(1) (Disk Operating System) Pronounced "dahss." An earlier single-user operating system from Microsoft for the PC. It was the first operating system for IBM and IBM-compatible PCs and remained the underlying control program for Windows 3.1, 95, 98 and ME. In order to support DOS applications, Windows NT, 2000, XP and Vista include their own version of DOS, called "DOS emulation."
Although DOS in the IBM PC was called "PC-DOS," and the DOS used by all other vendors was called "MS-DOS," all releases of PC-DOS and MS-DOS were generally referred to as "DOS." Except for DOS 6, which contained different versions of various utilities, PC-DOS and MS-DOS commands and system functions were the same. A great number of DOS commands have been executable in all versions of Windows. See DOS abc's.
DOS Lives On
In various versions, DOS is still deployed where a small OS footprint is required, typically for embedded systems. Having gone through many incarnations, Digital Research's DR-DOS is still available (see DR-DOS). Other DOS versions are ROM-DOS from DataLight (www.datalight.com) and the open source FreeDOS (see FreeDOS).
(2) (DOS, DOS/370, DOS/VS, DOS/VSE, VSE/ESA) A series of IBM mainframe "disk operating systems" for System/360, System/370 and System/390. DOS started as a variant of TOS (Tape Operating System), but soon supplanted TOS as disk storage became accepted in the late 1960s. DOS was always the "junior partner" to OS/360 and its progeny. It continues today as VSE/ESA.
Although DOS in the IBM PC was called "PC-DOS," and the DOS used by all other vendors was called "MS-DOS," all releases of PC-DOS and MS-DOS were generally referred to as "DOS." Except for DOS 6, which contained different versions of various utilities, PC-DOS and MS-DOS commands and system functions were the same. A great number of DOS commands have been executable in all versions of Windows. See DOS abc's.
DOS Lives On
In various versions, DOS is still deployed where a small OS footprint is required, typically for embedded systems. Having gone through many incarnations, Digital Research's DR-DOS is still available (see DR-DOS). Other DOS versions are ROM-DOS from DataLight (www.datalight.com) and the open source FreeDOS (see FreeDOS).
(2) (DOS, DOS/370, DOS/VS, DOS/VSE, VSE/ESA) A series of IBM mainframe "disk operating systems" for System/360, System/370 and System/390. DOS started as a variant of TOS (Tape Operating System), but soon supplanted TOS as disk storage became accepted in the late 1960s. DOS was always the "junior partner" to OS/360 and its progeny. It continues today as VSE/ESA.
 | Reproduced with permission from Computer Desktop Encyclopedia. Copyright (c) 1981-2009 The Computer Language Company Inc. All rights reserved. |
Additional Resources
- Windows Security Officer 7.5.5.44 (Windows)
- Windows Security Officer is an autonomous provider of log-on and resource restriction security application integrated with, yet independent of, the Windows operating system. It has the capability of providing extremely strong, secure control of who can access a personal computer resources, and exactly what they can do and when they...
- Software downloads 2009-11-05
- TextPipe Lite 8.4.3 (Windows)
- TextPipe Lite searches and replaces your entire website even millions of files quickly and easily. Features: Perform one or more replacements at the same time. Search for multi-line text and special characters. Restrict replacing to just inside HTML tags like the TITLE tag, META tags, inside the ALT text of...
- Software downloads 2009-11-05
- TextPipe Standard 8.4.3 (Windows)
- Slam-dunk the most challenging code or Web site edit tasks with TextPipe - a powerful text-processing utility that combines more than 100 conversion, translation and filtering operations on multiple text or binary files. Update text using search and replace, which supports perl pattern matching, sounds-like matching, edit-distance matching and search/replace...
- Software downloads 2009-11-05
- TextPipe Pro 8.4.3 (Windows)
- Slam-dunk the most challenging edit tasks with TextPipe Pro a text-processing utility that combines 270+ conversion, transformation, extraction and report mining operations on multiple text or binary files. Update Web sites using multi-line EasyPattern search and replace, and new Unicode find and replace with patterns. Restrict changes to line or...
- Software downloads 2009-11-05
- Circus Ponies NoteBook 3.0 (v366) (Mac)
- Are you drowning in stickies? Is your desktop cluttered with files? Circus Ponies NoteBook is the award-winning application that helps Mac users manage all those bits of information that lack a good home: from the notes, clippings, and to dos of your life to the e-mails, diagrams and spreadsheets of...
- Software downloads 2009-11-03
- Yes, based on Mac history, Windows 7.5 will suck less
- Ummmm..."Windows 1: Shipped in 1985 and nobody cared.Windows 2: Shipped in 1987 and few cared.Windows 3: Came out in 1990 and PC users cared, especially with Windows 3.1 in 1992 (And I include here the introduction of Windows NT, which I believe was given a 3.x number.)Windows 4: Windows 95....
