disk operating system

3 definitions found

disk operating system - WordNet (r) 2.1 (2005) :

  disk operating system
      n 1: an operating system that is on a disk [syn: DOS, disk operating system
           ]

disk operating system - Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (26 May 2007) :

  Disk Operating System
  
     <operating system> (DOS) The original disk operating system
     from IBM.
  
     DOS was the low-end OS of choice on the IBM 360, the
     high-end system was called just "OS".  DOS had a smaller
     kernel and less functionality than OS and could run on the
     typical 32K 360/30 and 64K 360/40 class machines.
  
     DOS was a successor to TOS.
  
     (1999-01-20)
  

  disk operating system
  
     <operating system> (DOS) The name of a number of operating systems
      which include facilities for storing files on disk,
     often used to refer to Microsoft DOS.  Such a system must
     handle physical disk I/O, the mapping of file names to disk
     addresses and protection of files from unauthorised access (in
     a multi-user system).
  
     A DOS should present a uniform interface to different storage
     device such as floppy disks, hard disks and magnetic tape
      drives.  It may also provide some kind of locking to
     prevent unintentional simultaneous access by two processes to
     the same file (or record).
  
     (1998-07-08)