WND Software · Press kit

Doom on an IBM Z mainframe

Play it in your browser through the WND Terminal Emulator using VT/xterm over SSH. No signup required.

Press release · Supplied news story · Short news brief · Screenshots and clip · Technical facts · Enterprise stories

Press release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Doom runs on an IBM Z mainframe. You can play it in your browser.

WND Software opens a free, playable demo through the WND Terminal Emulator using VT/xterm over SSH. No signup required.

AUSTIN, Texas — October 30, 2026 — WND Software has opened a browser demo of Doom running on an IBM Z mainframe. Players connect through the WND Terminal Emulator using VT/xterm over SSH and play directly at https://wndsoftware.com/doom.

The demo turns the familiar first-person shooter into a moving display of text characters. Players can explore, turn, fire and open doors while the game runs on the mainframe. The browser provides the terminal interface. Visitors can start a game without creating an account or installing software.

The project brings IBM Z into the long-running “can it run Doom?” tradition and gives readers something they can try as soon as they finish the story. It also gives technical audiences a working example of a browser terminal connected to a remote game over SSH.

WND Software makes terminal emulation software for people who work with existing host applications. Alongside VT/xterm connections, WND Terminal supports IBM mainframe 3270 and IBM i 5250 workflows. The public Doom demo offers an approachable way to see its terminal interface in action.

The press kit includes a ready-to-adapt news story, a short news brief, desktop and phone screenshots, a short gameplay clip, captions and a technical fact sheet. For interviews and technical questions, contact [email protected].

Play the demo: https://wndsoftware.com/doom
Product information: https://wndsoftware.com/product

About WND Software
WND Software LLC makes WND Terminal, terminal emulation software for existing host applications, with desktop and browser access. The company is based in Austin, Texas. Learn more at https://wndsoftware.com.

Media contact
Albert Joseph, WND Software
[email protected]

IBM and IBM Z are trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation. Doom is a game by id Software. Product and project credits appear in the fact sheet.

Ready-to-adapt news story

Someone put Doom on an IBM Z mainframe, and you can play it in a browser

The latest answer to “can it run Doom?” comes with an IBM Z mainframe and a link you can open right now.

WND Software has made Doom running on IBM Z available through its browser terminal demo. Visit https://wndsoftware.com/doom, start a game and use the on-screen controls to play. There is no signup or software installation.

The display is part of the appeal. Doom’s corridors, enemies and weapons appear as a moving field of text characters inside the WND Terminal Emulator. The familiar scene takes a moment to resolve, then the passageways and action become recognizable as you move through them.

The game runs on the IBM Z mainframe. WND Terminal’s terminal emulator connects using VT/xterm over SSH, with the browser providing the player’s interface. That gives the project a straightforward technical hook for anyone interested in remote terminals: keyboard input goes into a live session and the game’s character-based output comes back to the screen.

It also gives the story a useful feature for readers: they can try the result themselves. The demo is open to the public, so a news item or video can send people directly into the game. The player shows movement, fire and door controls, and the press kit includes screenshots and a short clip showing the text display in motion.

The software behind the interface has a day job in enterprise computing. WND Terminal supports access to existing host applications, including IBM mainframe 3270 and IBM i 5250 workflows. Here, its VT/xterm connection becomes the route into a classic first-person shooter on IBM Z.

For computing enthusiasts, the interesting part is the combination: mainframe hardware, a remote terminal connection and a game built around constant movement. For everyone else, the invitation is simpler. Open a browser tab and see how far you get.

Play: https://wndsoftware.com/doom
Technical details and media: the accompanying WND Software press kit.

Source: WND Software. Supplied editorial copy for adaptation; publishers can edit and fact-check it for their own coverage.

Short news brief

Doom on an IBM Z mainframe is now playable in your browser

WND Software has opened a free browser demo of Doom running on an IBM Z mainframe. The WND Terminal Emulator connects using VT/xterm over SSH, turning the shooter into a moving display of text characters.

Players can start at https://wndsoftware.com/doom without signing up or installing software. The browser provides the terminal interface while the game runs on the mainframe. Movement, fire and door controls appear in the player.

