Disk operating system

A disk operating system (DOS) is a computer operating system that requires a disk or other direct-
access storage device as secondary storage. A DOS provides a file system and a means for loading
and running programs stored on the disk.

The term is now historical, as most if not all operating systems for general-purpose computers now
require direct-access storage devices as secondary storage.

History

Before modern storage such as the disk drive, floppy disk, and flash storage, early computers used
storage such as delay line, core memory, punched card, punched tape, magnetic tape, and magnetic
drum. Early microcomputers and home computers used paper tape, audio cassette tape (such as
Kansas City standard), or no permanent storage at all. Without permanent storage, programs and
data are input directly into memory using front panel switches, or is input through a computer
terminal or keyboard, sometimes controlled by a BASIC interpreter in ROM. When power is turned
off, all information is lost.

In the early 1960s, as disk drives became larger and more affordable, various mainframe and
minicomputer vendors introduced disk operating systems and modified existing operating systems
to use disks.

Hard disks and floppy disk drives require software to manage rapid access to block storage of
sequential and other data. For most microcomputers, a disk drive of any kind was an optional
peripheral. Systems could be used with a tape drive or booted without a storage device at all. The
disk operating system component of the operating system was only needed when a disk drive was
used.

By the time IBM announced the System/360 mainframes, the concept of a disk operating system
was well established. Although IBM did offer Basic Programming Support (BPS/360) and TOS/360
for small systems, they were out of the mainstream and most customers used either DOS/360 or
OS/360.

Most home and personal computers of the late 1970s and 1980s used a disk operating system;
most often with "DOS" in the name and simply referred to as "DOS" in the context of its user
community. For example, CBM DOS, Atari DOS, TRS-DOS, Apple DOS, Apple ProDOS, and MS-DOS.
CP/M is also a disk operating system, despite not having "DOS" in the name.[1]
A DOS is usually loaded from a disk, but there are exceptions, such as Commodore's disk drive for
the Commodore 64 and VIC-20 which contain the DOS in ROM. Some versions of AmigaDOS mostly
resides in ROM, as a part of a Kickstart firmware.

OS extensions

Commodore DOS is on 8-bit Commodore computers such as the Commodore 64. Unlike most
other DOS systems, it is integrated into the disk drives, not loaded into the computer's own
memory.

Atari DOS is used by the Atari 8-bit computers. The Atari OS only offers low-level disk-access, so
an extra layer called DOS can be booted from a floppy for higher level functions such as
filesystems.[2] Third-party replacements for Atari DOS include DOS XL, SpartaDOS, MyDOS,
TurboDOS, and Top-DOS.

MSX-DOS is for the MSX computer standard. The initial version, released in 1984, is MS-DOS 1.0
ported to Z80. In 1988, version 2 has facilities such as subdirectories, memory management, and
environment strings. The MSX-DOS kernel resides in ROM (built-in on the disk controller) so basic
file access capacity is available even without the command interpreter, by using BASIC extended
commands.

Disc Filing System (DFS) is an optional component for the Acorn BBC Micro, as a kit with a disk
controller chip, a ROM chip, and a few logic chips, to be installed inside the computer.

Advanced Disc Filing System (ADFS) is a successor to Acorn's DFS.

AMSDOS is for the Amstrad CPC computers.

GDOS and G+DOS is for the +D and DISCiPLE disk interfaces for the ZX Spectrum.

Main OSes

Some disk operating systems are the operating systems for the entire computer system.

The Burroughs (now Unisys) Master Control Program[3] (MCP) for the B5000 originally runs from a
drum, but starting with the B5500 it runs from a disk. It is the basis for the MCP on the B6500,
B7500, and successors.

The SIPROS, Chippewa Operating System (COS), SCOPE, MACE and KRONOS operating systems[4]
on the Control Data Corporation (CDC) 6000 series and 7600 are all disk operating systems.
KRONOS became NOS and SCOPE became NOS/BE.
 The GECOS[5] operating system for the GE (later Honeywell and Groupe Bull) 600 family of
mainframe computers (it later became GCOS).

The IBM Basic Operating System/360[6] (BOS/360), Disk Operating System/360[7] (DOS/360) and
Operating System/360[8] (OS/360) are standard for all but the smallest System/360 installations;
the 360/67 also has Control Program-67 /Cambridge Monitor System[9] (CP-67/CMS) and Time
Sharing System/360 [10] (TSS/360). BOS is gone, CP-67/CMS has evolved into z/VM, DOS has
evolved into z/VSE, OS has evolved into z/OS and TSS/360 evolved into TSS/370 PRPQ, which is
now gone.

