CP/M
: /C-P-M/ n. [Control Program for Microcomputers] An early
microcomputer OS written by hacker Gary Kildall for 8080- and
Z80-based machines, very popular in the late 1970s but virtually
wiped out by MS-DOS after the release of the IBM PC in 1981.
Legend has it that Kildall's company blew its chance to write the
OS for the IBM PC because Kildall decided to spend a day IBM's reps
wanted to meet with him enjoying the perfect flying weather in his
private plane. Many of CP/M's features and conventions strongly
resemble those of early DEC operating systems such as
TOPS-10, OS/8, RSTS, and RSX-11. See MS-DOS,
operating system.
