Microsoft releases MS-DOS 2.0 Source Code

Computer History Museum ^ | 3/25/2014 | Microsoft

[Dalberg-Acton]

With the permission of Microsoft Corporation, the Computer History Museum is pleased to make available the source and object code to Microsoft’s MS-DOS operating system versions 1.1 and 2.0, for non-commercial use.

The zip file contains four subdirectories:

• v11source: 7 assembler code files, and an explanatory email from Tim Paterson
• v11object: 27 files, some binary programs and some sample programs
• v20source: 118 text files, mostly assembler code and some documentation
• v20object: 38 files, some binary and some documentation

[OneWingedShark]

Sort of like how the greatest poetry was written when the expectations of rhyme and rhythm were taken seriously. Once those were gone, it all dissolved into strings of meaninglessness.

To be fair there's some good stuff in musicals — the medium almost forces it. That said, I think the quality of [modern] musicals could use a bit more consideration of rhyme/rhythm/meter.

[norwaypinesavage]

"Wow! I still remember using MS-DOS 1.1 and 2.0."

Actually, DOS 7.22 was the last useful product Microsoft sold (until Windows 7).

[norwaypinesavage]

"I worked for a company in 1976 that had a 8080 "

Gotcha beat. In 1974 I used an Intel 4004. It didn't even have a console. We used Tektronix CRTs with built in cassette recorders to store the data. Intel bragged that it took a total of 26 people all of nine months to design the chip.

[Dalberg-Acton]

That’s almost prehistoric. You win!

[zeugma]

Re: formally proven OS

It has been done, but an operating system is kinda useless without apps. I’d love to see something like that, but I suspect you’ll only ever see it as a niche product. ATM machines would be an excellent application.

[OneWingedShark]

It has been done, but an operating system is kinda useless without apps. I’d love to see something like that, but I suspect you’ll only ever see it as a niche product. ATM machines would be an excellent application.

I fear you might be right about niche usage; but I think that it would give a major leg-up to a consumer product. I mean imagine the marketing saying it's impossible to crash and being right; and from a security standpoint it offers some amazing assurances (ref: the Ironsides DNS, No Single-Packet Denial of Service or Remote Code Execution Vulnerabilities).

[matt1234]

Microsoft BOUGHT DOS from Seattle Computer Products in 1980 for $50,000! Just in time to license it en-mass on IBM PCs.

Accidental Empires by Robert X. Cringely, pp. 132-133

[ducttape45]

7.22? I thought the last DOS was 6.22?

Anyone?

[ducttape45]

Wow, you hit upon one of the biggest secrets in IT history. I always heard, though, that Gates "appropriated" the DOS code from it's original inventor and then used licensing trickery to keep him down while he started making his millions selling MS-DOS.

Please correct me if I'm wrong.

[wildandcrazyrussian]

Right on all accounts. The other factor is that Bill Gates was from an extremely wealthy family and his mommy, Mrs. Gates, sat on the board of directors of IBM. So one day, after they discussed that they had this little hardware thing (the IBM XT) but weren’t particularly interested in software for it, she dropped a suggestion to have them buy her son’s — whereupon he went out and bought one from Seattle Computer to sell to IBM. I have heard this story many times.

[norwaypinesavage]

I think you’re right. 6.22 looks correct now that I see it written down. It came as a package with Windows 3.1 or maybe Windows 95, on a separate set of disks.

[ducttape45]

Bingo! It was packaged with Windows 3.1 and Windows for Workgroups 3.11. You installed the MS-DOS first, then Windows second. It was the last time we would ever see DOS all by itself.

[matt1234]

Wow, you hit upon one of the biggest secrets in IT history. I always heard, though, that Gates "appropriated" the DOS code from it's original inventor and then used licensing trickery to keep him down while he started making his millions selling MS-DOS. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

In his book, Accidental Empires, Cringely asserts that Seattle Computer Products stole chunks of the DOS code from another company. Then MS bought DOS from Seattle Computer Products.

As far as "licensing trickery" is concerned, I don't know the legal details of the agreement(s).

One interesting fact is that IBM wanted to buy the software for its new PCs rather than develop it in-house. IBM wanted an OS and programming language. MS, when first approachd by IBM, had the programming language but not the OS. So, they went across town and bought DOS.