CP/M
CP/M
CP/M (Control Program for Microcomputers) was an operating system developed by Gary Kildall of Digital Research for Intel 8080-based microcomputers. It dominated the microcomputer market in the late 1970s and early 1980s before the rise of MS-DOS.
Features
- Single-user, single-task operating system.
- Command-line interface with built-in commands such as DIR, ERA, REN, TYPE.
- File system using 8.3 filenames, supported on floppy disk drives.
- Separate BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) to allow portability across different hardware.
- Supported high-level languages like BASIC, Pascal, and C.
History
CP/M originated in 1974 when Gary Kildall developed a system to control the Intel 8008 microprocessor. The first commercial version, CP/M 1.0, was released in 1976. It became the de facto standard operating system for the S-100 bus and other hobbyist computers. IBM approached Digital Research for an operating system for its IBM PC, but negotiations failed, leading IBM to contract with Microsoft for PC DOS, which was based on 86-DOS (a CP/M clone). CP/M declined in the 1980s, though it continued in niche applications.
Legacy
CP/M influenced many later operating systems, including MS-DOS and DR-DOS. Many software applications, such as WordStar and dBase, were first developed for CP/M.
See also
External links
- The CP/M Web Site (archived)
- CP/M History at Computer Museum