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Microsoft open-sources “the earliest DOS source code discovered to date”
51–60 of 218 posts
Re: Microsoft open-sources “the earliest DOS source code discovered to date”
#52It is rare that I say this but, thanks MS! Arguably just as, if not more, important is the BASIC that they wrote. That was what they actually wanted to do. DOS just got them the contract with IBM. For decades MS was really a developer tools company with a side biz of writing operating systems and other misc software. They also open sourced that BASIC code too [1]. [1] https://opensource.microsoft.com/blog/2025/09/03/…
What's interesting is that Microsoft BASIC itself was derived from BASIC-PLUS which itself was derived from Dartmouth BASIC (which evolved into a structured programming language called SBASIC (Structured BASIC). But the popularity of Microsoft BASIC, actually halted the standardisation of SBASIC as an ANSI standard.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_BASIC
The Altair BASIC interpreter was developed by Microsoft founders Paul Allen and Bill Gates using a self-written Intel 8080 emulator running on a PDP-10 minicomputer.[1] The MS dialect is patterned on Digital Equipment Corporation's BASIC-PLUS on the PDP-10, which Gates had used in high school.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dartmouth_BASIC
Dartmouth BASIC is the original version of the BASIC programming language. It was designed by two professors at Dartmouth College, John G. Kemeny and Thomas E. Kurtz. With the underlying Dartmouth Time-Sharing System (DTSS), it offered an interactive programming environment to all undergraduates as well as the larger university community.
Dartmouth also introduced a dramatically updated version known as Structured BASIC (or SBASIC) in 1975, which added various structured programming concepts. SBASIC formed the basis of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) "Standard BASIC" efforts in the early 1980s.
In contrast to the Dartmouth compilers, most other BASICs were written as interpreters. This decision allowed them to run in the limited main memory of early microcomputers. Microsoft's Altair BASIC is one example: it was designed to run in only 4 KB of memory (interestingly, it was delivered on paper tape).
Kemeny became involved in an effort to produce an ANSI standard BASIC in an attempt to bring together the many small variations of the language that had developed through the late 1960s and early 1970s. This effort initially focused on a system known as Minimal BASIC that was similar to earliest versions of Dartmouth BASIC, while later work was aimed at a Full BASIC that was essentially SBASIC with various extensions.
But by the late 1980s, tens of millions of home computers were running some variant of the MS BASIC interpreter. It had become the de facto standard for BASIC, which eventually led to the abandonment of the ANSI SBASIC efforts.
Kemeny and Kurtz, however, decided to continue their efforts to introduce the concepts from SBASIC and the ANSI Standard BASIC efforts. This became True BASIC.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/True_BASIC
There are versions of the True BASIC compiler for MS-DOS, Microsoft Windows, and Classic Mac OS. At one time, versions for TRS-80 Color Computer, Amiga and Atari ST computers were offered, as well as a UNIX command-line compiler.
After several years of inactivity, as of February 2026, the TrueBASIC website is officially closed.
Re: Microsoft open-sources “the earliest DOS source code discovered to date”
#53It is wonderful how early years of modern computing was brilliant. We treated machines as they really are: machines. Performance, creativity, science..., all possible to make a 386 machine work. Nowadays is all about libraries, virtualization, [bad] code over [bad] code over [bad] code..., I dont like it.
I sometimes think that my mental model of a computer is still an Apple ][+ with 48K of RAM leads to my writing better code.
While I did a few 10 line programs in BASIC in high school on punch cards, when things really started was a freshman class on semiconductors. The class started with diodes and quantum mechanics, then onto transistors, then flip flops, then registers, then ALUs. Then it was on to designing/building a digital clock (which never worked right), and later designing/building/programming single board computers (6802 chip).
It was fun knowing everything about a computer. That's long gone!
Re: Microsoft open-sources “the earliest DOS source code discovered to date”
#54I'm wondering whether ReactOS can exploit Claude et. al. to their fullest and "recreate" Windows 2000/95. I may donate some tokens for that cause.
Re: Microsoft open-sources “the earliest DOS source code discovered to date”
#55Earlier quoted context omitted.
The idea that it never existed digitally is obviously untrue. Likely poor wording in the author's part. They probably meant something like, so old that a printout is all that survived (which sounds vaguely like not being digital to someone in an era so far removed from a time when programs were/could realistically be printed.)
Having printouts were necessary when: 1. you were using a DECwriter dot matrix printer as a terminal 2. using an ASR-33 teletype as a terminal 3. using punch cards or paper tape 4. using a glass tty that could only display 24 lines 5. when you did not have a remote terminal, and wanted to spread your code out on a table and debug it
Brings back memories of desk checking
Re: Microsoft open-sources “the earliest DOS source code discovered to date”
#56I wonder how long it'll be before they release the source for the earliest Windows versions. The fact that they still have the source for this very old DOS at least gives hope that they also do for old Windows.
It shouldn't be hard to disassemble it.
Re: Microsoft open-sources “the earliest DOS source code discovered to date”
#57I'm wondering whether ReactOS can exploit Claude et. al. to their fullest and "recreate" Windows 2000/95. I may donate some tokens for that cause.
That sounds like a terrifying legal minefield that they would not want to tread
Re: Microsoft open-sources “the earliest DOS source code discovered to date”
#58It is rare that I say this but, thanks MS! Arguably just as, if not more, important is the BASIC that they wrote. That was what they actually wanted to do. DOS just got them the contract with IBM. For decades MS was really a developer tools company with a side biz of writing operating systems and other misc software. They also open sourced that BASIC code too [1]. [1] https://opensource.microsoft.com/blog/2025/09/03/…
I dont think I've ever seen a commit that says "49 years ago". Damn.
Re: Microsoft open-sources “the earliest DOS source code discovered to date”
#59It is rare that I say this but, thanks MS! Arguably just as, if not more, important is the BASIC that they wrote. That was what they actually wanted to do. DOS just got them the contract with IBM. For decades MS was really a developer tools company with a side biz of writing operating systems and other misc software. They also open sourced that BASIC code too [1]. [1] https://opensource.microsoft.com/blog/2025/09/03/…
I remember when I realized I had been using Microsoft all along through my Commodore 64.
Re: Microsoft open-sources “the earliest DOS source code discovered to date”
#60I'm wondering whether ReactOS can exploit Claude et. al. to their fullest and "recreate" Windows 2000/95. I may donate some tokens for that cause.
That sounds like a terrifying legal minefield that they would not want to tread
Is it not safe to assume Window source code is not present in the LLM training data?