The EXEC II operating system for the UNIVAC 1107 and 1108, and the EXEC 8 operating system
for the 1108, which has evolved into OS 2200 for the Unisys ClearPath Dorado Series.

The DOS-11 operating system for DEC PDP-11 minicomputers.

CP/M is a disk operating system, as the main or alternate operating system for numerous
microcomputers of the 1970s and 1980s.

Apple DOS is the primary operating system for the Apple II, from 1979 with the introduction of the
floppy disk drive, until 1983 when it was replaced by ProDOS.

TRSDOS is the operating system for the TRS-80 line of computers from Tandy.[11]

MS-DOS for IBM PC compatibles with Intel x86 CPUs. 86-DOS was modeled on CP/M, and then
was adapted as the basis for Microsoft's MS-DOS. It was rebranded by IBM as PC DOS until 1993.
Various compatible systems were later produced by different organizations, starting with DR-DOS
in 1988.

See also

List of disk operating systems called DOS

Live CD

References

1. Dahmke, Mark (1983-07-01). "CP/M Plus: The new disk operating system is faster and more
efficient than CP/M" (https://archive.org/details/byte-magazine-1983-07/page/n359/mode/2u
p?view=theater) . BYTE Magazine. Vol. 8, no. 7. p. 360.

2. Wilkinson, Bill (1982). Inside Atari DOS (http://atariarchives.org/iad/) . Greensboro, NC:

COMPUTE! Books. ISBN 0-942386-02-7. Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/201710021205
23/http://atariarchives.org/iad/) from the original on 2017-10-02.
 3. A Narrative Description of the Burroughs B5500 Disk File Master Control Program (http://bitsav
ers.org/pdf/burroughs/LargeSystems/B5000_5500_5700/1023579_Narrative_Description_Of_
B5500_MCP_196610.pdf) (PDF). Systems Documentation. Burroughs. October 1966.
1023579.

4. "CDC Operating System History" (http://bitsavers.org/pdf/cdc/cyber/CDC_Operating_System_

History_Mar76.pdf) (PDF). CDC.

5. GE-635 Comprehensive Operating Supervisor (GECOS) (http://bitsavers.org/pdf/ge/GE-6xx/GE

COS/CPB-1002_GECOS_Jul64.pdf) (PDF). General Electric. July 1964. CPB-1002.

6. IBM System/360 Basic Programming Support and IBM Basic Operating System/360
Programming Systems Summary (http://bitsavers.org/pdf/ibm/360/bos_bps/C24-3420-0_BPS
_BOS_Programming_Systems_Summary_Aug65.pdf) (PDF). Systems Reference Library. IBM.

7. IBM System/360 Disk and Tape Operating Systems Concepts and Facilities (http://bitsavers.or
g/pdf/ibm/360/dos/GC24-5030-8_Disk_and_Tape_Operating_Systems_Concepts_and_Facilitie
s_Oct70.pdf) (PDF). Systems Reference Library (Ninth ed.). IBM. October 1970. GC24-5030-8.

8. IBM Operating System/360 Concepts and Facilities (http://bitsavers.org/pdf/ibm/360/os/R01-

08/C28-6535-0_OS360_Concepts_and_Facilities_1965.pdf) (PDF). Systems Reference
Library. IBM. 1965. C28-6535-0.

9. Control Program-67 /Cambridge Monitor System - (CP-67 /CMS) Version .3.1 - Program
Number 3600-05.2.005 - System Description Manual (http://bitsavers.org/pdf/ibm/360/cp67/
GH20-0802-2_CP-67_CMS_Version_3.1_System_Description_Manual_197109.pdf) (PDF).
Type III Class A Program (Third ed.). IBM. September 1971. GH20-0802-2. Retrieved January 9,
2023.

10. IBM System/360 Time Sharing System - Concepts and Facilities (http://bitsavers.org/pdf/ibm/
360/tss/C28-2003-3_TSS360Concepts.pdf) (PDF). Systems Reference Library (Fourth ed.).
IBM. September 1968. C28-2003-3. Retrieved January 9, 2023.

11. "Definitive List of TRS-80 Model II Operating Systems" (https://pski.net/definitive-list-of-trs-80-

model-ii-operating-systems/) .