Difference between revisions of "MS-DOS"

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[[Image:MS-DOS.jpg|thumb|256x256px|MS-DOS v6.22.]]
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[[Image:MS-DOS - v6.22 Upgrade - Cover.jpg|thumb|256x256px|MS-DOS v6.22.]]
  
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[[Microsoft]] '''''DOS''''' is a command line operating system based on QDOS, designed to run on [[IBM]] personal computers and first released in 1981. It saw continual improvements until it was superseded by [[Windows 95]]. Until the release of Windows 95, MS-DOS was the primary platform for PC gaming.
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'''MS-DOS''' is a command line [[operating system]] developed by [[Microsoft]] and first published in 1981. It was based on QDOS, and initially designed to run on [[IBM Personal Computer|IBM PC]]s, but also ran on IBM clones. It was by-far most popular OS for IBM-compatible computers throughout its entire release history and saw continual improvements until it was superseded by [[Windows 95]].
  
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My family's first computer came with MS-DOS 5.0, which we later upgraded to 6.22 after its release.  
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Gaming on MS-DOS was hit or miss. Since graphic and sound hardware was always well behind what was available on video game consoles of the day, action games like shooters and platformers were inferior on DOS. However, games which required a lot of storage space like large adventure and RPG games, as well as games that required a lot of math processing like simulators and 3D rendering, were superior on DOS.
  
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MS-DOS is now mostly emulated using [[DOSBox]].
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MS-DOS can be emulated in most [[virtual machine]]s, but to emulate various forms of hardware that were popular during the DOS era, you will need a program like [[DOSBox]].
  
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==Programs==
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==Personal==
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Here are some specific programs I enjoy on DOS.
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The first version of MS-DOS I remember using was 3.22 on my cousin's [[Tandy 1000]] which I spent a lot of time on. My family's first computer came with MS-DOS 5.0, which we later upgraded to 6.22. I always gave more leeway to games made for MS-DOS over video game consoles. There was something about the fact that I could see the individual game files and root around in them that made them feel more "real" than games on cartridges where all the data was obscured.
  
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* [[7th Guest]]
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I have owned computers which had MS-DOS versions 5, 6, and 6.22. I have also used MS-DOS 3.2 a little.
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* [[Castle Adventure]]
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* [[Doom]]
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==Software==
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* [[Doom II: Hell On Earth]]
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The following is software developed for MS-DOS that is important to me.
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* [[God of Thunder]]
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* [[Loom]]
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===Applications===
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* [[Magic Carpet]]
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: ''See all [[:Category:DOS Software|DOS Software]].''
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* [[Master of Magic]]
 
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* [[PKZip]]
 
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* [[Point & Shoot]]
 
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* [[QuickBASIC]]
 
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* [[Raptor: Call of the Shadows]]
 
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* [[Scorched Earth]]
 
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* [[SimAnt]]
 
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* [[SimCity]]
 
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* [[SimCity 2000]]
 
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* [[Space Quest II: Vohaul's Revenge]]
 
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* [[Swords of Glass]]
 
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* [[Ultima VII: The Black Gate]]
 
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* [[Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness]]
 
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* [[Windows 3]]
 
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* [[Wolfenstein 3D]]
 
  
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==Gallery==
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<gallery>
 +
AdLib Visual Composer - DOS - USA.jpg|[[AdLib Visual Composer]]
 +
Creative Voice Editor - DOS - Screenshot - About.png|[[Creative Voice Editor]]
 +
Game-Maker - DOS - USA.jpg|[[Game-Maker]]
 +
MS-DOS Editor - DOS - Screenshot - Title Screen.png|[[MS-DOS Editor]]
 +
Nesticle - DOS - Screenshot - Features.png|[[NESticle]]
 +
New Print Shop, The - DOS - Box - Cover.jpg|[[The New Print Shop]]
 +
PKZip - DOS - Screenshot - PKZip.png|[[PKZip]]
 +
Point & Shoot - DOS - Screenshot - Menu.png|[[Point & Shoot]]
 +
Telemate - DOS - Screenshot - Options.png|[[Telemate]]
 +
Windows 3 - DOS - USA.jpg|[[Windows 3]]
 +
</gallery>
 +
 
