Timeline of operating systems

This article presents a timeline of events in the history of computer operating systems from 1951 to the current day. For a narrative explaining the overall developments, see the History of operating systems.

1950s

 * 1951
 * LEO I 'Lyons Electronic Office' was the commercial development of EDSAC computing platform, supported by British firm J. Lyons and Co.
 * 1953
 * DYSEAC - an early machine capable of distributing computing
 * 1955
 * General Motors Operating System made for IBM 701
 * MIT's Tape Director operating system made for UNIVAC 1103
 * 1956
 * GM-NAA I/O for IBM 704, based on General Motors Operating System
 * 1957
 * Atlas Supervisor (Manchester University) (Atlas computer project start)
 * BESYS (Bell Labs), for IBM 704, later IBM 7090 and IBM 7094
 * 1958
 * University of Michigan Executive System (UMES), for IBM 704, 709, and 7090
 * 1959
 * SHARE Operating System (SOS), based on GM-NAA I/O

1960s

 * 1960
 * IBSYS (IBM for its 7090 and 7094)
 * 1961
 * CTSS demonstration (MIT's Compatible Time-Sharing System for the IBM 7094)
 * MCP (Burroughs Master Control Program) for B5000


 * 1962
 * Atlas Supervisor (Manchester University) (Atlas computer commissioned)
 * BBN Time-Sharing System
 * GCOS (GE's General Comprehensive Operating System, originally GECOS, General Electric Comprehensive Operating Supervisor)
 * 1963
 * ADMIRAL
 * AN/FSQ-32, another early time-sharing system begun
 * CTSS becomes operational (MIT's Compatible Time-Sharing System for the IBM 7094)
 * JOSS, an interactive time-shared system that did not distinguish between operating system and language
 * Titan Supervisor, early time-sharing system begun
 * 1964
 * Berkeley Timesharing System (for Scientific Data Systems' SDS 940)
 * Chippewa Operating System (for CDC 6600 supercomputer)
 * Dartmouth Time Sharing System (Dartmouth College's DTSS for GE computers)
 * EXEC 8 (UNIVAC)
 * KDF9 Timesharing Director (English Electric) – an early, fully hardware secured, fully pre-emptive process switching, multi-programming operating system for KDF9 (originally announced in 1960)
 * OS/360 (IBM's primary OS for its S/360 series) (announced)
 * PDP-6 Monitor (DEC) descendant renamed TOPS-10 in 1970
 * SCOPE (CDC 3000 series)
 * 1965
 * BOS/360 (IBM's Basic Operating System)
 * DECsys
 * TOS/360 (IBM's Tape Operating System)
 * Livermore Time Sharing System (LTSS)
 * Multics (MIT, GE, Bell Labs for the GE-645) (announced)
 * Pick operating system
 * SIPROS 66 (Simultaneous Processing Operating System)
 * THE multiprogramming system (Technische Hogeschool Eindhoven) development
 * TSOS (later VMOS) (RCA)
 * 1966
 * DOS/360 (IBM's Disk Operating System)
 * GEORGE 1 & 2 for ICT 1900 series
 * Mod 1
 * Mod 2
 * Mod 8
 * MS/8 (Richard F. Lary's DEC PDP-8 system)
 * MSOS (Mass Storage Operating System)
 * OS/360 (IBM's primary OS for its S/360 series) PCP and MFT (shipped)
 * RAX
 * Remote Users of Shared Hardware (RUSH), a time-sharing system developed by Allen-Babcock for the IBM 360/50
 * SODA for Elwro's Odra 1204
 * Universal Time-Sharing System (XDS Sigma series)
 * 1967
 * CP-40, predecessor to CP-67 on modified IBM System/360 Model 40
 * CP-67 (IBM, also known as CP/CMS)
 * Conversational Programming System (CPS), an IBM time-sharing system under OS/360
 * Michigan Terminal System (MTS) (time-sharing system for the IBM S/360-67 and successors)
 * ITS (MIT's Incompatible Timesharing System for the DEC PDP-6 and PDP-10)
 * OS/360 MVT
 * ORVYL (Stanford University's time-sharing system for the IBM S/360-67)
 * TSS/360 (IBM's Time-sharing System for the S/360-67, never officially released, canceled in 1969 and again in 1971)
 * WAITS (SAIL, Stanford Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, time-sharing system for DEC PDP-6 and PDP-10, later TOPS-10)
 * 1968
 * Airline Control Program (ACP) (IBM)
 * B1 (NCR Century series)
 * CALL/360, an IBM time-sharing system for System/360
 * Real-Time Executive (RTE) – Hewlett-Packard
 * THE multiprogramming system (Eindhoven University of Technology) publication
 * TSS/8 (DEC for the PDP-8)
 * VP/CSS
 * 1969
 * B2 (NCR Century series)
 * B3 (NCR Century series)
 * GEORGE 3 For ICL 1900 series
 * Multics (MIT, GE, Bell Labs for the GE-645 and later the Honeywell 6180) (opened for paying customers in October )
 * RC 4000 Multiprogramming System (RC)
 * TENEX (Bolt, Beranek and Newman for DEC systems, later TOPS-20)
 * Unics (later Unix) (AT&T, initially on DEC computers)
 * Xerox Operating System

