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From: daford@watdragon.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga,comp.sys.mac,comp.sys.m68k,comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: Minor historical point: the origin of ms-dos
Message-ID: <2195@watdragon.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 29-Jan-87 12:31:36 EST
Article-I.D.: watdrago.2195
Posted: Thu Jan 29 12:31:36 1987
Date-Received: Fri, 30-Jan-87 03:22:50 EST
References: <8520@topaz.RUTGERS.EDU> <1270@cbmvax.cbmvax.cbm.UUCP> <1486@rayssdb.RAY.COM>
Organization: U of Waterloo, Ontario
Lines: 41
Xref: watmath comp.sys.amiga:1755 comp.sys.mac:1007 comp.sys.m68k:185 comp.sys.ibm.pc:1227

In article <1486@rayssdb.RAY.COM>, rxb@rayssdb.RAY.COM (Richard A. Brooks) writes:
> 
>    As I remember the story....
> 
>     IBM originally contacted Digital Research with the intent to use
>       CPM in thier PC's. However, Digital Research required a VERY STEEP
>       licensing fee, So IBM went elsewhere!  
> 
>       Enter MicroSoft, who realized that if IBM's PC took-off (could any-
>       thing with the IBM name floop??) they would be assured of a continued
>       demand for MS-DOS for many years to come!! This , coupled with thier
>       already popular MS-BASIC, proved to be Microsoft's best move ever.

I attended a talk given by the guy who wrote the original MS-DOS.  He was
working for his company "Seattly computer", I believe.  MicroSoft contacted
him when they had IBM on the line.  His firm worked as a sub-contracter
and did not know about IBM until one day they received a call from someone
at big blue who needed some technical answers.  

When DRI was contacted by IBM, they apparently blew it by not being friendly
about making changes to CP/M86.  They basically said "that's the way it is,
take it or leave it."

MicroSoft eventually bought the company/product/author to get everything
in house.

I heard an interesting comment about MicroSoft from one of their former
product managers...."It's a nice place to work.  You can work any 80 hours
a week that you like".







-- 
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Daniel A. Ford 					daford@watdragon.uucp
CS Department                         daford%watdragon@waterloo.csnet
U. of Waterloo       daford%watdragon%waterloo.csnet@csnet-relay.arpa