What is MS-DOS and full form of MS DOS?
MS-DOS, which we also know as Microsoft Disk Operating System, is an operating system created by Microsoft itself which works on the basis of x-86 processor. It is a command line based operating system in which all commands are entered as text.
Students studying in school, college or any computer institute get to know about dosage in computer subject, but other people get to hear about it. It doesn’t matter, today you have tried to know what is the introduction of MS-DOS and how to learn MS-DOS, then your wish will be fulfilled with this post.
When one joins an institute to learn computer, the most basic course is available in DCA to learn MS-DOS. Although its interface is completely black in view, but it is quite powerful because in this we have to use commands.
Through MS-DOS commands, we can easily accomplish many tasks. Even today people sometimes need it.
In today’s time MS-DOS is not used, but still its command shell, which is also called windows command line, is used by some users. Most of the people prefer to work in Microsoft Windows only through the mouse. Whereas commands are used to work in MS-DOS. That is, only by writing text, commands are given and work, in this the mouse does not work.
What is MS-DOS?
The full form of MS-DOS is Microsoft Disk Operating System. This is an operating system developed by Microsoft which uses the use of x-86 processor. The first Microsoft Windows operating system used to run on MS-DOS only. Even today the Windows operating system supports DOS. It is an operating system based on command line, in which all commands are entered in text form, there is no graphical user interface.
MS-DOS is the most commonly used member in the Disk Operating System family.
This operating system was the main choice in the IBM PC-compatible computer system between 1980-1990. Then with the passage of time, DOS was replaced by graphical user interface like Windows Operating System.
It is a single user, single-tasking computer operating system. It has been the most successful operating system so far because it is very simple and small in size.
Who invented MS-DOS?
MS-DOS was initially called 86-DOS.
It was written by Tim Peterson, who is also called its father. Its rights were with Seattle Computer Product.
86-DOS was bought by Microsoft for $75000 and then in 1982 it released with an IBM PC as MS-DOS 1.0.
History of MS-DOS
In August 1981, IBM launched its first personal computer, the IBM PC, which came with Microsoft’s 16-bit operating system MS-DOS 1.0.
This is Microsoft’s first operating system, and it is the most used OS in the whole world.
The name of MS QDOS (Quick and Dirty Operating System) was changed to DOS 1.0, which was bought by Microsoft company from Seattle company.
QDOS was developed as a clone of the CP/M eight-bit operating system, in order to be compatible with the most popular business applications in use at that time.
Wordstar and dBase were the most used applications at that time. The program for CP/M (Control Program for Microcomputers) was written by Gary Kildal.
The program of QDOS was written by Tim Peterson who was an employee of Seattle Computer Products Company. It took him 6 weeks to write this program.
Let us know the history of DOS in more detail.
1973: This was the year when Gary Kildall wrote a simple operating system in PL/M langauge. He named it CP/M whose full form is Control Program/Monotor (Control program for Microcomputer).
1979: 2 major versions were released this year.
- Apple Computer released DOS 3.2 in February.
- Apple Computer has released DOS 3.2.1 version.
1980: In the month of April, Tim Peterson started writing a computer (intel 16-bit 8086 CPU) operating system based on the 8086 of Seattle Computer Products.
When Digital Research delayed the release of the CP/M 86 operating system, SustainLuckputerProducts decided to create its own disk operating system.
QDOS was developed as a clone of CP/M to work with the business applications of the time such as Wordstar and dBase.
Gary Kildall, who worked in Digital Research, wrote CP/M (Control program for Microcomputer) 7 years ago and it was the first operating system to be used in general.
Seattle Computer Products created QDOS 0.10 (Quick and Dirty Operating System) in August.
DOS 1.0 written by Peterson was a program written in 4000 lines. Well it took about 6 weeks to write it. The program of QDOS was slightly different from that of CP/M.
Later Microsoft hired Peterson. It took very little time to make this operating system, yet it did a very good job.
Tim Peterson showed Microsoft his 86-DOS program in September, which he wrote for the 8086 chip.
In December, Seattle Computer Products renamed QDOS to 86-DOS and released it as version 0.3.
Microsoft also purchased non-exclusive market rights for 86-DOS.
1981: For the first time in February, it was run in IBM’s prototype microcomputer. In the month of July this year, Microsoft bought the full rights of DOS from Seattle Computer, also named MS-DOS.
