Below is the content of the book: (excerpt)
DOS® Operating System
Section 1 Overview
A complete PC consists of hardware and software. Since the appearance of computers, software developers have created excellent operating systems. An outstanding operating system brings broad prospects to computers.
Current operating systems include UNIX®, DOS®, Mac®, Linux®, WindowsNT®, and so on. At present, the most widely used operating systems in our country are Windows® 95, 98, Me, and the Windows® 2000, XP series, all developed on top of the DOS® operating system. However, in maintenance, compatibility, stability, security, and development fields, the most used and most powerful one is the DOS® operating system. The powerful DOS® system laid the foundation of the software platform for various PC operating systems and PC hardware.
1. The development of the DOS system
Since DOS 1.0 first appeared, it has already gone through more than 20 years of development and application. Upgraded versions of DOS were developed almost every year, and new versions are still continuously under development. These versions not only added new functions, but also had good downward compatibility. DOS is disk-based; it is an operating system based on disk file management.
The development process of MS-DOS®
Release date Version Main functions
1981.8.12 1.0 Supports single-sided floppy disks, the first PC operating system.
1982.3 1.25 Supports double-sided floppy disks, and added a management form similar to UNIX hierarchical directories.
1983.3 2.0 Supports PC/XT machines with hard disks, added tree-structured directory management.
1983.10 2.1 Improved error locating, supports high-density floppy disks.
1983.10 2.25 Includes support for other character sets, opening up the Eastern market.
1984.8 3.0 Adopts the ISA standard, supports large hard disks and 1.2M high-density floppy drives.
1985.3 3.1 Supports networking.
1986.3 3.2 The first system to support 3.5-inch disks, but only up to 720KB.
1987.4 3.3 Released with the IBM PS/2, supports 1.44MB drives and hard disk partitions.
1988.7 4.0 Supports EMS memory, but because of bugs, 4.01a was later released one after another.
1991.6 5.0 This version broke through the 640K conventional memory limit. IBM no longer developed DOS.
1993.12 6.0 Includes a hard disk compression program DoubleSpace.
1994.9 6.2 A DOS bundled with many accessories, the last DOS release version.
1995.8.23 7.0 It is the core and boot disk of Windows 95.
1996.8 7.1 It is the core and boot disk of Windows95 OSR2.
1998.6.25 7.2 It is the core and boot disk of Windows 98.
2000.9 8.0 It is the core and boot disk of Windows Me.
2001.11.108.1 It is the boot disk of Windows XP.
2002.6 7.3 It is the Super DOS system developed by the webmaster of China DOS Era.
2004.1.19 9.0 It is a DOS system developed by members of China DOS Union.