Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!clyde!att!osu-cis!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!mailrus!ames!pasteur!helios.ee.lbl.gov!ux1.lbl.gov!forrest From: forrest@ux1.lbl.gov (Jon Forrest) Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc Subject: Re: DRIVPARM Message-ID: <1508@helios.ee.lbl.gov> Date: 19 Dec 88 18:42:30 GMT References: <4365@tekgvs.GVS.TEK.COM> <317@indep1.UUCP> <102@microsoft.UUCP> Sender: usenet@helios.ee.lbl.gov Reply-To: forrest@lbl.gov (Jon Forrest) Distribution: comp Organization: Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, Berkeley Lines: 23 In article <102@microsoft.UUCP> leefi@microsoft.UUCP (Lee Fisher) writes: >MS-DOS is an OEM licensed product, not sold to the public (compared >to something like Microsoft WORD). OEMs license this product, sell it >to their customers, and are contractually obligated to support and >update their customers. There are two basic flavors of MS-DOS, the >Packaged Product release (which is for 100% IBM compatible systems, >and is not modified by an OEM), and all of the OEM modified releases >(in which they add value-added features and/or support hardware that >is not 100% IBM compatible), such as AT&T, Compaq, etc. The Microsoft >MS-DOS Packaged Product release began with MS-DOS 3.2: there was no >generic Packaged Product release of MS-DOS before this release of >MS-DOS. I've heard people from Microsoft make this statement before. If this is true how come I've seen MSDOS 3.3 from Microsoft on sale in stores? Is this the Packaged Product? Even if it isn't, there's something wrong with Lee Fisher's statement since MS-DOS is clearly sold to the public in a box that clearly says Microsoft. Jon Forrest Lawrence Berkeley Lab., 486-4991 forrest@lbl.gov (internet) ucbvax!lbl-csam!ux1!forrest (uucp) FORREST@LBL (bitnet)