Re: The Mac is Dead! Long Live the Wintel PC! [was Re: Apple ahead of schedule]

In article <alangbaker-C54931.18550508082006@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
Alan Baker <alangbaker@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

In article <no-4FDCCA.21365208082006@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
Mike <no@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

In article <1155086070.611254.286890@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
"Chris Clement" <chris.clement@xxxxxxx> wrote:

Nope. DOS as an Operating System is long dead. Now it exists only
within Windows, but not as an OS.

Well, it was never an OS, it was a DOS, Yes, there *is* a difference.

So a "Disk Operating System" was never and "Operating System"?

Yes, exactly. A Disk Operating System operates the disks - and that's
all that DOS directly controls. Everything else - printers, video,
memory management, serial ports - was managed by the apps that used
them, or by add-ons or "DOS extenders". That's why every DOS app you
installed came with it's own printer drivers, for example.

A true Operating System runs the whole show. Apps make OS calls to get
memory or to print a character to the printer, and the apps don't need
to know the details of how much memory is available or what kind of
printer is installed. The OS handles the details. The OS controls
the access to the hardware.

If you think that DOS is an Operating System then you don't know very
much about either. DOS + Windows 3.11 + Mouse.sys + Himem.sys (or
QEMM386.sys) + Smartdrv.sys was an Operating System. An ugly kludge
to be sure, but an Operating System none the less.

Windows 95 combined all of these various bits and pieces into a single
package, and hence was an Operating System. Still a kludge, but
easier to install and better integrated.

Mike
.

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