Microsoft releases 1.25 and 2.0 versions of MS-DOS as open source

Prophet (2159)

01-10-2018, 10:35

And they have done it under MIT license, not bad! Maybe we should organize an asks for them to do the same with MSX-BASIC ROMs.

https://github.com/Microsoft/MS-DOS

By gdx

Enlighted (6213)

01-10-2018, 10:49

Also for the MSX-DOS 1.

By karloch

Prophet (2159)

01-10-2018, 11:07

gdx wrote:

Also for the MSX-DOS 1.

If I recall properly from konamiman's story, these are now under the ownership of the MSX Association. Microsoft only holds copyright nowadays for the MSX-BASIC.

By konamiman

Paragon (1198)

01-10-2018, 13:03

Another thing that Nishi told me is that the source code of MSX-DOS 1 is lost, but he didn't tell me why and I didn't ask him (sorry, it was a pretty overwhelming meeting and in the end I didn't ask him everything I wanted to)

But indeed, according to what he told me the only MSX system software that Microsoft still owns is MSX-BASIC.

By DarkSchneider

Paladin (1015)

01-10-2018, 13:39

I know why. Japanese didn't make backups. Even SEGA lost their System 16 and 24 codes, or Panzer Dragoon Saga sources. They live at the edge.

By konamiman

Paragon (1198)

01-10-2018, 14:45

Quote:

Japanese didn't make backups (...) They live at the edge.

I find that plausible. When I joined the MSX-DOS 2.50 project I expected to receive a link to a shared code repository, but instead I got the sources in a ZIP file, all the files full of "begin/end modification for MSX-DOS 2.50" comments (which you can still see in the sources of Nextor, I should do some cleanup here). I wonder how they expected to do collaborative work with that system.

By gdx

Enlighted (6213)

01-10-2018, 15:05

I looking for MSX-DOS 2 source code to try to complete documentation (the wiki).

By FiXato

Scribe (1742)

01-10-2018, 16:26

From "Microsoft MS-DOS early source code" at the Computer History Museum:

Quote:

Acknowledgements
I had the source code for version 2.0 on 5″ floppy disks in my attic for 30 years, but we needed Microsoft’s permission to release it. We are very grateful to Roy Levin, Managing Director of Microsoft Research, Silicon Valley, for working many months to make that happen.

But I didn’t have the source to the earlier version 1.1, and neither, apparently, did Microsoft. Just as I was finishing the first draft of this article, I received it directly from the author, Tim Paterson! We are grateful to Tim for sending it, and to Roy for quickly getting the additional permission needed to release it as well.

(Emphasis mine)

So, the chances of Microsoft actually having the source code for MSX BASIC still, are rather slim. Which means your best chance probably is finding it in the wild, or from the original coder(s).

By nikodr

Paladin (750)

01-10-2018, 17:15

Since microsoft only has copyright for msx disk basic then who cares?Lets try to do something for the one that the copyright is held by msx association of nishi.That means msx dos.

From my point of view with the advancement and development of msx software in modern times such as symbos who cares about msx disk basic anymore?

Maybe the only holy grail that we would want but is probably never going to be is a disk basic version of c-bios for msx.

By NYYRIKKI

Enlighted (6067)

01-10-2018, 17:51

Ah, how nice BASIC examples for CGA
There seems to be also TRANS.ASM to translate Z80 programs for 8086...

I'm just wondering that if Nishi has lost the original MSX-DOS sources, then maybe it could be worth a try to ask from Tim Paterson?

https://www.msx.org/wiki/The_History_of_MSX-DOS

By Grauw

Ascended (10768)

01-10-2018, 19:06

konamiman wrote:

When I joined the MSX-DOS 2.50 project I expected to receive a link to a shared code repository, but instead I got the sources in a ZIP file, all the files full of "begin/end modification for MSX-DOS 2.50" comments (which you can still see in the sources of Nextor, I should do some cleanup here). I wonder how they expected to do collaborative work with that system.

I don't think version control systems existed in the 80s... That's how things were done back then.