Microsoft has announced the release of the source code for MS-DOS 4.00 on GitHub for public dissemination. This marks a significant move as Microsoft had previously opened the source code for MS-DOS 1.25 and 2.0 in 2014 and uploaded them to GitHub in 2018. The unveiling of the source code for version 4.0 signifies a newer development.
Collaboratively developed by Microsoft and IBM, MS-DOS v4.00 was a joint effort. The decision to open the source this time around stemmed from Ray Ozzie, former CTO of Microsoft, stumbling upon a floppy disk containing the binary of DOS 4.0 Beta. This led him to collaborate with researcher Connor “Starfrost” Hyde to delve into the history of DOS together. Subsequently, Ozzie reached out to Microsoft’s Open Source Programs Office (OSPO) to request the release of the DOS source code.
After a thorough search, the Microsoft team located the source code for MS-DOS 4.00 and ultimately decided to make it open source (using the MIT license). This release also includes Ozzie’s binary files and scanned PDF documents from the past.
TLDR: Microsoft has unveiled the source code for MS-DOS 4.00 on GitHub, following previous releases of versions 1.25 and 2.0. This decision was prompted by Ray Ozzie’s discovery of DOS 4.0 Beta, leading to collaboration with Connor “Starfrost” Hyde and eventual release through the Microsoft Open Source Programs Office (OSPO).
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