CP/M Operating System

Intel had developed a new chip the 8088 that worked using 8 bits. The OS developed by Intel was CP/M (Control Program/Monitor) using a console command prompt. 

 CP/M became the industry standard also operating on Zilog Z80 chips used by ZX Spectrum and Amstrad. The OS allowed programs such as WordStar (a word processor), TurboPascal and Autocad to appear on the market. CP/M also allowed for 5 ¼  floppy disc operation but this was still not standardized, different manufacturers had different ideas. The computer industry was about to launch into another dimension. Hobbyists were now able to build their own computers using the Zilog chip and using CP/M they were able to write their own programs in Basic, assembly or C

http://www.scribd.com/doc/13388965/build-your-own-z80-computer.

As 16 bit microprocessors began to be made IBM was now looking for an operating system for its personal computer. CP/M was then designed for 16 bit operation but IBM and Digital Research who now had the rights to CP/M could not agree a deal. This left an opening that was taken up by the small software firm Microsoft who assured IBM they had an OS that could be used by their computer.

Microsoft obtained an OS called QDOS (Quick and Dirty OS) from Seattle Computer Products, the original developer to write the OS for the 16bit Intel chip. This OS was a clone of CP/M. this allowed IBM Personal Computers to be sold with an operating system very quickly and allowed for previously developed programs to be changed to run on 16 bit machines. This operating system was then called MSdos as it allowed the full use of the floppy disc (again taken from CP/M) for loading and storing programs and data. Microsoft then upgraded the OS to have a GUI that was copied from Xerox who did not see the full benefit of a user interface over the command prompt. 

At the same time Apple was developing an alternative OS to run on their computer.

Peter

Blog #4