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What does DOS stand for?

DOS stands for "disk operating system," a program that controls the computer's transfer of data (information) to and from a storage device. That storage device may either be a hard disk, built into the computer itself, or a removable floppy disk.

One early disk operating system, called SCP-DOS, was developed at Seattle Computer Products. When IBM decided to manufacture personal computers and needed an operating system, it chose the SCP-DOS. IBM then contracted with Microsoft Corporation to produce the operating system. At that point the name SCP-DOS was changed to MS-DOS (MS is for Microsoft). IBM referred to the system as PC DOS (PC is for personal computer), while most users simply called it DOS.

In the mid-1990s, Microsoft Windows replaced DOS as the most popular operating system for personal computers. DOS has a text interface, meaning that users must know certain command words to...

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