Tim Paterson
Programmer who wrote 86-DOS, which became Microsoft’s MS-DOS
- Age
- 70 yrs
- Birthday in 208 days
- Works listed
- 1
- Operating system
- Honours
- 0
- Awards & distinctions
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Tim Paterson is an American programmer who wrote 86-DOS, also called QDOS, for Seattle Computer Products in 1980. Microsoft bought it, and it became MS-DOS and IBM’s PC DOS, the operating system of the IBM PC and its clones.
Biography
Background
Paterson studied computer science at the University of Washington and joined Seattle Computer Products to design 8086 processor boards.
86-DOS
Tired of waiting for CP/M’s 8086 version, he wrote his own operating system in about six weeks in 1980, nicknamed QDOS (“Quick and Dirty Operating System”), mimicking CP/M’s interface.
Microsoft
Microsoft licensed and then bought 86-DOS for about $75,000 in 1981, adapting it as PC DOS for IBM. Paterson worked at Microsoft on DOS several times.
Later
He founded Falcon Technology, which Microsoft bought, and later sued an author who claimed DOS was copied from CP/M; the court ruled against Paterson.
Timeline
-
1956
Born in Seattle, Washington, United States
-
1978
Joins Seattle Computer Products
-
1980
Writes 86-DOS
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1981
Microsoft buys 86-DOS; IBM PC launches
-
1986
Founds Falcon Technology
Notable works
-
1980
86-DOS Operating system
Did you know?
-
1
QDOS stood for Quick and Dirty Operating System.
-
2
He wrote 86-DOS in about six weeks.
-
3
MS-DOS sold to millions of PCs.
Connections
Related people
- Gary Kildall Technology · Creator of CP/M, the first popular microcomputer operating system Creator of CP/M
-
Bill Gates
Technology · Co-founder of Microsoft and one of the world’s leading philanthropists
Microsoft bought his DOS
-
Paul Allen
Technology · Co-founder of Microsoft, investor and philanthropist
Negotiated the purchase
Frequently asked
Who is Tim Paterson?
Tim Paterson is an American programmer who wrote 86-DOS, also called QDOS, for Seattle Computer Products in 1980. Microsoft bought it, and it became MS-DOS and IBM’s PC DOS, the operating system of the IBM PC and its clones.
How old is Tim Paterson?
Tim Paterson is 70 years old, born on 1 June 1956 in Seattle, Washington, United States.
Where is Tim Paterson from?
Tim Paterson was born in Seattle, Washington, United States.
What is Tim Paterson known for?
Tim Paterson is best known for Writing 86-DOS/QDOS (1980), the basis of MS-DOS and PC DOS.
References
- Tim Paterson — Wikipedia. Wikipedia. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
- Tim Paterson — Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
- Tim Paterson — IMDb. IMDb. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
- Official website. petersontechnologies.com. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
- Tim Paterson (Q92940) — structured data. Wikidata. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
Includes material from the Wikipedia article “Tim Paterson”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. That text is available under the same licence. Learn more
External links
About this profile
- Researched by the TrackFame editorial team; reviewed by Sanjay Sokal under our editorial policy
- First published 4 November 2026
- Last updated
Cite this page
“Tim Paterson.” TrackFame, last updated 4 November 2026. https://trackfame.com/person/tim-paterson
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