| RDOS | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer | Data General |
| OS family | Data General |
| Working state | Discontinued |
| Source model | Closed source |
| Initial release | 1970; 55 years ago (1970) |
| Latest release | RDOS 7.5 / 1986; 39 years ago (1986) |
| Supported platforms | NOVA,microNOVA,Eclipse |
| Kernel type | Monolithic |
| Default user interface | Command-line interface |
| License | restricted, per machine |
The Data General RDOS (Real-timeDiskOperatingSystem) is areal-time operating system released in 1970.[1] The software was bundled with the company's popularNova andEclipseminicomputers.[2]
RDOS is capable ofmultitasking, with the ability to run up to 32 tasks (similar to the current termthreads) simultaneously on each of twogrounds (foreground and background) within a 64 KB memory space. Later versions of RDOS are compatible with Data General's16-bit Eclipse minicomputer line.[3]
A cut-down version of RDOS, without real-time background and foreground capability but still capable of running multiple threads and multi-userData General Business Basic, is called Data General Diskette Operating System[4] (DG-DOS or now—somewhat confusingly—simply DOS); another related operating system is RTOS, a Real-Time Operating System for diskless environments. RDOS onmicroNOVA-based "Micro Products" micro-minicomputers is sometimes called DG/RDOS.[5]
RDOS was superseded in the early 1980s by Data General'sAOS family of operating systems, including AOS/VS and MP/AOS (MP/OS on smaller systems).
The following list ofcommands are supported by the RDOS/DOS CLI.[6]
In the late 1970s, Data General was sued (under the Sherman and Clayton antitrust acts)[7] by competitors for their practice of bundling RDOS with the Data General Nova or Eclipse minicomputer.[8] When Data General introduced theData General Nova, a company called Digidyne wanted to use its RDOSoperating system on its ownhardware clone. Data General refused tolicense their software and claimed their "bundling rights". In 1985, courts including theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled against Data General in a case calledDigidyne v. Data General. TheSupreme Court of the United Statesdeclined to hear Data General's appeal, althoughJusticesWhite andBlackmunwould have heard it. The precedent set by the lower courts eventually forced Data General to license the operating system because restricting the software to only Data General's hardware was an illegal tying arrangement.[9]
In 1999, Data General was taken over byEMC Corporation.[10]
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