The project brings IBM Z into the “can it run Doom?” tradition and gives readers a version they can try immediately. WND Software has supplied screenshots, a short gameplay clip and technical details for coverage.

Source: WND Software. Supplied editorial copy for adaptation.

Technical fact sheet

Doom demo: technical fact sheet and FAQ

What is the story?
Doom running on an IBM Z mainframe through the WND Terminal Emulator using VT/xterm over SSH. The public browser demo requires no signup.

Where can readers play?
https://wndsoftware.com/doom

Where does the game run?
On an IBM Z mainframe. The browser is the terminal interface used by the player.

What kind of terminal session is this?
VT/xterm over SSH. Use that description when explaining this demo’s connection.

What appears on screen?
Doom rendered as text characters inside the WND Terminal interface. The screenshots show the actual browser player.

What controls are available?
The player displays its current movement, fire and door controls. Desktop screenshots show arrow keys for movement, Space to fire and E to open doors. Phone screenshots show the touch controls.

Which game and terminal projects should receive credit?
Doom: id Software. The text-based port used in the demo is DOOM-ASCII by Wojciech Graj, based on doomgeneric. Project: https://github.com/wojciech-graj/doom-ascii. WND Software supplies the terminal interface and demo integration. The demo uses the original shareware first episode.

What does WND Software sell?
WND Terminal, terminal emulation software for existing host applications. IBM mainframe 3270, IBM i 5250 and VT/xterm are among its supported connections. Product details: https://wndsoftware.com/product.

Who handles interviews and questions?
Albert Joseph, WND Software: [email protected].

What can editors download?
Two original screenshots, a short silent gameplay clip, the WND Software logo mark, the release, supplied story copy, the short news brief and enterprise story copy. Captions and credits accompany the files.

Enterprise story material

Supplied editorial copy for adaptation, organized by audience. Each story includes links to the relevant product documentation.

Mainframe / IBM i · Security / audit · Workplace / Mac · Developer / automation · Infrastructure / access · CIO / migration economics

WND Terminal brings mainframe and IBM i applications into the browser

For an employee who needs to use a mainframe or IBM i application, getting access can involve more than receiving a login. IT also has to deliver the terminal software, connection settings and keyboard configuration that make the workflow usable.

WND Software’s browser terminal brings that access into a browser through a gateway the customer operates. Users sign in and open the host connections IT makes available. The product supports IBM mainframe 3270 and IBM i 5250 workflows, alongside VT sessions.

For employees, the practical benefit is a familiar route into an existing application from a browser. For IT, the gateway provides a central place to manage the browser connection and sign-in configuration. WND Software documents integration with Microsoft Entra ID, Okta and other OpenID Connect identity providers.

IT configures the gateway with the hosts users need, connects an identity provider and assigns access through policy. A newly assigned employee can then sign in and open the approved host session from the browser.

Existing terminal configurations are another part of the evaluation. WND Terminal imports sessions and keyboard settings from established emulators, giving teams a starting point for testing their current working practices. A useful assessment follows an ordinary user task all the way through, including function keys, printing and any workflow-specific requirements.

WND Software also provides native desktop applications. Buyers can compare browser and desktop access against the tasks their users perform, including the authentication, file-transfer and automation features needed by each group. The browser documentation lists its supported features and platform differences.

Moving the browser connection and its settings into the gateway gives IT a central place to administer that access. The financial result depends on the deployment: endpoint installations, onboarding time and ongoing support work all contribute to the cost of delivering a working session to an employee.

Product and deployment sources:
https://wndsoftware.com/browser
https://wndsoftware.com/docs/
https://wndsoftware.com/switch

Source: WND Software. Supplied editorial copy for adaptation.

Sources: wndsoftware.com/browser · wndsoftware.com/docs/

A terminal-session replay can make a host incident easier to investigate

When an operations team investigates a problem in a host application, a recording can help establish what the operator saw and did. WND Terminal includes session recording with masking and tamper-evident records, with evidence retained in customer-controlled storage.

The recording gives investigators a sequence of interactions to review. Masking helps protect sensitive fields, while tamper-evident records help reviewers assess the integrity of the evidence.

For an operations team, the practical benefit is a clearer account of the session during an incident review or an investigation of an operational mistake. A replay can also help a support team understand the sequence that led to an error.

