A Personal Computer (PC) is a computer designed for use by private individuals. The typical use of a PC has been for word processing, spreadsheets, databases, Web browsing, e-mail and computer games.
The history of personal computers began in earnest in 1977, with the introduction of the microcomputer. When the microprocessor was developed, it was possible to create computers so affordable to purchase that private individuals could buy them.
When IBM (International Business Machines) began producing a Personal Computer in 1980 it created a need for an operating system for this new computer. IBM approached Microsoft with a request. Microsoft was not developing operating systems at this time, but since the mid-1970s had been a leader in the development of tools for the programming language, BASIC. Microsoft acquired an operating system by purchasing it from Seattle Computer Products, and then made changes to this system so that it was suited for PCs. Microsoft called the operating system MS-DOS.
MS-DOS
The new operating system got the name MS-DOS 1.0 DOS = Disk Operating System MS-DOS was an operating system based on a simple communication between user and computer. The user entered commands on the screen using the keyboard, as a mouse was used to a limited extent at this point.
MS-DOS was the most common operating system for PCs before Windows, and was the base operating system in the first versions of Windows. MS-DOS therefore continued to live long after the introduction of Windows.
Microsoft has made many versions of MS-DOS, with MS-DOS 8.0 being the latest version, which was launched in the year 2000.
