Comments on: Court ruling supports claims that Microsoft’s first OS was stolen http://www.dvorak.org/blog/2007/07/31/court-ruling-supports-claims-that-microsofts-first-os-was-stolen/ General interest observations and true web-log. Mon, 13 Feb 2012 02:18:56 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: oldoldguy http://www.dvorak.org/blog/2007/07/31/court-ruling-supports-claims-that-microsofts-first-os-was-stolen/comment-page-2/#comment-767297 oldoldguy Fri, 31 Aug 2007 06:06:40 +0000 http://www.dvorak.org/blog/?p=12922#comment-767297 $50k for QDOS was a big win for Seattle Computer Products. In 1981 $50k hard cash was a windfall profit for any engineering firm. SCP was selling computer boards, not even entire computers. They needed an 8086 OS in order to sell their 8086 boards. So SCP was looking at "giving away" the OS with every computer board. $50k was probably more profit than they would make with the entire company in two years. What is wrong with a "Copied CP/M"? Go back a few years and learn that CP/M is actually based on a Digital Equipment Corp (DEC) operating system. (TOPS-10) which used programs like PIP and a similar file naming system. (MS hired DEC's VAX-VMS author, Dave Cutler, to lead the first version of Windows NT.) Microsoft renamed commands like "PIP" to "COPY" and did the world a big favor. Oh yeah, I read somewhere that IBM sold around 35k PCs in 1981-1982. Microsoft didnt exactly make back much of their MSDOS costs. Not until Mitch Kapor started shipping 1-2-3 for the IBM..... then the real fun started... $50k for QDOS was a big win for Seattle Computer Products.

In 1981 $50k hard cash was a windfall profit for any engineering firm.

SCP was selling computer boards, not even entire computers. They needed an 8086 OS in order to sell their 8086 boards. So SCP was looking at “giving away” the OS with every computer board.

$50k was probably more profit than they would make with the entire company in two years.

What is wrong with a “Copied CP/M”? Go back a few years and learn that CP/M is actually based on a Digital Equipment Corp (DEC) operating system. (TOPS-10) which used programs like PIP and a similar file naming system. (MS hired DEC’s VAX-VMS author, Dave Cutler, to lead the first version of Windows NT.) Microsoft renamed commands like “PIP” to “COPY” and did the world a big favor.

Oh yeah, I read somewhere that IBM sold around 35k PCs in 1981-1982. Microsoft didnt exactly make back much of their MSDOS costs. Not until Mitch Kapor started shipping 1-2-3 for the IBM….. then the real fun started…

]]> By: MattD http://www.dvorak.org/blog/2007/07/31/court-ruling-supports-claims-that-microsofts-first-os-was-stolen/comment-page-2/#comment-731728 MattD Thu, 02 Aug 2007 16:48:21 +0000 http://www.dvorak.org/blog/?p=12922#comment-731728 Alot of you are aware that PBS did a documentary detailing much of this is in a program called "Triumph of the Nerds". The main page also includes a link to the transcript of the program: http://www.pbs.org/nerds/ Much of this early DOS info (QDOS, PC-DOS 1.0) can be found in part two of the transcript: http://www.pbs.org/nerds/part2.html Patterson essentially admits to hacking CP/M as a personal project. MS was aware that this was a hacked version of CP/M at the time of purchase. Alot of you are aware that PBS did a documentary detailing much of this is in a program called “Triumph of the Nerds”.

The main page also includes a link to the transcript of the program:
http://www.pbs.org/nerds/

Much of this early DOS info (QDOS, PC-DOS 1.0) can be found in part two of the transcript:
http://www.pbs.org/nerds/part2.html

Patterson essentially admits to hacking CP/M as a personal project. MS was aware that this was a hacked version of CP/M at the time of purchase.

]]> By: Mr. Fusion http://www.dvorak.org/blog/2007/07/31/court-ruling-supports-claims-that-microsofts-first-os-was-stolen/comment-page-2/#comment-730464 Mr. Fusion Wed, 01 Aug 2007 19:05:25 +0000 http://www.dvorak.org/blog/?p=12922#comment-730464 #12, Dauragon Great one. #12, Dauragon

Great one.

]]> By: cheese http://www.dvorak.org/blog/2007/07/31/court-ruling-supports-claims-that-microsofts-first-os-was-stolen/comment-page-2/#comment-730241 cheese Wed, 01 Aug 2007 15:58:22 +0000 http://www.dvorak.org/blog/?p=12922#comment-730241 What? DOS is ripped off from CP/M? Who would have guessed? I was always under the impression that: Unix | CPM | DOS What? DOS is ripped off from CP/M? Who would have guessed?

I was always under the impression that:
Unix | CPM | DOS

]]> By: Frank IBC http://www.dvorak.org/blog/2007/07/31/court-ruling-supports-claims-that-microsofts-first-os-was-stolen/comment-page-2/#comment-730101 Frank IBC Wed, 01 Aug 2007 14:13:24 +0000 http://www.dvorak.org/blog/?p=12922#comment-730101 #12 - LOL! #12 – LOL!

]]> By: Cinaedh http://www.dvorak.org/blog/2007/07/31/court-ruling-supports-claims-that-microsofts-first-os-was-stolen/comment-page-2/#comment-730075 Cinaedh Wed, 01 Aug 2007 13:47:19 +0000 http://www.dvorak.org/blog/?p=12922#comment-730075 I always thought CP/M stood for Control Program/Microcomputer. I learn something new every day on DU. Also, if you knew CP/M, you already knew DOS except for little confusing things like copy from - to instead of copy to - from. I always thought CP/M stood for Control Program/Microcomputer. I learn something new every day on DU. Also, if you knew CP/M, you already knew DOS except for little confusing things like copy from – to instead of copy to – from.