In the very next month, IBM launched the IBM 5150 PC Personal Computer in the market, which had 4.77 MHz Intel 8088 CPU, 64 KB RAM, 40 KB ROM, a 5.25 inch Floppy Drive and PC-DOS which cost US $ 3000. In design, it was an improved version of QDOS.
1982: In the month of May, Microsoft released its 1.1 for IBM PC. It supported double sided floppy disk drives.
After this Microsoft released version 1.25 which was similar to version 1.1 made for IBM compatible computers.
1983: MS-DOS 2.0 was released in the month of March which was rewritten by scratch which supported 10 MB hard drives and 360 KB Floppy Drive.
1984: DOS 2.1 version released for IBM PCs.
1986: Microsoft launched DOS 3.2 version which supported 3.5 inch and 720 Kb floppy disk drives. John Socha released Norton Commander 1.0 version this year.
1987: IBM launched Disk Operating System 3.3 version for $120.
1988: Digital Research changed CP/M to DR DOS. Microsoft also launched the graphical / mouse interface along with Disk Operating System 4.0. This version was not successful.
1989: John Socha releases Norton Commander 3.0. By this time the market for Disk Operating System applications had matured.
1990: This year Microsoft released version of the Russian Microsoft Soft Disk Operating System 4.01 for Russia in the Soviat Market. In this version 3.3 less features were given.
1991: In the month of June, Disk Operating System 5.0 was released, which replaced the most commonly used main version DOS 3.3. In this, the facility of full screen editor, undelete and unformat was also given.
1993: Microsoft upgraded the Disk Operating System to 6.0 this year with the facility of Double Space Disk Compression.
Within 40 days of the beginning, 1 million copies of this version were sold in the market.
1994: It was released 6.21 in February. Due to the lawsuit, double space disk compression was removed from it.
Then Disk Option System 6.22 was released, in which disk compression was brought back in the name of Drive Space.
1995: IBM introduced PC Disk Operation System 7 in February, which introduced integrated data compression and was provided by Stack Electronics, after which Microsoft released Disk Operating System 7 which was part of Windows 95.
When Windows used to run, the ability to support long filenames was developed in it.
1997: Microsoft released version 7.1. 95 and was a part of OEM service release 2.
It was capable of supporting FAT 32 hard disk ddrive and it was capable of providing efficient as well as large storage capacity.
MS-DOS Advantages
MS-DOS was the most widely used operating system between the 1980s and 1990s.
Such an operating system that the gathering does not like but it was the most used and the bestseller.
This contributed greatly to Microsoft’s standing in the market in 1990. So let’s know about its advantages and disadvantages.
- This is such an operating system that works even in systems with small capacity.
- The entire OS can be stored in a single modern RAM chip.
- In this the BIOS can be accessed very easily.
- Gives the facility to control the process directly.
- Its size is very less, that’s why it boots much faster than any windows operating system.
- It is very easy to write a special purpose program, no matter how long the program is because it does not have any graphics.
- DOS is very lightweight that’s why it gives direct access to the hardware.
- It is a single-user operating system, so it does not have the overhead of multitasking.
Disadvantages of MS-DOS
- Multitasking is not supported in this. In this, you can work on only one application at a time.
- When memory has to be addressed above 640 MB, then it is difficult to access memory in it.
- Whenever there is some interruption in the hardware, it has to be managed by itself.
- This is a single user operating system. In this, only one user can work at a time.
How to learn MS DOS?
When you join any computer institute, definitely do the course of DCA, in this basic course related to computer is conducted.
In this course you will get to learn MS-DOS, it mainly consists of commands.
With the knowledge of these commands, you will be able to work very well in this.
Apart from this, you can also learn MS-DOS by watching videos on YouTube.
You do not need to go anywhere for this. There are many tutorials available for this in YouTube.
In short
In today’s time, although the use of this Disk Operating System is negligible, but still you will definitely get it in the form of your operating system command prompt.
Those who go to do computer courses, they are not only introduced to MS-DOS, as well as knowledge of its commands is definitely given. It remains hidden in a way but keeps doing its work.
How did you like this post What is MS-DOS? In this post, we also learned that what are the advantages and disadvantages of MS-DOS. We also told you in this post how to learn MS-DOS.