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Early Micro Computers used 8-bit CPUs (central processor unit) like the Z80. Today's computers use 16/32/64-bit CPUs
See in the video, early 1980's 8-bit Micro Computers starting with just 1k of RAM. (random access memory) Some sold for as little as $49.00.

 

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In the early 1980's, Micro computers used 8 inch, 5 1/4 inch and 3 1/2 inch “floppy disks” for storing data files .

The 8" floppy disks came into use for Micro computers in the mid 70's and were the predecessors to the hard drive that came into use around 1982.


FYI - Not mentioned in the video is the disk capacity.
8" floppy 80 KB to 1,212 KB
5 1/4" floppy 160 KB (in 1981) to 1.200 MB (in 1984)
3 1/2" floppy 720 KB to 1.44 MB

 

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Did Bill Gates Steal the Heart of DOS?

The mystery of the rumored theft of CP/M by a little company called Microsoft can  finally be investigated—using software forensic tools.

"The history of the computer industry is filled with fascinating tales of riches that appear to practically fall from the sky."

By far the most famous story of missed fame and fortune is that of Gary Kildall. A pioneer in computer operating systems, Kildall wrote Control Program for Microcomputers (CP/M), the operating system used on many of the early hobbyist personal computers.

 

Tap or click  video to play or

Tap or click  here to Read the complete article.

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What is FreeDos ?

 

 FreeDos is yet another DOS operating system. The FreeDOS project began 29 June 1994, after Microsoft announced it would no longer sell or support MS-DOS. FreeDOS (formerly Free-DOS and PD-DOS) is a free operating system for IBM PC compatible computers. It intends to provide a complete DOS-compatible environment for running legacy software and supporting embedded systems. FreeDOS can be booted from a floppy disk or USB flash drive. It is also designed to run well under visualization or x86 emulation.  FreeDos is still alive, active and under continual development today (2017) as I write this article.  

freedos logoTap or click  link  -->"FreeDOS 1.2: Why DOS is amazing in 2017"

The USB flash drive has replaced the outdated floppy drive and is available to use on most Desktop and Laptop computers today. A bootable version FreeDos can be placed on the USB flash drive, plugged into your computer and up comes FreeDos!  Unplug the drive and you are back to windows (or whatever was on your computer before you plugged in the USB flash drive). No modification of your operating system is needed; no drivers, no emulators, and nothing to install. Just plug in the USB flash drive and boot from that, instead of from the hard drive.
The Launch-Pad project adds a layer of simplicity to the FreeDos project, making it even easier. The setup is simple and user friendly. More detail on the Launch-Pad project is coming.
Send us your thoughts on the Feedback page if you think you may have an interest in this project.

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Technical  pre-release version of  IBM-Dos Version 1


Maybe you've had enough of old “IBM Dos history" and would like something a bit more technical?   This link below is a pre-release version of “IBM-Dos Version 1”. With an in depth break down of parts of the file system and hidden information in the data found in the Slack Space. The “Slack Space” are sectors or parts of a sector on the disk that contain old deleted data that have not been written over by new data. What was found in this “Slack Space” was names of programmers that wrote this code, parts of messages and much more.

The article contains 6821 words, Readability level: 11-12th grade student.
http://thestarman.pcministry.com/DOS/ibm090/index.html

A lighter version of this article found at OS/2 Museum
http://www.os2museum.com/wp/pc-dos-1-0-but-not-quite/

 

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