The organization controls the recording deployment and the storage used to retain its evidence. Recording, masking and retention settings form part of the implementation, alongside the organization’s existing audit process.

Source: WND Software. Supplied editorial copy for adaptation.

Sources: wndsoftware.com/session-recording · wndsoftware.com/security

Giving Mac users a native route into mainframe applications

An employee’s choice of computer can add another layer to a host-access deployment. WND Terminal provides a native Mac application for existing IBM mainframe and IBM i workflows, with support for Apple Silicon and Intel Macs.

Teams can import existing terminal sessions and keyboard settings, then validate their established workflows on the Mac application. Printing, file transfer and the procedures users follow each day form part of that move.

For users, the benefit is access from their Mac to the applications their work depends on. For IT, the evaluation asks how that access fits the organization’s endpoint management and support arrangements.

The Mac client sits alongside WND Terminal’s Windows application and browser access. Organizations can choose how each group reaches its host applications according to its devices, authentication requirements and working practices.

Source: WND Software. Supplied editorial copy for adaptation.

Sources: wndsoftware.com/tn3270-emulator-mac · wndsoftware.com/switch

Putting an AI assistant beside a failed mainframe job

A failed job leaves an operator with a practical question: what happened, and what should I check next? WND Terminal’s Ask WND assistant can investigate a question across host screens, while Explain this screen helps interpret the screen already in front of the user.

The assistant uses a model selected by IT, with masking and read-only behavior by default. The operator can ask about a failed job or unfamiliar message while working in the terminal, with host-screen context available to the assistant.

Ask WND can investigate across screens, while Explain this screen focuses on the error, abend or message already displayed. Those two routes help users move from a host message to an explanation without first gathering all the context into a separate conversation.

The potential benefit is faster understanding of an unfamiliar error or job log, particularly when the operator needs help interpreting the host’s response. IT controls the model configuration, and the operator remains responsible for reviewing the explanation and choosing the next action.

Source: WND Software. Supplied editorial copy for adaptation.

Sources: wndsoftware.com/ask-wnd · wndsoftware.com/explain-this-screen · wndsoftware.com/news-2026-10-ai-explains-failed-mainframe-jobs

What it takes to put a browser terminal behind enterprise sign-in

Browser access to an existing host application involves a chain of decisions: where the gateway runs, which hosts it can reach, who can sign in and which connections each user receives.

WND Terminal’s browser terminal uses a gateway operated by the customer. It supports enterprise sign-in through Microsoft Entra ID, Okta and other OpenID Connect providers, with host connections governed by policy.

For infrastructure teams, the practical value is a deployment they operate in their own environment. IT configures the gateway, its permitted host connections and the sign-in integration. Employees use the browser to reach the connections assigned to them.

The gateway creates a central point for administering browser access to existing host applications. WND Terminal supports mainframe 3270, IBM i 5250 and VT sessions through the browser, with deployment requirements and browser-specific capabilities documented for administrators.

Source: WND Software. Supplied editorial copy for adaptation.

Sources: wndsoftware.com/browser · wndsoftware.com/docs/

The work behind a terminal-emulator renewal decision

A terminal-emulator renewal gives an IT team a reason to review both license spending and the work required to change products. The useful comparison starts with the applications, sessions and user procedures already in place.

WND Terminal imports existing sessions and keyboard configurations and provides desktop and browser access. A practical assessment takes a representative group of users through their real tasks, recording what transfers successfully and what needs adjustment.

The business case can then combine the proposed license cost with migration labor, training, support and the infrastructure required by the chosen deployment. Buyers can compare those costs over the same period and test the assumptions before a wider rollout.

WND Software provides switching documentation, a migration-readiness report and a savings calculator to support that assessment. The combination gives IT a way to examine the existing setup, identify work needed for a move and compare costs before committing to a wider rollout.

Source: WND Software. Supplied editorial copy for adaptation.

Sources: wndsoftware.com/switch · wndsoftware.com/savings-calculator

Press contact

Albert Joseph · WND Software
[email protected]

For interviews, technical questions and additional media, email the press team.

IBM and IBM Z are trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation. Doom is a game by id Software. Other project and product names belong to their respective owners.