Earliest 86-DOS and PC-DOS code released as open source
5 hours ago
- #DOS
- #Microsoft
- #Open Source
- Microsoft is making early versions of DOS open source, with new source code for PC-DOS 1.00 now available.
- A team led by Yufeng Gao and Rich Cini transcribed source listings from Tim Paterson, including 86-DOS 1.00 kernel and utilities like CHKDSK.
- Scott Hanselman is noted as a key advocate within Microsoft for open-source initiatives and end-user advocacy.
- The source code transcription provides rare insights into early OS development, with less than 4k lines of assembly reflecting hardware constraints of the time.
- Discussions highlight the role of employees in tech companies who push back against corporate impulses to advocate for users.