1970s

 * 1970
 * DOS-11 (PDP-11)
 * 1971
 * EMAS
 * Kronos
 * RSTS-11 2A-19 (First released version; PDP-11)
 * RSX-15
 * OS/8
 * 1972
 * B4 (NCR Century series)
 * COS-300
 * Data General RDOS
 * Edos
 * MUSIC/SP
 * OS/4
 * OS 1100
 * Operating System/Virtual Storage 1 (OS/VS1)
 * Operating System/Virtual Storage 2 R1 (OS/VS2 SVS)
 * PRIMOS (written in FORTRAN IV, that didn't have pointers, while later versions, around version 18, written in a version of PL/I, called PL/P)
 * Virtual Machine/Basic System Extensions Program Product (BSEPP or VM/SE)
 * Virtual Machine/System Extensions Program Product (SEPP or VM/BSE)
 * Virtual Machine Facility/370 (VM/370), sometimes known as VM/CMS
 * 1973
 * Эльбрус-1 (Elbrus-1) – Soviet computer – created using high-level language uЭль-76 (AL-76/ALGOL 68)
 * Alto OS
 * CP-V (Control Program V)
 * RSX-11D
 * RT-11
 * VME – implementation language S3 (ALGOL 68)
 * 1974
 * ACOS-2 (NEC)
 * ACOS-4
 * ACOS-6
 * CP/M
 * DOS-11 V09-20C (Last stable release, June 1974)
 * Hydra – capability-based, multiprocessing OS kernel
 * MONECS
 * Multi-Programming Executive (MPE) – Hewlett-Packard
 * Operating System/Virtual Storage 2 R2 (MVS)
 * OS/7
 * OS/16
 * OS/32
 * Sintran III
 * 1975
 * BS2000 V2.0 (First released version)
 * COS-350
 * ISIS
 * NOS (Control Data Corporation)
 * OS/3 (Univac)
 * VS/9 (formerly RCA's TSOS, later named VMOS)
 * Version 6 Unix
 * XVM/DOS
 * XVM/RSX
 * 1976
 * Cambridge CAP computer – all operating system procedures written in ALGOL 68C, with some closely associated protected procedures in BCPL
 * Cray Operating System
 * DX10
 * FLEX
 * TOPS-20
 * TX990/TXDS
 * Tandem Nonstop OS v1
 * Thoth
 * 1977
 * 1BSD
 * AMOS
 * KERNAL
 * OASIS operating system
 * OS68
 * OS4000
 * RMX-80
 * System Support Program (IBM System/34 and System/36)
 * TRSDOS
 * Virtual Memory System (VMS) V1.0 (Initial commercial release, October 25)
 * VRX (Virtual Resource eXecutive)
 * VS Virtual Memory Operating System
 * 1978
 * 2BSD
 * Apple DOS
 * Control Program Facility (IBM System/38)
 * Cray Time Sharing System (CTSS)
 * DPCX (IBM)
 * DPPX (IBM)
 * HDOS
 * KSOS – secure OS design from Ford Aerospace
 * KVM/370 – security retro-fit of IBM VM/370
 * Lisp machine (CADR)
 * MVS/System Extensions (MVS/SE)
 * OS4 (Naked Mini 4)
 * PTDOS
 * TRIPOS
 * UCSD p-System (First released version)
 * 1979
 * Atari DOS
 * 3BSD
 * CP-6
 * Idris
 * MP/M
 * MVS/System Extensions R2 (MVS/SE2)
 * NLTSS
 * POS
 * Sinclair BASIC
 * Transaction Processing Facility (TPF) (IBM)
 * UCLA Secure UNIX – an early secure UNIX OS based on security kernel
 * UNIX/32V
 * DOS/VSE
 * Version 7 Unix

