kahuna wrote on 2026-01-10, 05:55:

Very much appreciated. Yeah, I found myself using the GROG editor as well... who would have thought! […]
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crusher wrote on 2026-01-09, 09:29:

Thanks for this great version 2.0 😀
For me In-App Editing is ultra comfortable if you don't want to edit the Excel file on another computer and transfer the csv afterwards.

Very much appreciated. Yeah, I found myself using the GROG editor as well... who would have thought!

zyzzle wrote on 2026-01-10, 02:16:

Great work! Am testing now, it is working very well. One could say this is a new "killer DOS" application for games, much like Xtree Gold is for general disk and file viewing management.

Appreciate it! I don't think it's a "killer" program, just something I needed to build. That is why it's adapted to my own preferences to be honest, but hopefully, it will be useful for everyone!
BTW, I actually didn't know about XTree Gold 😁 Sorry, I'm a Norton Commander guy! I still use the open-source Midnight Commander quite often on my modern (and not-so-modern) machines 😉

I want to take the opportunity to announce, G.R.O.G. v2.1 should be out over the weekend!
I'm organizing my retro-collection, and while I was at it, I configured my machine down to 386 speeds. It turns out the current build struggles a bit there... in my defence, at 1200MHz GROG felt really smooth so I didn't notice! 😜 I think we can do better drawing things in GROG when resources are constrained, so I'm implementing some modifications to tweak this. Stay tuned!

I'm looking forward to trying this out! It looks awesome!

I'm almost afraid to ask this because I don't want to impose on your time after all the work you've put into this... but... would you consider an 8088-compatible version of this at some point in the future? It's understandable if the current setup is just too much for the original IBM PC, but it would be really cool to have an alternate version with a similar interface for use on the oldest PCs. I would absolutely use it on my 5150. 😁

Having significantly more limited memory would obviously have a big impact on whether this is possible, but then most PC\XT era systems aren't going to have anywhere near the number of games as a 486 or Pentium system, so maybe the overall requirements would be more reasonable for such an old system.

Ozzuneoj wrote on 2026-01-10, 06:52:

I'm looking forward to trying this out! It looks awesome!
I'm almost afraid to ask this because I don't want to impose on your time after all the work you've put into this... but... would you consider an 8088-compatible version of this at some point in the future? It's understandable if the current setup is just too much for the original IBM PC, but it would be really cool to have an alternate version with a similar interface for use on the oldest PCs. I would absolutely use it on my 5150. 😁
Having significantly more limited memory would obviously have a big impact on whether this is possible, but then most PC\XT era systems aren't going to have anywhere near the number of games as a 486 or Pentium system, so maybe the overall requirements would be more reasonable for such an old system.

Thanks so much! I'm really glad you're digging it.

As for the 5150... I would love to see it running on there, but there is a bit of a hardware wall. This current version is built with DJGPP, which creates 32-bit 'protected mode' programs. Since the 8088 is strictly a 16-bit CPU, it literally doesn't speak the same language.
To get this working on an XT-class machine, I'd basically have to rebuild the whole thing from scratch using an old-school 16-bit compiler. That said, GROG is open source (GPL), so if anyone else wants to be my guest and take a crack at a 16-bit port, the code is all yours.

Keep the 5150 running strong!

Dear inhabitants of the Vogsphere,

Rejoice, G.R.O.G. v2.1 is available now!

The primary driver for this release was raw speed. I must confess, I actually had a soft spot for the "curtain effect" of the previous rendering method, it had a certain charm. However, I realized that on constrained hardware (386/486 speeds), that charm quickly turns into pain.

While I was under the hood tearing out the BIOS calls, I decided to add a proper Delete function, so you can manage your list without retreating to a spreadsheet.
I also implemented Long Filename Support. I'm not entirely sure who needs this on a pure DOS rig, but for those practicing the voodoo arts of emulation, it might come in handy. Don't worry, it's safe (should be! 😀) it resolves collisions properly (handling the ~1, ~2 aliases) before launching.

These are - in short - the new features of the v2.1:

• Direct VRAM Rendering: The UI is now drawn directly to video memory, bypassing slow BIOS INT 10h calls.
• Delete Function: You no longer need to edit the CSV to remove a game.
• Long Filename Support (LFN): GROG is no longer limited to strict 8.3 naming conventions.
• Enhanced Stability and UI Polish.

No CSV migration is needed if you are upgrading from v2.0.

Download: https://codeberg.org/jjmarcos/grog/releases
Extensive docs here: https://codeberg.org/jjmarcos/grog

I'd love to hear from you, have you tried it? any constructive feedback?

Enjoy!

Thanks for this, I've been really busy and haven't had a chance to start increasing my database again. Hopefully I'll be able to get in that soon. I did convert my DB from Launchbox over and I've been exploring the program a bit. I feel like I have the 2nd best database for grog for some reason.