]]> By: tallwookie http://www.dvorak.org/blog/2007/07/31/court-ruling-supports-claims-that-microsofts-first-os-was-stolen/comment-page-2/#comment-729588 tallwookie Wed, 01 Aug 2007 05:06:13 +0000 http://www.dvorak.org/blog/?p=12922#comment-729588 bah this is **OLD** news, ive known about this for years back in the 17th century, if you plagerized somone's work it was considered a compliment to them - jebus, what 400 years can do bah this is **OLD** news, ive known about this for years

back in the 17th century, if you plagerized somone’s work it was considered a compliment to them – jebus, what 400 years can do

]]> By: Lou http://www.dvorak.org/blog/2007/07/31/court-ruling-supports-claims-that-microsofts-first-os-was-stolen/comment-page-1/#comment-729265 Lou Tue, 31 Jul 2007 23:21:57 +0000 http://www.dvorak.org/blog/?p=12922#comment-729265 Nothing to see here folks.... Supposedly gary kildal (CP/M) ripped off lots of syntax from a DEC PDP operating system. LONG LIVE THE PIP COMMAND!!!! As a CP/M programmer (along with many other 70;s and 80;s OS's), I do have a nostalgia for lean and mean OS's (not that I ever want to write a printer driver again). Nothing to see here folks…. Supposedly gary kildal (CP/M) ripped off lots of syntax from a DEC PDP operating system.

LONG LIVE THE PIP COMMAND!!!!

As a CP/M programmer (along with many other 70;s and 80;s OS’s), I do have a nostalgia for lean and mean OS’s (not that I ever want to write a printer driver again).

]]> By: Les http://www.dvorak.org/blog/2007/07/31/court-ruling-supports-claims-that-microsofts-first-os-was-stolen/comment-page-1/#comment-729254 Les Tue, 31 Jul 2007 23:11:25 +0000 http://www.dvorak.org/blog/?p=12922#comment-729254 Actualy CP/M had "user levels" which functioned as 16 seperate directories (although all files were stored in the same directory). Almost no CP/M users were aware of the user levels. New word allowed you to select user levels from inside the program. Actualy CP/M had “user levels” which functioned as 16 seperate directories (although all files were stored in the same directory).

Almost no CP/M users were aware of the user levels. New word allowed you to select user levels from inside the program.

]]> By: Les http://www.dvorak.org/blog/2007/07/31/court-ruling-supports-claims-that-microsofts-first-os-was-stolen/comment-page-1/#comment-729253 Les Tue, 31 Jul 2007 23:09:33 +0000 http://www.dvorak.org/blog/?p=12922#comment-729253 Yes, DOS 2 had sub directories, and was quite different from CP/M. DOS 1 on the otherhand, was almost identical. Only the utilties were changed "to protect the inocent". DDT became debug, PIP became copy, etc. Yes,
DOS 2 had sub directories, and was quite different from CP/M. DOS 1 on the otherhand, was almost identical. Only the utilties were changed “to protect the inocent”. DDT became debug, PIP became copy, etc.

]]> By: edwinrogers http://www.dvorak.org/blog/2007/07/31/court-ruling-supports-claims-that-microsofts-first-os-was-stolen/comment-page-1/#comment-729198 edwinrogers Tue, 31 Jul 2007 22:21:00 +0000 http://www.dvorak.org/blog/?p=12922#comment-729198 Does this mean that everything MS have ever made and earned are proceeds and subsequent earnings of crime? Just curious about where this is going. Does this mean that everything MS have ever made and earned are proceeds and subsequent earnings of crime? Just curious about where this is going.

]]> By: Angel H. Wong http://www.dvorak.org/blog/2007/07/31/court-ruling-supports-claims-that-microsofts-first-os-was-stolen/comment-page-1/#comment-729197 Angel H. Wong Tue, 31 Jul 2007 22:20:59 +0000 http://www.dvorak.org/blog/?p=12922#comment-729197 #15 Again, the difference between a gay nerd and a straight nerd is that a gay nerd is virgin by choice. #15

Again, the difference between a gay nerd and a straight nerd is that a gay nerd is virgin by choice.

]]> By: joshua http://www.dvorak.org/blog/2007/07/31/court-ruling-supports-claims-that-microsofts-first-os-was-stolen/comment-page-1/#comment-729184 joshua Tue, 31 Jul 2007 22:05:56 +0000 http://www.dvorak.org/blog/?p=12922#comment-729184 OMG....it's nothing short of a mircle that ANY of those people ever got laid.....in fact....I'll bet some of them still haven't..... :) OMG….it’s nothing short of a mircle that ANY of those people ever got laid…..in fact….I’ll bet some of them still haven’t….. :)

]]> By: Les http://www.dvorak.org/blog/2007/07/31/court-ruling-supports-claims-that-microsofts-first-os-was-stolen/comment-page-1/#comment-729121 Les Tue, 31 Jul 2007 20:38:17 +0000 http://www.dvorak.org/blog/?p=12922#comment-729121 All of the BDOS function call are the same in DOS (Int 21) and CP/M (call 5). It pretty obvious. All of the BDOS function call are the same in DOS (Int 21) and CP/M (call 5).

It pretty obvious.

]]> By: Billabong http://www.dvorak.org/blog/2007/07/31/court-ruling-supports-claims-that-microsofts-first-os-was-stolen/comment-page-1/#comment-729084 Billabong Tue, 31 Jul 2007 19:57:55 +0000 http://www.dvorak.org/blog/?p=12922#comment-729084 I don't see a bong in this picture it must be a fake. I don’t see a bong in this picture it must be a fake.

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