On Fri, 8 Dec 2000 02:16:40 -0500 (EST), Thomas Mueller wrote:
> What OS ran on the PC jr & early XTs? Anybody have experience with CP/M (just
> curiosity on my part, I never saw CP/M in action)? Didn't IBM computers have
> ROM BASIC? All this was long before the World Wide Web.
Shipped with IBM PC-DOS. I think by the time jr and XT came along, ROM
BASIC had diappeared. I know original PC had it.
IBM originally wanted to go with CP/M for the launch of PC. Digital
Research wanted more money than IBM expected and said right out front
that they couln't make IBM's schedule. The fledgling Microsoft said that
they'd be willing to be "partners" instead of asking so much money up
front, and claimed they could meet the schedule.
As things turned out, of course, DOS was delivered on schedule. It was
totally unworkable. IBM had to spend the time of its own people to make
the needed changes before it could go out the door. As for the money,
IBM would have been much better off paying the bucks up front for full
rights rather than losing control a supplier.
We would have been better off, too.
Bob
Starts April 1, 2001
-- Arachne V1.67, NON-COMMERCIAL copy, http://arachne.cz/
