Computer History Museum releases Apple II's DOS source code from 1978

The Computer History Museum has posted scans of a particularly historic document: the original DOS source code for the 1978 Apple II. It was the first computer with a built-in floppy drive ready to use out of the box, requiring intricate software to match Steve Wozniak's elegant and simple hardware. The new documents include both the code itself and the original documents, showing the crinkled punchcards and sprocket-feed paper that defined the early Apple days.

Written in just seven weeks, the code was a rush job for Apple contractor Paul Laughton, who was paid $13,000 for his work. The result is something between a file management system and a modern-day operating system, allowing applications a simple way to access disk files through BASIC commands. The source code is officially still under copyright to Apple, circa 1978, but in the case of the Computer History Museum, it seems Cupertino was willing to let it slide.

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