Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watnot!watmath!dalcs!lane
From: lane@dalcs.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: The many versions of PC/MS-DOS
Message-ID: <2415@dalcs.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 24-Feb-87 03:33:59 EST
Article-I.D.: dalcs.2415
Posted: Tue Feb 24 03:33:59 1987
Date-Received: Wed, 25-Feb-87 19:39:32 EST
Distribution: na
Organization: Dept. of Math., Stats & C.S., Dalhousie University, Halifax, N.S., Canada
Lines: 43


I am looking for some info on the differences between the various
versions of MS-DOS: 2.00, 2.10, 2.11, 2.15(?), 3.0, 3.1, 3.2, ...?

Relative advantages/dis-advantages, recommendations, etc.  

I am working in an environment where thare are many systems of various
brands and configurations.  In particular, many XTs with two 360K floppies,
some XTs with one floppy plus a hard drive, and a few ATs with 1.2M floppies
and >30Meg hard drives.  There has been discussion of standardizing to one
version of the operating system.  I am vaguely aware that ver 3.x offers
significant advantages for hard-disk and 1.2Meg floppy users.  But, I have
noticed that it's *much* bigger that 2.11 and this might cause some hassels
for the floppy disk only systems.  What advantages would there be in using
ver 3.x on a 2-floppy system?  What problems might we have in continuing to
use 2.11 on some systems and 3.x on others?

I have heard of an MSDOS or PCDOS ver 5 or something like that (not yet 
released?).  What's the story on that?

I am aware that the major diffs between PC-DOS for IBM-PC's etc. and MS-DOS
from Microsoft is in the names of the 2 hidden system files and the implemen-
tation of the BASIC.  Also, as a recent discussion here pointed out, that 
MS/PC-DOS of the same version can differ widely on different models and brands.
Most of this difference being in the hardware & interface interupts below 20h.
I notice that they generally write something slightly different in the boot
sector.  Is there ever anything substantially different here?

I wouldn't be surprised if this has been asked and all hashed out before and
I just wasn't reading that week or month (it happens!).  In that case, perhaps
someone could just send me a digest of that.  In any case, could someone send
me the past articles listing the various patchs for various DOS versions.
I believe INFO-IBMPC #44 had summary article for 3.1 patchs.

Many thanks as always.



-- 
John Wright      //////////////////      Phone:  902-424-3805  or  902-424-6527
Post: c/o Dr Pat Lane, Biology Dept, Dalhousie U, Halifax N.S., CANADA  B3H-4H8 
Ean/Bitnet: lane@cs.dal.cdn    Arpa: lane%cs.dal.cdb%ubc.csnet@csnet-relay.arpa
Uucp:{seismo,watmath,utai,garfield}!dalcs!lane  Csnet:lane%cs.dal.cdn@ubc.csnet