Doom has been ported to the Web. That's right: you can now play the classic video game from the comfort of an Internet webpage, assuming your browser can handle it, of course.
This has been achieved by compiling Doom to JavaScript with Emscripten, an LLVM-to-JavaScript compiler. In other words, you can play it on the Web, using standard Web technologies like Audio and Canvas, without being forced to use any plug-ins.
You can try it yourself here: Doom on the Web. I tried it in Chrome 11 but it didn't work. If you're using Chrome, try one of the other channels and let me know in the comments if it works. I'd also be interested in knowing if IE9 or the IE10 preview can run it. The video below shows a user playing the game in a Firefox nightly build:
Doom was first released on December 10, 1993 by id Software. The series is widely considered to be a pioneer for the FPS genre. It introduced features such as 3D graphics, true 3D spatiality, networked multiplayer gameplay, and support for player-created expansions.
Doom is one of the most widely ported video games in the FPS genre: starting with the original MS-DOS shareware version, it has been released officially for seven computer operating systems, nine video game consoles, two handheld game consoles, and one cell phone.
That's just the official list. The Doom source code was eventually released under the GPL license by id Software, and fans made a point to create as many ports as possible. Some are replications of the DOS version, while others include modifications to creature design and game levels, or even offer levels that are not included in the original version.