 +
===Games===
 +
: ''See all [[:Category:DOS Games|DOS Games]].''
 +
 
 +
<gallery>
 +
7th Guest, The - DOS - USA.jpg|''[[The 7th Guest]]''
 +
Castle Adventure - DOS - Screenshot - Title.png|''[[Castle Adventure]]''
 +
Commander Keen 4 - DOS - USA.jpg|''[[Commander Keen IV: Secret of the Oracle]]''
 +
Doom - DOS - USA.jpg|''[[Doom]]''
 +
Doom 2 - DOS - USA.jpg|''[[Doom II: Hell on Earth]]''
 +
God of Thunder - DOS - USA.jpg|''[[God of Thunder]]''
 +
Hugo's House of Horrors - DOS - USA.jpg|''[[Hugo's House of Horrors]]''
 +
King's Quest IV - Perils of Rosella, The - DOS - USA.jpg|''[[King's Quest IV: The Perils of Rosella]]''
 +
King's Quest V - Absence Makes the Heart Go Yonder! - DOS - USA - CD-ROM.jpg|''[[King's Quest V: Absence Makes the Heart Go Yonder!]]''
 +
King's Quest VI - Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow - DOS - USA.jpg|''[[King's Quest VI: Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow]]''
 +
Legend of Kyrandia, The - Book One - DOS - USA.jpg|''[[The Legend of Kyrandia: Book One]]''
 +
Lemmings - AMI - USA.jpg|''[[Lemmings]]''
 +
Loom - DOS - USA.jpg|''[[Loom]]''
 +
Magic Carpet - DOS - USA.jpg|''[[Magic Carpet]]''
 +
Magic Carpet 2 - W32 - USA.jpg|''[[Magic Carpet 2: The Netherworlds]]''
 +
Master of Magic - DOS - USA.jpg|''[[Master of Magic]]''
 +
Might and Magic III - Isles of Terra - DOS - USA.jpg|''[[Might and Magic III: Isles of Terra]]''
 +
Raptor - Call of the Shadows - DOS - USA.jpg|''[[Raptor: Call of the Shadows]]''
 +
Scorched Earth - DOS - Screenshot - Title.png|''[[Scorched Earth]]''
 +
Secret of Monkey Island - DOS - USA.jpg|''[[The Secret of Monkey Island]]''
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Silpheed - Super Dogfighter - DOS - USA.jpg|''[[Silpheed: Super Dogfighter]]''
 +
SimAnt - DOS - USA.jpg|''[[SimAnt: The Electronic Ant Colony]]''
 +
SimCity - DOS - USA.jpg|''[[SimCity]]''
 +
SimCity 2000 - DOS - USA.jpg|''[[SimCity 2000: The Ultimate City Simulator]]''
 +
SkyRoads - DOS - Screenshot - Title.png|''[[SkyRoads]]''
 +
Space Quest II - Vohaul's Revenege - DOS - USA.jpg|''[[Space Quest II: Vohaul's Revenge]]''
 +
Swords of Glass - DOS - Screenshot - Title.png|''[[Swords of Glass]]''
 +
Tank Wars - DOS - Screenshot - Title.png|''[[Tank Wars]]''
 +
Ultima VII - Black Gate, The - DOS - USA.jpg|''[[Ultima VII: The Black Gate]]''
 +
Warcraft II - Tides of Darkness - DOS - USA.jpg|''[[Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness]]''
 +
Wizardry - Bane of the Cosmic Forge - DOS - USA.jpg|''[[Wizardry: Bane of the Cosmic Forge]]''
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Wizardry - Crusaders of the Dark Savant - DOS - USA.jpg|''[[Wizardry: Crusaders of the Dark Savant]]''
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Wolfenstein 3D - DOS - USA.jpg|''[[Wolfenstein 3-D]]''
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ZZT - DOS - Screenshot - Title.png|''[[ZZT]]''
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</gallery>
 +
 
 +
===Programming Languages===
 +
<gallery>
 +
GW-BASIC - DOS - USA.jpg|''[[GW-BASIC]]''
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QuickBASIC - DOS - USA.jpg|''[[QuickBASIC]]''
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</gallery>
 +
 
