XyWrite 4 is a DOS-based word processor still being used for its combination of speed and convenience. If you already know what it is, you don't need to read any more about it; if you don't already know what it is, you almost certainly won't want to spend time reading this page, and you won't want to use it.
I have created two systems that run XyWrite 4 under modern macOS, one using vDosPlus and Wineskin to create a DOS environment for XyWrite, the other using DOSBox-X. You may want to experiment with each. I have no way of knowing which may be better for real-world XyWrite users.
Both systems exist only because Carl Distefano at the XyWrite mailing list (see below) generously provided his expertise to create a "portable" XyWrite setup that can work without specifying directory paths in the setting files. The system also contains Carl Distefano's U2 system that enormously extends XyWrite's capabilities.
If you are a magical-thinker who uses anti-virus software on your Mac, your software may alert you with false positives. It is entirely up to you what to do about those warnings.
Xy4vDosMac uses vDosPlus, running in a Wineskin wrapper, to create its DOS environment, and is entirely self-contained. The XyWrite folder is on an emulated drive B: deep inside the application itself. It uses these drive-letter assignments:
You may download the Xy4vDosMac application here. This application cannot be notarized, so, before trying to run it, you will need to open a terminal, type this command:
xattr -rc
followed by a space (and the space is essential); then drag the Xy4vDosMac application into the terminal and press Return. You should then be able to run the application normally, though you may need to Ctrl-click (or right-click) and select Open from the menu when you try to run it for the first time.
Access macOS folders in XyWrite: See the list of mapped macOS folders above. If you want to add a drive letter that corresponds to another folder on your macOS system, hold down the Option key when launching Xy4vDosMac and choose the option to Add or Remove drive letters for macOS folders.
To change the directory that is current when XyWrite starts up, run the application; CAll STARTUP.INT, and find the lines preceded by "Change the two lines below, etc." Change the drive letter in the first line and the folder name in the next line (leaving CD \ unchanged). Save the file.
Clipboard exchange: Versions of both systems posted after 11 February 2023 can copy text to the macOS clipboard by selecting text in XyWrite and pressing Ctrl-Option-C. You can paste text from the macOS clipboard by pressing Ctrl-Option-V in XyWrite. Please report any unexpected effects.
Printing: The following port assignments apply (in both systems):
Customization: You will probably want to make changes in the behavior and appearance of whichever system you use. Use the following guidelines:
Use an existing XyWrite system with Xy4vDosMac: You may use your existing, customized XyWrite system, but I strongly advise making backups of your existing copies of the three files listed above (preferably back up the entire system).
To find the application's versions of those and other files, Ctrl-click (or right-click) the application; choose Show Package Contents, then navigate to Contents->vDos Program Folder->XY4. Copy the application's versions of those three files into your existing system. Also copy all files with U2 in their names into your existing system (after backing up any existing files). Use a file-comparison utility to transfer your own settings from the backed-up files into the application's versions.
Then perform the following steps:
You absolutely must use the application's version of STARTUP.INT, but you can modify it as you wish.
You can use your own copy of SETTINGS.DFL, but you absolutely must take over the printer settings from the end of the application's version of the file and use them in your version of the file in place of whatever printer settings you already have (though you can change the names of the drivers in those settings).
You can use your own version of XY4.KBD or any othe keyboard file, but if you want to exchange data with the macOS clipboard, you must (1) use in your keyboard file the commands in the two keyboard assignments listed under the string "emendelson" and (2) you must copy into the folder with editor.exe the two files named GET.PM and SEND.PM from the application's editor folder.
Also, if you want to exchange data with the macOS clipboard, you absolutely must copy from the application's editor folder all files with U2 in their name and extension and the folder named U2EXTRAS. Do not ignore any of these instructions.
Xy4DBMac uses DOSBox-X to create its DOS environment, and creates or modifies an existing folder in your macOS user folder as drive C:, with XyWrite installed inside that folder. (I tried to make it self-contained like the vDosPlus-based system, but it ran too slowly.) It uses these drive-letter assignments:
You may download the Xy4vDBMac application here (updated 18 February 2023 for better appearance).
Access macOS folders in XyWrite: See the list of mapped macOS folders above. If you want to add a drive letter that corresponds to another folder on your macOS system, hold down the Option key when launching Xy4vDBMac and choose the option to Edit autoxec.bat commands. Note the "mount" commands already in the file; add similar commands that map drive letters to specfic folders, or modify the existing commands.
To change the directory that is current when XyWrite starts up, run the application; CAll STARTUP.INT, and find the lines preceded by "Change the two lines below, etc." Change the drive letter in the first line and the folder name in the next line (leaving CD \ unchanged). Save the file.
Clipboard exchange: Versions of both systems posted after 11 February 2023 can copy text to the macOS clipboard by selecting text in XyWrite and pressing Ctrl-Option-C. You can paste text from the macOS clipboard by pressing Ctrl-Option-V in XyWrite. Please report any unexpected effects.
Printing: The following port assignments apply (in both systems):
Customization: You will probably want to make changes in the behavior and appearance of whichever system you use. Use the following guidelines:
Use an existing XyWrite system with Xy4DBMac: You may use your existing, customized XyWrite system, but I strongly advise making backups of your existing copies of the three files listed above (preferably back up the entire system).
To find the application's versions of those and other files, Ctrl-click (or right-click) the application; choose Show Package Contents, then navigate to Contents->Resources->Helpers->XY4. Copy the application's versions of those three files into your existing system. Also copy all files with U2 in their names into your existing system (after backing up any existing files). Use a file-comparison utility to transfer your own settings from the backed-up files into the application's versions.
Then perform the following steps:
If you have wasted your money on anti-virus software for your Mac, your anti-virus software will probably also waste your time by reporting that these applications contain malware. (Incompetent anti-virus software flags as malware anything created by the AutoIt scripting system, which both these applications use.) If you want to believe that the money you spent on anti-virus software was not in fact wasted, and that it correctly detected malware in these applications, then do not use these applications, and delete them immediately. Above all, please do not waste your extremely valuable time telling me that these applications were flagged as malware, and please do not waste your extremely valuable time asking me if they are safe. If you don't trust my software, don't use my software.
On a Mac, anti-virus software relies on its purchasers' magical thinking. If you want to use magical thinking to avoid macOS viruses, a method that costs much less, but is just as effective as anti-virus software, is to avoid stepping on the cracks in a paved sidewalk.
These systems come with no warranties. If you want help with XyWrite, join the XyWrite mailing list and ask for help there.
Edward Mendelson (em thirty-six [at] columbia [dot] edu, but with two initials and two numerals before the [at] sign, not spelled out as shown here).