MS-DOS

Short for Microsoft Disk operating system, MS-DOS is a non-graphical Command line operating system created for IBM compatible computers that was first introduced by Microsoft in August 1981 and was last updated in 1994 when MS-DOS 6.22 was released. Although the MS-DOS operating system is not commonly used today, the command shell used through Microsoft Windows is.

Unlike Microsoft Windows, which most users are familiar with today, MS-DOS requires the user to type commands instead of using a mouse. The image to the right is an example of what an MS-DOS window more appropriately referred to as the Windows command line looks like under Microsoft Windows.