MS-DOS 2.01
An example of MS-DOS's command-line interface, this one showing that the current directory is the root of drive C.
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| Developer | Microsoft |
|---|---|
| Written in | 8086 assembly |
| OS family | DOS |
| Working state | Discontinued |
| Source model | Closed source; source-available for select versions since 2014 |
| Initial release | August 1981 |
| Final release | 8.0 / September 16, 2000 |
| Update method | None |
| Package manager | None |
| Platforms | x86 |
| Kernel type | Monolithic |
| Default user interface | Command-line, text |
| License | Proprietary |
| Succeeded by | Microsoft Windows |
| Official website | MS-DOS overview |
| Support status | |
| Unsupported as of 31 December 2001 | |
MS-DOS (/ˌɛmɛsˈdɒs/ EM-es-DOSS; acronym for Microsoft Disk Operating System) is a discontinued operating system for x86-based personal computers mostly developed by Microsoft. Collectively, MS-DOS, its rebranding as IBM PC DOS, and some operating systems attempting to be compatible with MS-DOS, are sometimes referred to as "DOS" (which is also the generic acronym for disk operating system). MS-DOS was the main operating system for IBM PC compatible personal computers during the 1980s and the early 1990s, when it was gradually superseded by operating systems offering a graphical user interface (GUI), in various generations of the graphical Microsoft Windows operating system.
MS-DOS resulted from a request in 1981 by IBM for an operating system to use in its IBM PC range of personal computers. Microsoft quickly bought the rights to 86-DOS from Seattle Computer Products, and began work on modifying it to meet IBM's specification. IBM licensed and released it in August 1981 as PC DOS 1.0 for use in their PCs. Although MS-DOS and PC DOS were initially developed in parallel by Microsoft and IBM, the two products diverged after twelve years, in 1993, with recognizable differences in compatibility, syntax, and capabilities.
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