1980s

 * 1980
 * 86-DOS
 * AOS/VS (Data General)
 * Business Operating System
 * CTOS
 * MVS/System Product (MVS/SP) V1
 * NewDos/80
 * OS-9
 * RMX-86
 * RS-DOS
 * SOS
 * Virtual Machine/System Product (VM/SP)
 * Xenix
 * 1981
 * Acorn MOS
 * Aegis SR1 (First Apollo/DOMAIN systems shipped on March 27 )
 * CP/M-86
 * iMAX – OS for Intel's iAPX 432 capability machine
 * MCS (Multi-user Control System)
 * MS-DOS
 * PC DOS
 * Pilot (Xerox Star operating system)
 * UNOS
 * UTS
 * V
 * VERSAdos
 * VRTX
 * VSOS (Virtual Storage Operating System)
 * Xinu first release
 * 1982
 * Commodore DOS
 * LDOS (By Logical Systems, Inc. – for the Radio Shack TRS-80 Models I, II & III)
 * pSOS
 * QNX
 * Stratus VOS
 * Sun UNIX (later SunOS) 0.7
 * Ultrix
 * Unix System III
 * VAXELN
 * 1983
 * Coherent
 * DNIX
 * EOS
 * GNU (project start)
 * Lisa Office System 7/7
 * LOCUS – UNIX compatible, high reliability, distributed OS
 * MVS/System Product V2 (MVS/Extended Architecture, MVS/XA)
 * Novell NetWare (S-Net)
 * PERPOS
 * ProDOS
 * RTU (Real-Time Unix)
 * STOP – TCSEC A1-class, secure OS for SCOMP hardware
 * SunOS 1.0
 * VSE/System Package (VSE/SP) Version 1
 * 1984
 * AMSDOS
 * CTIX (Unix variant)
 * DYNIX
 * Mac OS (System 1.0)
 * MSX-DOS
 * NOS/VE
 * PANOS
 * PC/IX
 * ROS
 * Sinclair QDOS
 * QNX
 * SINIX
 * UNICOS
 * Venix 2.0
 * Virtual Machine/Extended Architecture Migration Assistance (VM/XA MA)
 * 1985
 * AmigaOS
 * Atari TOS
 * DG/UX
 * DOS Plus
 * Graphics Environment Manager
 * Harmony
 * MIPS RISC/os
 * Oberon – written in Oberon
 * SunOS 2.0
 * Version 8 Unix
 * Virtual Machine/Extended Architecture System Facility (VM/XA SF)
 * Windows 1.0
 * Windows 1.01
 * Xenix 2.0
 * 1986
 * AIX 1.0
 * Cronus distributed OS
 * FlexOS
 * GEMSOS – TCSEC A1-class, secure kernel for BLACKER VPN & GTNP
 * GEOS
 * Genera 7.0
 * HP-UX
 * SunOS 3.0
 * TR-DOS
 * TRIX
 * Version 9 Unix
 * 1987
 * Arthur (much improved version came in 1989 under the name RISC OS)
 * BS2000 V9.0
 * IRIX (3.0 is first SGI version)
 * MDOS
 * MINIX 1.0
 * OS/2 (1.0)
 * PC-MOS/386
 * Topaz – semi-distributed OS for DEC Firefly workstation written in Modula-2+ and garbage collected
 * Windows 2.0
 * 1988
 * A/UX (Apple Computer)
 * AOS/VS II (Data General)
 * CP/M rebranded as DR-DOS
 * Flex machine – tagged, capability machine with OS and other software written in ALGOL 68RS
 * GS/OS
 * HeliOS 1.0
 * KeyKOS – capability-based microkernel for IBM mainframes with automated persistence of app data
 * LynxOS
 * Mac OS (System 6)
 * MVS/System Product V3 (MVS/Enterprise Systems Architecture, MVS/ESA)
 * OS/2 (1.1)
 * OS/400
 * RISC iX
 * SpartaDOS X
 * SunOS 4.0
 * TOPS-10 7.04 (Last stable release, July 1988)
 * Virtual Machine/Extended Architecture System Product (VM/XA SP)
 * VAX VMM – TCSEC A1-class, VMM for VAX computers (limited use before cancellation)
 * 1989
 * Army Secure Operating System (ASOS) – TCSEC A1-class secure, real-time OS for Ada applications
 * EPOC (EPOC16)
 * NeXTSTEP (1.0)
 * OS/2 (1.2)
 * RISC OS (First release was to be called Arthur 2, but was renamed to RISC OS 2, and was first sold as RISC OS 2.00 in April 1989)
 * SCO UNIX (Release 3)
 * TSX-32
 * Version 10 Unix
 * Xenix 2.3.4 (Last stable release)

