BM> If you look back at ms-dos as it was released, it was a
BM> pretty poor product compared to the OS's available today.

Yes, but IBMs whole emphasis early on was something quick and dirty
because they really had no idea about where it would all lead to.
There was a considerable body of opinion in IBM that it would never
amount to a hill of beans to IBM and so a very cheap and quick and
dirty trial balloon was appropriate to see if it would fly.

And while it was certainly quite crude compared to what we
have now, it wasnt particularly crude compared with what the
rest of the micro world was using then, CP/M-80 particularly.

BM> The introduction of ms-dos was timely, and that there were
BM> no other operating "systems" which were available cheaply.

Thats not strictly true either. DR and Kildall did a gross foot shot
on CP/M. IBM demanded a very stringent non disclosure agreement be signed
before they would even mention what they had in mind for the PC. Kildall
wouldnt sign it, Gates recognised how important an IBM badged machine would
be in that market, and was happy to sign anything they wanted on non
disclosure agreements. One of the all time classic footshots on Kildalls part.

IBM had already decided to talk to Gates about Basic in ROM so he got
to benefit from Kildalls footshot, could buy in the OS and do that too.

BM> It is pretty sad that such a poor program got such wide
BM> acceptance by being in the right place at the right time.

There werent nuffin else practical at that time Brett. CP/M,
even if Kildall hadnt footshot, wouldnt have been any better.

It was only later that IBM was convinced that that market had
a future, with the AT being the result of that fresh look, and
at the time it was announced, they announced a better OS for it
too, which didnt appear for years, OS2 1.x. Then IT bombed in the
market because of some detail on backward compat, you had to make
a full leap to all new code. Not many were willing to do that.

Eventually every one realised that you had to offer a migration path.

--- PQWK202