Just when you thought it was dead and buried, IBM has launched a Year 2000-compliant version of its venerable operating system, DOS. As well as alleviating millennium concerns, the new software, PC DOS 2000, also supports the new currency symbols associated with European Monetary Union (EMU); what some IT directors have described as an even bigger challenge than Year 2000 compliance. The software also automatically corrects the dates associated with the Basic Input/Output system (BIOS). Sheryl Winton, IBM’s US project executive with responsibility for PC DOS, said the market analyst, IDC estimates the number of worldwide IBM and Microsoft DOS users at around 150 million. And all of them, she added, will be looking for a millennium- compliant upgrade solution for their operating system. A solution not currently available from Microsoft, who Winton said was content to encourage its DOS users to upgrade directly to Windows ’95 to overcome millennium fears. While PC DOS 2000 is the successor to last year’s DOS version 7.0, it will act as an upgrade to any of the older DOS systems, provided the PC is running a 286, or faster, processor. It costs $70, per user, for a floppy drive upgrade or $65 for a CD-ROM version. Further upgrades are priced at $54 per license.
