This is a rare look at the tech giant's first operating system
Microsoft open-sources MS-DOS 1.0, offering a rare look at PC history
https://www.xda-developers.com/microsoft-open-sources-ms-dos-1-0-offering-rare-look-pc-history/
https://www.xda-developers.com/microsoft-open-sources-ms-dos-1-0-offering-rare-look-pc-history/
This is a rare look at the tech giant's first operating system
30 Comments
massive_bereavement@fedia.io · 104 pts · 135d
Though it wasn't really made by them, they bought it to beat the competition.
Codilingus@piefed.social · 38 pts · 135d
IIRC they contracted some devs for a one time payment to make it, then proceeded to laugh to the bank while strangling the market over the years.
Thorry@feddit.org · 23 pts · 135d
To be fair, there is a whole lot more to selling software than just making it. There's this myth out there if you just build the right software at the right time, success is guaranteed. But in reality all of the success stories from the past had many competitors, often with better made software. There's many factors that go into it, luck is a big factor and upfront cash is also a big one (especially nepotism is a common theme).
Test_Tickles@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 134d
Ya, it takes a massive amount of time and effort to make sure you are born into a family where your mother is on the board of the one and only client big enough to set the standard for the rest of the industry.
SatansMaggotyCumFart@piefed.world · 31 pts · 135d
It's amazing they were able to do everything MS-DOS did with that simple of code.
Genuine geniuses.
Gork@sopuli.xyz · 25 pts · 135d
The printout could have said 80085 but they chose to not be cool.
vrek@programming.dev · 4 pts · 135d
I can 1/2 read asm, know c/c++/c# and a bunch of other languages but how do I even read this?
Valmond@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 1 pts · 134d
This is just the printout?
vrek@programming.dev · 2 pts · 134d
Yeah, obviously but does it mean something?
Valmond@lemmy.dbzer0.com · -1 pts · 134d
Well not more than the obvious?
SatansMaggotyCumFart@piefed.world · -11 pts · 135d
Be a programming god like Bill Gates.
vrek@programming.dev · 15 pts · 135d
He was a business God, not so sure of programming God, more like surrounding himself with programming gods.
But seriously, how do you read this, is it like a representation of how the memory should be at a specific point in time? I'm guessing blank spaces would be undefined then?
The_Decryptor@aussie.zone · 5 pts · 134d
That's just the cover page, you can see the source files here.
The print out is "bundle_2", while the actual compliable source is in "86DOS.A86", you can see where the code starts and the header ends.
vrek@programming.dev · 2 pts · 134d
Ah, the bundle_2 link looks at lot more readable and understandable. That said it's not even 530am yet here so I'll need a little while to wake up before I can try to understand it.
WhyJiffie@sh.itjust.works · 1 pts · 133d
I think this page is simply just ASCII art
door_hater@lemmy.world · 0 pts · 135d
Amen
ivanafterall@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 134d
James Comey, is that you?
frongt@lemmy.zip · 1 pts · 135d
What line of code?
helpImTrappedOnline@lemmy.world · 31 pts · 134d
Someone will probably find a massive vulnerability that affects every version of windows, because why not?
Ensign_Crab@lemmy.world · 20 pts · 134d
Wonder if they'll start releasing later versions so we can see their attempts to kill Lotus.
Endymion_Mallorn@kbin.melroy.org · 16 pts · 135d
Did the CP/M or PC-DOS guys agree to this?
frongt@lemmy.zip · 13 pts · 135d
I'm sure the Microsoft lawyers went over it thoroughly first. They are very concerned with licenses for things that are to be open-sourced.
The_Decryptor@aussie.zone · 9 pts · 135d
CP/M is already open source, so I'm not sure the surviving devs will mind.
captain_aggravated@sh.itjust.works · 3 pts · 135d
Why would CP/M have a dog in the fight? They were a competitor and, if I understand my history right, the wrong horse.
And By the PC-DOS guys, you mean IBM?
blinfabian@feddit.nl · 13 pts · 134d
please opensource windows 11 next. i bet when OpenWindows 11 comes out it will be wayyy better
Quetzalcutlass@lemmy.world · 14 pts · 134d
We're already at the point where Windows programs sometimes run better on Linux with a compatibility layer (WINE/Proton) than they do natively. The stuff that doesn't run is mostly games ladened with kernel-level DRM that Linux (rightfully) can't emulate.
Linux even runs old Windows programs better than Windows itself, and long-term compatibility is supposed to be one of Windows' biggest selling points.
boonhet@sopuli.xyz · 5 pts · 134d
We're already on 16, we just spell the Windows part differently. We spell it "suse leap"
hardcoreufo@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 134d
Didn't they release dos 4.x a few years ago?
ryujin470@fedia.io · 3 pts · 134d
That was back in 2024.
MantisToboggon@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 135d
\dir.