I don't want to make suggestions yet cause I have barely got into using it in a constructive manner yet, but I wouldn't mind having PageUp/PageDown functionality browsing titles. Most people probably don't have much of a need of that but I'm planning on really extending the number of entries I have in my DB at some point.

Just wanted to say thanks again for this program and writing the convertor from Launchbox. I'll revisit when I have time to get into it more, and keep an eye on any updates you add in general.

Shagittarius wrote on 2026-01-13, 20:42:

Thanks for this, I've been really busy and haven't had a chance to start increasing my database again. Hopefully I'll be able to get in that soon. I did convert my DB from Launchbox over and I've been exploring the program a bit. I feel like I have the 2nd best database for grog for some reason.
I don't want to make suggestions yet cause I have barely got into using it in a constructive manner yet, but I wouldn't mind having PageUp/PageDown functionality browsing titles. Most people probably don't have much of a need of that but I'm planning on really extending the number of entries I have in my DB at some point.
Just wanted to say thanks again for this program and writing the convertor from Launchbox. I'll revisit when I have time to get into it more, and keep an eye on any updates you add in general.

Sounds good, glad you're enjoying it so far. Please, take the time to play with it, and let me know what you think!

I wouldn't mind having PageUp/PageDown functionality browsing titles.
Have you tried right arrow - left arrow? 😉

Hey , I'm sorry I really don't have much time but I went through the process of adding a test game and ran into some things:

I'll start with what I see as a legit minor issue:

Issue 1: If a publisher contains a comma character from importing a LaunchBx DB you can't add additional titles to that publisher.

The importer will import commas for at least the publisher field if not others (I didn't test properly) but you cannot add a comma when adding a new title (At least in the publisher field maybe everywhere, again I didn't test properly)

Steps to recreate (Half-Assed steps)
1. Import a LaunchBX DB which has a publisher with a comma character in it.
2. Attempt to add a title with a publisher using a comma character.

I would expect either the importer should get rid the commas or that I should be allowed to add commas to the publisher field when adding a new title. Otherwise I will end up with 2 publishers like:
Three-Sixty Pacific, Inc. and Three-Sixty Pacific Inc.

This is no bueno. My nice neat DB is getting fragmented =)

Okay, so that's it for actual almost legitimate issues I'd like to point out a couple usability issues, and I know these would require a lot more work, but they are really needed to make it usable.

* Need to be able to browse for paths and executables while adding a title.
This one is huge, while entering in just one title i needed to exit out and relaunch grog multiple times. I'm not going to remember the paths, filenames, etc for the launch executable and config executable plus any paths for CD images etc....
You really need a way to browse the directory from within the add command and hopefully choose the location/file. Ideally you want to be able to do everything you need to add to your database without exiting out of GROG.

Another very minor ask:
* I'd like to be able to add a title without entering into the title browser. Straight from the main menu. Just a convenience thing.

Sorry I know this is not a lot of testing but Im studying for my CCNA right now and don't have much time. I'm sorry for the quality of this testing, as I am a professional tester, but I'm really in a hurry and just trying to give you something because I appreciate your work on this project. I will return when I have more time, and give you a better overview.

Greetings VOGONS,

@Shagittarius mentioned rushing to test this while studying for a CCNA. Since I'm supposed to be deep in AWS CSA prep myself, I decided the only responsible course of action was to join the procrastination pact and ship G.R.O.G. v2.2 instead.

This release addresses the excellent feedback from @Shagittarius (good luck with the CCNA!). Despite the "half-assed" testing disclaimer, the points raised were spot on!
To be honest, my original philosophy was strictly "Edit on a PC/Mac, Play on DOS". I assumed we would all be managing our game lists on modern machines and just copying them over in CSV format. Fleshing out the DOS-side editing and in-program file browsing was an unanticipated detour, but a welcomed one. I think we are finally completing the circle here by making the tool fully standalone on bare metal.

Here is the new stuff:

• The days of memorizing filepath strings are over. A full File Browser has been integrated directly into the Editor. Pressing TAB now triggers an overlay to navigate drives and directories, filtering specifically for executables. It even asks whether the selected file should be linked as the Game Executable or the Setup Utility.
• The strict input validation has been relaxed. Commas are no longer treated as "voodoo marks," meaning publishers like "Three-Sixty Pacific, Inc." can finally be entered without fragmentation or error. Previous versions of the code didn't escape commas as well as I expected so, I put that check to avoid them altogether; easy fix.
• Finally, a quick shortcut [N] was added to the Main Menu to register new games immediately without navigating sub-menus. The code was there, just hidden, now there is a direct access to it. Also, UI popups now clamp text properly to prevent long titles from exploding the borders.

The update is safe for existing CSVs and requires no migration.