1990s

 * 1990
 * AIX 3.0
 * AmigaOS 2.0
 * BeOS (v1)
 * DOS/V
 * Genera 8.0
 * iS-DOS
 * LOCK – TCSEC A1-class secure system with kernel & hardware support for type enforcement
 * MVS/ESA SP Version 4
 * Novell NetWare 3
 * OS/2 1.3
 * OSF/1
 * RTEMS
 * PC/GEOS
 * Windows 3.0
 * Virtual Machine/Enterprise Systems Architecture (VM/XA ESA)
 * VSE/Enterprise Systems Architecture (VSE/ESA) Version 1
 * 1991
 * Amoeba – microkernel-based, POSIX-compliant, distributed OS
 * GNO/ME
 * Linux 0.01-0.1
 * Mac OS (System 7)
 * MINIX 1.5
 * PenPoint OS
 * RISC OS 3
 * SUNMOS
 * Trusted Xenix – rewritten & security enhanced Xenix evaluated at TCSEC B2-class
 * 1992
 * 386BSD 0.1
 * Amiga Unix 2.01 (Latest stable release)
 * AmigaOS 3.0
 * BSD/386, by BSDi and later known as BSD/OS.
 * LGX
 * OpenVMS V1.0 (First OpenVMS AXP (Alpha) specific version, November 1992)
 * OS/2 2.0 (First i386 32-bit based version)
 * Plan 9 First Edition (First public release was made available to universities)
 * RSTS/E 10.1 (Last stable release, September 1992)
 * SLS
 * Solaris 2.0 (Successor to SunOS 4.x; based on SVR4 instead of BSD)
 * Windows 3.1
 * 1993
 * IBM 4690 Operating System
 * FreeBSD
 * NetBSD
 * Novell NetWare 4
 * Newton OS
 * Nucleus RTOS
 * Open Genera 1.0
 * OS 2200 (Unisys)
 * OS/2 2.1
 * PTS-DOS
 * Slackware 1.0
 * Spring
 * Windows NT 3.1 (First Windows NT kernel public release)
 * 1994
 * AIX 4.0, 4.1
 * IBM MVS/ESA SP Version 5
 * NetBSD 1.0 (First multi-platform release, October 1994)
 * OS/2 Warp 3.0
 * Red Hat
 * RISC OS 3.5
 * SPIN – extensible OS written in Modula-3
 * 1995
 * Digital UNIX (aka Tru64 UNIX)
 * OpenBSD
 * OS/390
 * Plan 9 Second Edition (Commercial second release version was made available to the general public.)
 * Ultrix 4.5 (Last major release)
 * Windows 95
 * 1996
 * AIX 4.2
 * Debian 1.1
 * JN – microkernel OS for embedded, Java apps
 * Mac OS 7.6 (First officially-named Mac OS)
 * OS/2 Warp 4.0
 * Palm OS
 * RISC OS 3.6
 * Windows NT 4.0
 * Windows CE 1.0
 * 1997
 * AIX 4.3
 * DR-WebSpyder 1.0
 * EPOC (EPOC32)
 * Inferno
 * Mac OS 8
 * MINIX 2.0
 * Nemesis
 * RISC OS 3.7
 * SkyOS
 * Windows CE 2.0
 * 1998
 * DR-WebSpyder 2.0
 * Junos
 * Novell NetWare 5
 * RT-11 5.7 (Last stable release, October 1998)
 * Solaris 7 (first 64-bit Solaris release – names from this point drop "2.", otherwise would've been Solaris 2.7)
 * Windows 98
 * 1999
 * AROS (Boot for the first time in Stand Alone version)
 * Inferno Second Edition (Last distribution (Release 2.3, c. July 1999) from Lucent's Inferno Business Unit)
 * Mac OS 9
 * OS/2 Warp 4.5
 * RISC OS 4
 * Windows 98 (2nd edition)