The renowned operating system that we all know as MS-DOS, or Microsoft Disk Operating System, was not originally developed by Microsoft. It was actually acquired by Microsoft when they purchased the QDOS (Quick and Dirty Operating System) or later known as 86-DOS from Seattle Computer Products for approximately $50,000. Microsoft then proceeded to sell it to various other companies, including IBM, who marketed it as PC DOS during that time.
Recently, a file of 86-DOS version 0.1 C was discovered, which was written in 1980. This file is likely the oldest existing version of DOS that has been found so far. The individual who stumbled upon this file is Gene Buckle, an avid collector of vintage software. Buckle mentioned that he obtained an 8-inch disk from someone he knew and in late 2023, he finally had the time to transfer the data from the disk to a modern computer in order to archive it on the internet. That’s when he unexpectedly came across the DOS 0.1 C file and decided to make it widely available. The file can be downloaded from archive.org.
TLDR: MS-DOS, also known as Microsoft Disk Operating System, was initially acquired by Microsoft from Seattle Computer Products. Recently, the oldest version of DOS, 86-DOS version 0.1 C, was discovered and made available for download by Gene Buckle, a software collector.
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