MS-DOS
MS-DOS is a discontinued 16-bit computer operating system by Microsoft Corporation. It stands for "Microsoft Disk Operating System". The operating system implements a command-line interface for the user to input commands (which ran from disk). It was popularly used in PCs before GUI operating systems, such as Microsoft Windows, came out, and still is used in some places today.
 | |
 An example of the MS-DOS command-line interface, showing that the current directory is the root of drive C | |
| Developer | Microsoft |
|---|---|
| Written in | x86 assembly,[1] later versions also used C |
| OS family | DOS |
| Working state | Preserved pieces exist in 32-bit Windows |
| Source model | Closed source; open source for select versions since 2018[2] |
| Initial release | August 12, 1981[3] |
| Final release | 8.0 / September 16, 2000 |
| Repository | |
| Update method | Re-installation |
| Package manager | None |
| Platforms | x86 |
| Kernel type | Monolithic |
| Default user interface | Command-line, text |
| License | Proprietary MIT License (v1.25 & v2.0)[2] |
| Succeeded by | Windows NT (as of Windows XP) |
| Official website | MS-DOS overview |
| Support status | |
| MS-DOS 6.0 unsupported as of December 31, 2001[4] | |
MS-DOS is a text-based operating system, meaning that a user works with a keyboard to input data and receives output in plain text. Later, MS-DOS programs were often made to allow control by using a mouse and graphics (even without additionally running Microsoft Windows) especially for video games or to make work more simple and quick (some people still believe that working without graphics is really more efficient).
MS-DOS is called a disk operating system because it was mainly made to interact with the disk (to implement a file system for users and programs); it was loaded into a computer's memory with a floppy disk each time the computer is started (booted) up.
MS-DOS was released as proprietary software, but decades later after most users had gone to other systems, it was released as free software.[2]
History and details change
MS-DOS stands for "Microsoft Disk Operating System", and came from an operating system Microsoft bought called 86-DOS, originally called QDOS, or "Quick and Dirty Operating System."
OS/2 was made to replace MS-DOS, but that replacement did not succeed. MS-DOS was used to run the Windows operating systems until an operating system known as Windows XP.
How-To Books change
Many books were written on how to use MS-DOS. A popular introductory book was MS-DOS for Dummies, by Dan Gookin, the book in the For Dummies series of easy to follow instruction books.
References change
- ↑ Paterson, Tim (June 1983). "An Inside Look at MS-DOS". Seattle Computer Products. Seattle. Archived from the original on May 6, 2017. Retrieved June 10, 2019.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Turner, Rich (28 September 2018). "Re-Open-Sourcing MS-DOS 1.25 and 2.0". Windows Command Line Tools For Developers. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
- ↑ "MS-DOS: A Brief Introduction". The Linux Information Project. Archived from the original on December 14, 2017. Retrieved December 14, 2017.
- ↑ "Obsolete Products Life-Cycle Policy". Support. Microsoft. July 30, 2009. Archived from the original on July 6, 2006. Retrieved April 6, 2010.