- Discussion threads 2009-11-01
- Folder Vault 2.0.147 (Windows)
- Folder Vault file security program to lock, hide, encrypt, and password protect files & folders in the blink of an eye. One master password will protect files, folders, and drives from being viewed, deleted, renamed, removed or accessed. Encrypt, lock, and hide folders, files, pictures, and documents. Folder Vault has...
- Software downloads 2009-11-01
- Deductions 1.1.1 (Mac)
- Deductions is educational software designed to help students learn proofs in formal logic. It is intended to be used by instructors and students of college-level logic courses in philosophy, mathematics and computer science. It gives immediate feedback at each stage of a proof, provides hints about how to complete proofs,...
- Software downloads 2009-10-29
- VirtualBox 3.0.10 (Mac)
- innotek VirtualBox is a family of powerful x86 virtualization products for enterprise as well as home use. Not only is VirtualBox an extremely feature rich, high performance product for enterprise customers, it is also the only professional solution that is freely available as Open Source Software under the terms of...
- Software downloads 2009-10-28
- Malware ads served from Gizmodo blog
- Disclosure please!I'd like to know who their ad partner was.Disclosure please!I'd like to know the platforms affected.(fake anti-virus) ...(And we would have noticed sooner except everyone on staff is on OS X or Linux for production machines.)I can only guess. But I shouldn't have to.thx^o^Is is really needed?How many...
- Discussion threads 2009-10-27
- SOHO Organizer 8.07 (Mac)
- SOHO Organizer is the official successor to Personal Organizer and Group Organizer and represents a 100% Cocoa rewrite of the former products. This means SOHO Organizer presents a first-class Mac OS X experience complete with all the features Mac OS X users expect: Aqua interface, Unicode compliance, built-in spell checking,...
- Software downloads 2009-10-27
- Disintegrator Quitter 1.1 (Windows)
- Quitter is a Twitter client that doesn't announce itself to the entire cube farm; it runs in a command window (or "DOS window"). There's no installer and no entries in the Start Menu; it will run from a thumbdrive. It's a single small EXE file (about 105k) and it stores...
- Software downloads 2009-10-27
- 1st Security Agent 9.3 (Windows)
- 1st Security Agent is a password-protected security utility to secure Windows-based computers. Restrict access to Control Panel, including Display, Network, Passwords, Printers, System, Add/Remove Programs, etc. Disable Start Menu items, hide drives, disable the DOS prompt, boot keys, real DOS mode, Registry editing, taskbar, task manager, and network access, hide...
- Software downloads 2009-10-24
- Corporate Network Security 2.7 (Windows)
- Protect PC workstations over your network with Corporate Network Security. Also, it allows you to apply executable patches to your workstations remotely, and schedule reboots, shutdowns, and Windows Explorer restarts. The workstations are controlled from a single administrator's computer from almost everywhere where you have access to the TCP/IP-based network...
- Software downloads 2009-10-23
- 1st Security Administrator-Pro 13.3 (Windows)
- Restrict access to Windows applications, protect PC, and password-protect boot with 1st Security Administrator. This is the best professional password-protected security utility to apply access restrictions to PC, and to protect your privacy stopping others from tampering with your desktop. Deny access to Control Panel and its applets, disable interruption...
- Software downloads 2009-10-23
- Advanced Security Administrator 13.3 (Windows)
- Protect your computer and restrict access to Internet with Security Administrator. This nice password-protected security utility enables you to impose a variety of access restrictions to protect your privacy and stop others from tampering with your PC. You can deny access to each individual component of several Control Panel applets,...
- Software downloads 2009-10-23
- Buy Windows 7, download now!
- Oboma wrote the codeHe heard about Windows 7 so he is winningthe Nobel peace prize and he is also takingover the Internet people do not need accessto information he needs to 'control' it..;)They really are trying!!Boy, MS is really trying in every way to push the product though it has...
- Discussion threads 2009-10-22
- Windows 7 security default worries experts
- How many Windows 7 does it take...How many dribble articles about Windows 7 canthere be in one week.I heard Windows 7 is now helping the economy andit has changed global warming to global cooling.So the polar bears are now SAFE!!! Way to go Windows 7 it is like the messiah...
- Discussion threads 2009-10-22
- iXNotepad 1.5 (Windows)
- Do you need speed, functionality and portability in your daily Unicode code/text editor? iXNotepad consists of one EXE (no DLLs/COMs/etc), configuration and schema files, and it does not use the registry and/or add/modify any system files. Need to take iXNotepad with you--no Problem. Copy iXNotepad, config and license files onto...
- Software downloads 2009-10-22
- NTI Dragon Burn 4.5.0.15 (Mac)
- Dragon Burn enables Mac desktop and PowerBook notebook computer users to quickly and easily begin producing audio, data and mixed-mode CDs and DVDs without poring over the software's user's guide. The new Dragon Burn multi-burning engine allows users to simultaneously write multiple CDs or DVDs. It also fully supports new...
- Software downloads 2009-10-22
Neighboring Terms
Premier Vendor Content Whitepapers, webcasts & resources from our Power Center Sponsors
Popular Sanity Saver Videos
