Multiuser DOS Federation

The Multiuser DOS Federation (MDOS) was an industry alliance to promote the growth and acceptance of multi-user DOS-based solutions on 286, 386 and 486 computers.^[1][2] It was formed in July 1990.^[1] Initially among them were Digital Research, Theos Software, SunRiver, DigiBoard, Alloy, Viewport International and others.^[2] The idea was to reduce costs by allowing workgroups to run DOS applications from a shared PC while working on terminals or workstations.^[1][2]

On 18 February 1991, several members of the Multiuser DOS Federation issued a press release regarding their intentions to support DPMI (mostly DPMI 1.0) in their products including Alloy Computer Products Inc. (PC-PLUS), Bluebird Systems, Inc. (SuperDOS), Concurrent Controls, Inc. (CCI Concurrent DOS 386, CCI Multiuser DOS), Digital Research, Inc. (DR Multiuser DOS), S&H Computer Systems, Inc. (TSX-32), StarPath Systems, Inc. (Vmos/3), The Software Link (PC-MOS/386), THEOS Software Corporation (THEOS), Intelligent Graphics Corporation (VM/386).^[3] Several of them had previously worked on the alternative XVCPI specification.

See also

• AT Multiuser System
• Virtual DOS machine

References

1. "NetWorld 90 - NetWorld: Multi-Vendor Answers". Communications News. Nelson Publishing / Gale, Cengage Learning. 1990-11-01. Archived from the original on 2018-08-20. Retrieved 2014-09-10.
2. Barker, Dennis, ed. (November 1990). "Share or LAN?". Microbytes: Nanobytes. BYTE. Vol. 15, no. 12. McGraw-Hill, Inc. pp. 19–20, 24, 28, 32 [32]. ISSN 0360-5280. Retrieved 2021-12-09. p. 32: The Multiuser DOS Federation is promoting multiuser PCs as an alternative to LANs. One MDOS member says it's "a myth" that LANs are the only way for groups of computer users to work together. The organization hopes to establish standards for multiuser computing. Among the charter members are representatives of Digital Research, Theos Software, SunRiver, DigiBoard, Alloy, and Viewport International.
3. Wurthmann, Gerold; Wopperer, Bernhard; Wiesböck, Johann (1991). "Die DPMI-Spezifikation – Eine Einführung – Appendix B: DPMI Hosts" [An introduction to the DPMI specification – appendix B: DPMI hosts]. Vorträge und Begleittexte zum 2. Entwicklerforum der Design & Elektronik zum Thema: PC-Architektur, 17. September 1991, München [Presentations and supplemental material for the second developer forum on PC architecture on 17 September 1991, Munich] (book) (in German) (1 ed.). Munich, Germany: Markt & Technik Verlag Aktiengesellschaft. pp. 223, 239. (NB. The forum was organized by the German magazine Design & Elektronik and Intel.)