MS-DOS

From WE Computers Museum
Revision as of 00:30, 12 August 2023 by Jenni (talk | contribs) (slight change in wording)
MS-DOS cover.png
MS-DOS
Developer Microsoft
Publisher Microsoft
Platforms x86
Released March 1982 - September 14, 2000
Added to
Museum
MS-DOS 3.3 (AGI Computer): February 7, 2021

MS-DOS, also known as Microsoft MS-DOS, is an operating system by Microsoft.

History

Seattle Computer Products released 86-DOS in August 1980. It was licensed and then purchased by Microsoft. The 1.x versions of this operating system and its successors were heavily based on the CP/M operating system.

Microsoft licensed 86-DOS 1.10 to IBM, which released it as PC DOS 1.0 on August 12, 1981.

In 1982, Microsoft began releasing it as MS-DOS while IBM continued to release it as PC DOS. The first version to be published by both companies was PC DOS 1.10 which was the basis for MS-DOS 1.24.

1983 saw MS-DOS 1.25, which was the basis for DOS distributions by manufacturers other than IBM. It was used as the basis for a DOS by Compaq as Compaq-DOS 1.12, by Texas Instruments as TI BOOT V. 1.13, by Zenith as Z-DOS 1.01 and 1.19. These were also alternately packaged MS-DOS 1.01.

MS-DOS 2.0, which was also released in 1983, was completely rewritten from its predecessors.

Legacy

DOS became a common shorthand for MS-DOS and those operating systems compatible with it.

Versions of MS-DOS

Title Released Date Added to the Museum Notes
MS-DOS 1.24 1982 Not yet. 1.24 was the first release to bear the MS-DOS brand name. It was based on PC DOS 1.10.
MS-DOS 1.25
Compaq DOS 1.12
TI-BOOT V. 1.13
Z-DOS 1.01
Z-DOS 1.19
1983 Not yet. 1.25 was the basis for operating systems from Compaq, Texas Instruments, and Zenith. These were also alternately packaged as MS-DOS 1.01.
MS-DOS 2.0 1983 Not yet 2.0 was completely rewritten from its predecessors.