These days, many people are now discovering the joys of UNIX via Linux. However. most of us need to use Windows from time to time. This page contains a few tips to make the DOS box more usable (ie. more like UNIX!).
Doskey is a command included with most versions of DOS/Windows. It can be used to create a command history and to create shell aliases:-
Most versions of UNIX have a fortune cookie program, which will produce a witty saying when you start a session. I have written a DOS version, suitable for placing in your autoexec.bat file, so you have something to read while waiting for windows to boot up!
The bash shell (the default shell in linux) has a handy feature called tab completion, which means that if you press the TAB key, it will complete the name of a file you have started writing. Very useful for cutting down the amount of typing you need to do.
This function is also available in windows NT and its descendants. In XP it works via a control panel, but in NT it is switched off by default and requires a reqistry hack: set the registry key HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\CommandProcessor\CompletionChar to 9 (which is the ASCII value for the tab key).
For a version of this which works in pure DOS, and hence in win98, try dosed, available at http://shh.thathost.com/pub-dos, together with a number of other helpful unix utilities for DOS.
One feature of linux I like is the ability to have full-screen consoles by pressing F1-F6. You can emulate this in windows by producing a shortcut to the command prompt (cmd.exe in NT and command.com in 9x). The right click on the shortcut and choose properties. Set the display options to "Full Screen" under the Options tag, and set the Shortcut Key to CTRL-ALT-F1 under the Shortcut tag. If you put this shortcut under your Start Menu, you should be able to get a virtual console by pressing CTRL-ALT-F1, just like Linux!