DOS/V
DOS/V was a Japanese computing initiative starting in 1990 to allow IBM PC compatibles with VGA cards to handle double-byte Japanese text via software alone. It was developed by IBM for its PS/55 machines (a localized version of the PS/2). Kanji fonts and other locale information were stored on the hard disk rather than on special chips as in the preceding AX architecture. As with AX, its great value for the Japanese computing industry was in allowing compatibility with foreign software. This had not been possible under NEC's proprietary PC-98 system, which was the market leader before DOS/V emerged. DOS/V stands for "Disk Operating System/VGA" (not "version 5"; DOS/V came out at approximately the same time as DOS 5).
The promotion of DOS/V was done by IBM and its consortium called PC Open Architecture Developers' Group, also called OADG.
In addition to PC DOS/V, there were also DOS/V-compatible issues of DR DOS 6.0 and Novell DOS 7.
See also
External links
- Japan's PC industry in transformation (historical overview)