. This was first released at the same time as 4DOS version 4, and has a similar feature set. Like 4DOS, this is released as open source. It appeared in the feature set of 2011's [[eComStation]] 2.10, in the freeware os2free project, and is included with [[ArcaOS]].

4NT was first released as ''4DOS for Windows NT'' (versions 1.x, 2.x), but became 4NT until the restructure after version 8. The program is a recompilation of 4OS2, and continues to have features of OS/2's command processor (<code>cmd.exe</code>), such as running [[REXX]] scripts, and EXTPROC support. A corresponding ''[[Take Command Console|Take Command/32]]'' exists for this, version 1 corresponding to 4NT 2.5. 4NT and Take Command/32 were released in both [[Windows code page#ANSI code page|ANSI]] (Windows 9x) and [[Unicode]] (Windows NT) forms, with the ANSI version dropped at version 5.

A new Win32 program [[Take Command Console#TCI|Tabbed Command Interface]] (TCI), was released at the time of 4NT version 7. This program allowed one to attach (thereby reducing screen clutter) and detach tabbed consoles to a single window. This program requires [[Windows XP]] or later.

A new version of Take Command extends the original Tabbed Command Interface, expanded with extra windows to allow input to be composed, to graphically navigate directories and files, and extra features. 4NT is bundled as Take Command Console. A light feature-reduced version of TCC is released as a free download.

JP Software then released:
* TC (full pack of TCI + TCC)
* TCLE (TCI + TCC/LE)
* TCC (just the command utility)
* TCC/LE
This has been released from versions 9 to 12.1, corresponding to the underlying 4NT/TCC version.