Microsoft , today released the source code for MS-DOS 1.1 and 2.0 as well as the source code for Microsoft Word for Windows 1.1a. With the help of the Computer History Museum, the Microsoft code will be available to the public starting today.
MS-DOS was renamed from the 86-DOS version, which was written by Tim Paterson of Seattle Computer Products and was first released in August 1980. Microsoft hired Paterson in May 1981, and bought 86-DOS 1.10 for $75,000 in July. Immediately afterwards it renamed it to MS-DOS. Microsoft released the first version of Microsoft Word 1983, which was DOS-based in 1983. In 1989, Windows Word managed, within four years, to generate more than half of the global market revenue for word processing applications.
“Thanks to the Computer History Museum, these important pieces of source code will be preserved and made available to the public,” said Microsoft Research CEO Roy Levin.
