bcw (10/08/82)
From: Bruce C. Wright @ Duke University Re: PDP-11/10, PDP-11/20 Ah, memories! The "operating system" for these early PDP-11's was a primitive thing called the "paper tape system" with the infamous "IOX" (input-output executive). It was *all* run from paper tape (including the assembler, editor, and linker), though I have seen it modified to have its components loaded from cards. There was also a floating point math package (also on tape). Circa 1972 this was all upgraded (for "large" systems - 8K or more or something like that) to "DOS" - the Disk Operating System (or perhaps better known as the Disgusting Operating System). Sort of like a rather primitive RT-11 at first, it eventually grew into a rather large (but still klutzy) system. RSTS is its most direct modern descendant (and is much nicer than anything which was ever called "DOS"). DOS is also where the DEC operating systems started to pick up those numeric directories which are still used on RSTS, RSX, and IAS (and to a limited extent on VAX/VMS). I think it was a carryover from the DEC-10, but I'm not sure. There are still some people around running that stuff too ... one of the groups running DOS is just down the hall from the office I'm typing this message ... Bruce C. Wright @ Duke University