Traf-O-Data and Windows NT on LGR Tech Tales

In recent days, a specific YouTube channel has my caught my attention. It’s called Lazy Game Reviews, and last night I came across a great playlist of only four episoded called: LGR Tech Tales where LGR, the host, goes through a specific event in computer history.

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What’s so Interesting?

Outside of reviewing old PC hardware and MS-DOS games elsewhere on the channel, this series struck a cord with me because it talks about the beginnings of Traf-O-Data, which we now know as Microsoft.

What I find so facinating, are the Digital Research and IBM OS/2 stories and how they relate to Microsoft. More specifically:

  • When looking for a custom OS for their new PC, Microsoft forwarded IBM to Digital Research. It wasn’t until later that Microsoft bought a product and marketed it as MS-DOS 1.0 and took on the contract from IBM, due to frustrations with Digital Research
  • After commissioning a custom OS from Microsoft, eventually IBM gave up the contract and went to develop their own OS. That original OS, formely named PC-DOS, became Windows NT, the OS we all know and love today.

The Point

I’ve just really found LGR interesting. Looking back at computing history through the 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s shows just how different things have become.

Ultimately, I have no point other than old computers are really cool. If you’re interested in that kind of thing, then I suggest you check out LGR on YouTube.

Thanks for Playing.

~ DW

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