Self-booting disk
type of software
A self-booting disk is a floppy disk for home computers or personal computers that starts up directly into a standalone application when the system is turned on or restarted. It runs on the "bare machine" without loading or using the operating system (if any) that runs on or comes with the computer. This was common, standard, on some computers in the late 1970s to early 1990s. Video games were the type of application most commonly distributed using this technique.
The term "PC booter" is sometimes used in reference to self-booting software for IBM PC compatibles. On other systems, like the Apple II and Atari 8-bit computers, almost all software is self-booting. On the IBM PC, the distinction is between a self-booting program and one which is started by the user via an operating system such as MS-DOS or IBM PC DOS. The term "PC booter" was not contemporaneous with when self-booting games were being released.
Purpose
On some home computers like the Apple II, software is loaded by inserting a floppy disk and turning on or resetting the machine. It is analogous to connecting a cartridge to a game console such as the Atari 2600 and Nintendo Entertainment System. It does not require using a command-line interface or other method to launch software.
The public source identifies “Self-booting disk” as type of software. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Self-booting, disk and type.
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This entry incorporates text from “Self-booting disk” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.