The neck-and-neck race between DR-DOS and MS-DOS 3, 5, 6 and beyond.

[liam_on_linux]

The evolution of DOS is interesting, and few remember the bigger picture now

Comments

[waistcoatmark]

ConcurrentDOS got adapted into IBM's 4680 software - which powered most supermarket tills for a good decade or two. It was very weird: looked like MS-DOS. Many of the MS-DOS commands worked as you'd expect, but it was multi-user and multi-tasking.

And surprised you didn't mention Windows "mysterious" bugginess when run on DR-DOS...

[liam_on_linux]

I've long wanted to see and play with 4680

[waistcoatmark]

I'm almost certain 4680 was 286. IBM had two very similar supermarket systems that ran on it (General Sales Application and Supermarket Application and a quick google shows Store Management Application as well). They were written in BASIC, and had the concept of User Includes - the system would include an (initially empty) file at various points in the code (when printing stuff, when displaying stuff, after scanning a barcode, before opening cash drawer etc.), along with a bunch of documented variables. Allowing supermarkets to edit the include files to customise the code.

I believe 4690 apps were written in an early dialect of java instead, where presumably inheritance would be used instead of user includes.

[liam_on_linux]

Nice -- thanks for the additional info!

I have now found what may be a copy. It's a bunch of EXE files, though. I will put it in a VM and prod it very carefully with a stick...

[liam_on_linux]

BTW, I didn't mention the AARD code débacle as it is a matter of legal record and so it's on Wikipedia etc. :-)

I knew Geoff Chappell (the expert witness in the case) slightly through CIX...