 +
==Hardware==
 +
This is hardware that is compatible with MS-DOS and important to me.
 +
 
 +
* [[AdLib]]
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* [[Color Graphics Adapter]]
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* [[Enhanced Graphics Adapter]]
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* [[Gravis GamePad]]
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* [[PC Speaker]]
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* Roland [[MT-32]]
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* [[Sound Blaster]]
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* [[Sound Blaster Pro]]
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* [[Sound Blaster 16]]
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* [[Super Video Graphics Array]]
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* [[Video Graphics Array]]
 +
 
 +
==Review==
 +
===Good===
 +
* The environment of MS-DOS was pretty stable.
 +
* Each version included fairly large improvements, though many of them weren't always seen by the average user.
 +
* Most versions of the OS included a free (but crippled) version of a [[BASIC]] programming language, like [[GW-BASIC]] and [[QuickBASIC|QBASIC]].
 +
* The file system is [[case sensitivity|case-insensitive]].
 +
 
 +
===Bad===
 +
* Very little in the way of interface was ever added to the OS. You mostly look at a black and gray screen that can't be easily customized. Version 4 added a mouse-driven DOS Shell, and version 5 included a pretty nice editor, but much more could have been done.
 +
* The OS was designed for a single user running a single task. So, it is very difficult to have it run for multiple users or multiple tasks. At best, you can invoke a terminate and stay resident (TSR) program.
 +
* Altering OS configurations (Config.sys) and default starting procedures (AutoExec.bat) is very cryptic, but frequently necessary. And any changes require a reboot to implement.
 +
* Out of the box, MS-DOS only supports a couple dozen commands, so it can't do very much. Third-party software is a must if you want to do anything interesting.
 +
* By giving programmers direct access to hardware, it is possible for poorly written software to crash the OS.
 +
* The documentation that comes with DOS (at least with every version I had) isn't very helpful.
 +
* Though I like the fact that the file system is case-insensitive, it does not preserve case, so all files are converted to upper case.
 +
 
 +
===Ugly===
 +
* Hardware limitations lasted too long and made it very difficult to make complicated hardware and software. Half-assed attempts were made to get beyond the 640K memory barrier with expanded and extended memory, but it was always difficult to use. Hard drive limitations always lagged behind, and DOS remained 16-bit until the release of [[Windows 95]].
 +
* MS-DOS has several undocumented APIs specifically added to make it difficult for competitors to run software originally written for MS-DOS. This resulted in a pretty big anti-trust lawsuit that Microsoft had to settle.
 +
 
 +
==Media==
 +
===Documentation===
 +
<gallery>
 +
MS-DOS - v3.3 - Reference Manual for HP 9000 Series - 2nd Edition.pdf|v3.3 - Reference Manual for HP 9000 Series - 2nd Edition.
 +
MS-DOS - v5.0b - User's Guide.pdf|v5.0b - User's Guide.
 +
</gallery>
 +
 
 +
===Logos===
 +
<gallery>
 +
MS-DOS - Logo.svg|I vectorized the MS-DOS logo.
 +
</gallery>
 +
 
 +
===Infographics===
 
<gallery>
 
<gallery>
 
List of Worthwhile DOS Games.jpg|A list of worthwhile DOS games.
 
List of Worthwhile DOS Games.jpg|A list of worthwhile DOS games.
 +
Top DOS Games.jpg|Another list of good DOS games.
 
</gallery>
 
</gallery>
 +
 +
===Videos===
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{{YouTube|k2v7k-wAm2E|The 8-Bit Guy, best laptop for DOS gaming.}}
  
 
==Links==
 
==Links==
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* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MS-DOS en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MS-DOS] - Wikipedia.
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{{Link|Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MS-DOS}}
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* [http://www.mobygames.com/browse/games/dos mobygames.com/browse/games/dos] - MobyGames.
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{{Link|MobyGames|http://www.mobygames.com/browse/games/dos}}
 +
{{Link|VGMPF|2=http://www.vgmpf.com/Wiki/index.php?title=DOS}}
 +
{{Link|ModdingWiki|http://www.shikadi.net/moddingwiki}}
 +
 
 +
* [https://winworldpc.com/product/ms-dos/1x winworldpc.com/product/ms-dos/1x] - Win World PC - MS-DOS.
 +
* [http://www.shdon.com/dos shdon.com/dos] - Programming for DOS.
 +
* [https://www.classicdosgames.com classicdosgames.com] - Download free DOS games.
 +
* [https://8bitworkshop.com 8bitworkshop.com] - Online development.
  
