MS-DOS 5.0 turns 30 years old #VintageComputing @Microsoft
MS-DOS 5.0, used on PCs and compatibles, was released 30 years ago (in 1991) this summer.
It featured support for 3.5 inch 2.88 MB floppy disks, and a full-screen text editor, “EDIT.COM.” It was the first version of MS-DOS to include HIMEM.SYS, which loaded part of the operating system into the Upper Memory Area, (UMA). UMA is the area of RAM between 640 KB and 1,024 KB (1 MB) in legacy computers, that is made available to user applications as RAM.
A promo video (below) was released by Microsoft at the time entitled: YO MS Raps! (beware: 1991 cheese)
Adafruit publishes a wide range of writing and video content, including interviews and reporting on the maker market and the wider technology world. Our standards page is intended as a guide to best practices that Adafruit uses, as well as an outline of the ethical standards Adafruit aspires to. While Adafruit is not an independent journalistic institution, Adafruit strives to be a fair, informative, and positive voice within the community – check it out here: adafruit.com/editorialstandards
Stop breadboarding and soldering – start making immediately! Adafruit’s Circuit Playground is jam-packed with LEDs, sensors, buttons, alligator clip pads and more. Build projects with Circuit Playground in a few minutes with the drag-and-drop MakeCode programming site, learn computer science using the CS Discoveries class on code.org, jump into CircuitPython to learn Python and hardware together, TinyGO, or even use the Arduino IDE. Circuit Playground Express is the newest and best Circuit Playground board, with support for CircuitPython, MakeCode, and Arduino. It has a powerful processor, 10 NeoPixels, mini speaker, InfraRed receive and transmit, two buttons, a switch, 14 alligator clip pads, and lots of sensors: capacitive touch, IR proximity, temperature, light, motion and sound. A whole wide world of electronics and coding is waiting for you, and it fits in the palm of your hand.
Have an amazing project to share? The Electronics Show and Tell is every Wednesday at 7:30pm ET! To join, head over to YouTube and check out the show’s live chat and our Discord!
Python for Microcontrollers – Adafruit Daily — Python on Microcontrollers Newsletter: CircuitPython 2025 Wraps, Focus on Using Python, Open Source and More! #CircuitPython #Python #micropython @ThePSF @Raspberry_Pi
EYE on NPI – Adafruit Daily — EYE on NPI Maxim’s Himalaya uSLIC Step-Down Power Module #EyeOnNPI @maximintegrated @digikey
I remember buying and installing this upgrade that summer. The installer was polished compared to previous DOS versions, and EDIT and QBASIC were nice additions. But, for me, Minix 2.0 was still a much better OS to be running on that PC most of the time.
I remember buying and installing this upgrade that summer. The installer was polished compared to previous DOS versions, and EDIT and QBASIC were nice additions. But, for me, Minix 2.0 was still a much better OS to be running on that PC most of the time.