Download: https://codeberg.org/jjmarcos/grog/releases
Updated documentation etc.: https://codeberg.org/jjmarcos/grog

Back to studying... maybe.
Enjoy!

Nice to see all those updates. One question: is there an option to start the program directly in a certain option? I would like it to start directly in option A (Browse by title) for example. I don't have a huge game list and all games I install are all 5 stars and favorites. 😜 So not really need those options. Not really important but just curious. Good luck with your study btw.

Thanks Kahuna for adding that functionality so fast despite being busy studying.

Quick question, how do I change drives in the path/file browser? I tried to figure it out but failed. Depending on how you implement this it could be tricky because if you preload all the drives it would take a long time to load all the directories. Maybe just load on a path basis on screen at a time? I've got 64gigs on my P133 and it would take a long time to preload all the directory information. Note: It looks to me like you are already loading on a per directory basis which I think is the best way.

One other thing and this is something that even Launchbox doesn't have: any way you could do predictive text for the text fields? When I made this DB in Launchbox I had to write every company, genre, etc... every time I entered a new title. It would be great to be able to select from data already entered. It would also help prevent typos.

Great work!

You are spot on regarding the file browser. With 64GB drives (or even just large collections on smaller drives), pre-loading the entire file structure would definitely bring a P133 to a crawl and likely run out of memory. GROG is designed to only opendir/readdir the specific path you are currently viewing to keep it fast.

Great catch on the drive switching! To be honest, I completely overlooked it because my development environment only has a C: drive, so it just didn't cross my mind while I was at it. Which is actually kind of funny because my real DOS rig keeps all its games on D:, so I definitely should have known better! My bad on that one.
I'm updating the code now. Basically, if you go up [..] from the root directory, it'll pop you into a drive selection screen.

As for the predictive text/autocomplete, I'm thinking of some sort of "inline ghost text" autocomplete, it should be feasible, I hope...

Yoghoo wrote on Yesterday, 08:27:

Nice to see all those updates. One question: is there an option to start the program directly in a certain option? I would like it to start directly in option A (Browse by title) for example. I don't have a huge game list and all games I install are all 5 stars and favorites. 😜 So not really need those options. Not really important but just curious. Good luck with your study btw.

Hey @Yoghoo, glad you like the updates and thanks for the encouragement!

Regarding booting straight to the list: I think I'm going to stick with the Main Menu as the starting hub for now, mostly to keep the navigation logic simple and stable (handling where 'ESC' takes you gets tricky if we skip the menu!). Since the game list is just a quick tap of 'A' away, hopefully, that single keystroke isn't too much of a hassle.

Thanks for the suggestion though!

Hello good people!

You ask, and the procrastination goddess provides. I managed to squeeze in a few more hours of coding between "study sessions" to address the feedback on v2.2.

G.R.O.G. v2.3 is now live.

Here is the rundown:

• Ghost Text Autocomplete: The Genre and Publisher fields now feature inline "Ghost Text" suggestions based on your existing library. Pressing TAB accepts the suggestion and even fixes your capitalization to match the 'database'.
• Drive Switching: Great catch on the file browser limitation. You can now navigate to other drives without scanning the whole system at startup (keeping it vintage-silicon-friendly). Just go UP [..] from the root of your current drive to access the Drive Selection menu.
• LB2GROG Updated: The LaunchBox converter now outputs CSV headers that match the standard template.

The update is safe for existing CSVs.

Download: https://codeberg.org/jjmarcos/grog/releases
Source/Docs: https://codeberg.org/jjmarcos/grog

Back to the books for real this time.
Enjoy!

This keeps getting better and better. Singlehandedly, you've rendered all other DOS lauchers obsolete in a couple of weeks. You're immensely talented and best of luck on your exams.

kahuna wrote on Yesterday, 22:14:

Hey @Yoghoo, glad you like the updates and thanks for the encouragement! […]
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Yoghoo wrote on Yesterday, 08:27:

Nice to see all those updates. One question: is there an option to start the program directly in a certain option? I would like it to start directly in option A (Browse by title) for example. I don't have a huge game list and all games I install are all 5 stars and favorites. 😜 So not really need those options. Not really important but just curious. Good luck with your study btw.

Hey @Yoghoo, glad you like the updates and thanks for the encouragement!

Regarding booting straight to the list: I think I'm going to stick with the Main Menu as the starting hub for now, mostly to keep the navigation logic simple and stable (handling where 'ESC' takes you gets tricky if we skip the menu!). Since the game list is just a quick tap of 'A' away, hopefully, that single keystroke isn't too much of a hassle.

Thanks for the suggestion though!

Would it be possible to include a launch time switch to drop the user in the title browser? A slash /L(ibrary) or something suitable? The more people that use this the better the UAT feedback.