  
 
[[Category: Operating Systems]]
 
[[Category: Operating Systems]]
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[[Category: Platforms]]
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[[Category: Video Game Platforms]]

Latest revision as of 22:05, 29 October 2023

MS-DOS v6.22.

MS-DOS is a command line operating system developed by Microsoft and first published in 1981. It was based on QDOS, and initially designed to run on IBM PCs, but also ran on IBM clones. It was by-far most popular OS for IBM-compatible computers throughout its entire release history and saw continual improvements until it was superseded by Windows 95.

Gaming on MS-DOS was hit or miss. Since graphic and sound hardware was always well behind what was available on video game consoles of the day, action games like shooters and platformers were inferior on DOS. However, games which required a lot of storage space like large adventure and RPG games, as well as games that required a lot of math processing like simulators and 3D rendering, were superior on DOS.

MS-DOS can be emulated in most virtual machines, but to emulate various forms of hardware that were popular during the DOS era, you will need a program like DOSBox.

Personal

The first version of MS-DOS I remember using was 3.22 on my cousin's Tandy 1000 which I spent a lot of time on. My family's first computer came with MS-DOS 5.0, which we later upgraded to 6.22. I always gave more leeway to games made for MS-DOS over video game consoles. There was something about the fact that I could see the individual game files and root around in them that made them feel more "real" than games on cartridges where all the data was obscured.

I have owned computers which had MS-DOS versions 5, 6, and 6.22. I have also used MS-DOS 3.2 a little.

Software

The following is software developed for MS-DOS that is important to me.

Applications

See all DOS Software.

Games

See all DOS Games.

Programming Languages

Hardware

This is hardware that is compatible with MS-DOS and important to me.

Review

Good

  • The environment of MS-DOS was pretty stable.
  • Each version included fairly large improvements, though many of them weren't always seen by the average user.
  • Most versions of the OS included a free (but crippled) version of a BASIC programming language, like GW-BASIC and QBASIC.
  • The file system is case-insensitive.

Bad

  • Very little in the way of interface was ever added to the OS. You mostly look at a black and gray screen that can't be easily customized. Version 4 added a mouse-driven DOS Shell, and version 5 included a pretty nice editor, but much more could have been done.
  • The OS was designed for a single user running a single task. So, it is very difficult to have it run for multiple users or multiple tasks. At best, you can invoke a terminate and stay resident (TSR) program.
  • Altering OS configurations (Config.sys) and default starting procedures (AutoExec.bat) is very cryptic, but frequently necessary. And any changes require a reboot to implement.
  • Out of the box, MS-DOS only supports a couple dozen commands, so it can't do very much. Third-party software is a must if you want to do anything interesting.
  • By giving programmers direct access to hardware, it is possible for poorly written software to crash the OS.
  • The documentation that comes with DOS (at least with every version I had) isn't very helpful.
  • Though I like the fact that the file system is case-insensitive, it does not preserve case, so all files are converted to upper case.

Ugly

  • Hardware limitations lasted too long and made it very difficult to make complicated hardware and software. Half-assed attempts were made to get beyond the 640K memory barrier with expanded and extended memory, but it was always difficult to use. Hard drive limitations always lagged behind, and DOS remained 16-bit until the release of Windows 95.
  • MS-DOS has several undocumented APIs specifically added to make it difficult for competitors to run software originally written for MS-DOS. This resulted in a pretty big anti-trust lawsuit that Microsoft had to settle.

Media

Documentation

  • v3.3 - Reference Manual for HP 9000 Series - 2nd Edition.

  • v5.0b - User's Guide.

Logos

  • I vectorized the MS-DOS logo.

Infographics

  • A list of worthwhile DOS games.

  • Another list of good DOS games.

Videos

The 8-Bit Guy, best laptop for DOS gaming.

Links

Link-Wikipedia.png  Link-MobyGames.png  Link-VGMPF.png  Link-ModdingWiki.png 

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