What Is CP/M and Why Did It Fade Away?

TL;DR

CP/M was the first operating system for microcomputers, developed by Gary Kildel, which allowed for greater standardisation across different hardware. However, its decline was primarily due to IBM's preference for Microsoft's DOS, leading to CP/M being overshadowed in the market despite its pioneering innovations.

Transcript

today i thought we'd go over cpm the very first operating system for micro computers quite a significant thing history wise but why don't we use it today is it a bit like dos it is it is a lot like dos i would use the analogy of its beat of x whereas dots is vhs for our younger viewers vhs and betamax are types of videotape sometimes not necessaril... Read More

Key Insights

• 🤶 CP/M was a groundbreaking operating system that standardized microcomputers, except for hardware-specific components.
• 👻 Gary Kildel, the creator of CP/M, missed the opportunity to supply an operating system to IBM, allowing Microsoft to offer DOS instead.
• 😮 IBM's decision to support DOS over CP/M played a significant role in the rise of DOS as the dominant operating system.
• 😘 CP/M's decline was driven by market forces, as DOS became more widely adopted due to its lower cost.
• 👨‍💻 CP/M's legacy can still be found in modern operating systems, as some of its code is present in DOS.
• 😚 Gary Kildel's bitterness towards the situation and personal struggles after losing out to IBM and Microsoft impacted his life negatively.
• 💨 DOS eventually became the standard operating system, paving the way for the dominance of Windows-based machines.

Questions & Answers

Q: How did CP/M standardize microcomputers?

CP/M allowed for compatibility across different machines, with only the hardware-specific BIOS being unique. This enabled software written for CP/M to run on any machine that supported it.

Q: What led to CP/M's decline in popularity?

Market forces and business decisions played a role. IBM chose Microsoft's PC DOS over CP/M for their microcomputers, resulting in widespread adoption of DOS. Additionally, CP/M's creator, Gary Kildel, missed the opportunity to supply an operating system to IBM.

Q: Did Microsoft copy CP/M to create DOS?

In 2002, it was decided in court that there were similarities and portions of code taken directly from CP/M for DOS. However, subtle changes were made to avoid direct copying. Some of CP/M's code can still be found in modern versions of DOS.

Q: What impact did the IBM-CP/M rivalry have on the market?

CP/M initially had a strong foothold in the microcomputer market, but the decision by IBM to support DOS instead of CP/M led to DOS becoming the dominant operating system. This significantly shaped the future of personal computing.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• CP/M was created by Gary Kildel as the first operating system for microcomputers, allowing standardization across different machines.

• IBM approached Microsoft and Digital Research (CP/M's creator) to supply an operating system for their microcomputer. Digital Research missed the opportunity due to a miscommunication.

• Microsoft found a suitable operating system and offered it to IBM, resulting in the creation of PC DOS, which eventually overshadowed CP/M.