Why did Microsoft have so much success with MS-DOS back in the 80s? I feel like they didn’t actually have that much leverage over IBM. Wouldn’t it have been cheaper for IBM to pay some software developers to build their own OS instead of paying all of the royalties to Microsoft for MS-DOS? Enough to eventually make Bill Gates the richest person on earth.
Interesting. I don’t think that explains everything though. It explains the beginning, but as MS-DOS had more and more success, it became more and more expensive for IBM to pay royalties to Microsoft. I feel like at some point it would become cheaper for IBM to invest in their own OS instead of continuing to pay royalties to Microsoft.
Meaning software was written that targets MS-DOS so if a computer didn’t have MS-DOS the software wouldn’t work, and so there was a large demand for MS-DOS? Can’t the software vendor just ship a compiled version of their software? Or their software bundled with an assembler for whatever OS?
Why did Microsoft have so much success with MS-DOS back in the 80s? I feel like they didn’t actually have that much leverage over IBM. Wouldn’t it have been cheaper for IBM to pay some software developers to build their own OS instead of paying all of the royalties to Microsoft for MS-DOS? Enough to eventually make Bill Gates the richest person on earth.
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/08/05/how-bill-gates-mother-influenced-the-success-of-microsoft.html
Interesting. I don’t think that explains everything though. It explains the beginning, but as MS-DOS had more and more success, it became more and more expensive for IBM to pay royalties to Microsoft. I feel like at some point it would become cheaper for IBM to invest in their own OS instead of continuing to pay royalties to Microsoft.
MS used the IBM deal to sell their OS to a bunch of other computer makers. At that point, IBM switching would have meant an incompatible OS.
Meaning software was written that targets MS-DOS so if a computer didn’t have MS-DOS the software wouldn’t work, and so there was a large demand for MS-DOS? Can’t the software vendor just ship a compiled version of their software? Or their software bundled with an assembler for whatever OS?