View source for MS/8

{{Short description|Operating system for the PDP-8}}
{{Infobox OS
| name                   = MS/8
| logo                   = 
| screenshot             = 
| caption                = 
| developer              = [[Richard F. Lary]]
| source_model           = 
| kernel_type            = 
| supported_platforms    = [[PDP-8]]
| ui                     = 
| family                 = 
| released               = {{Start date and age|1966}}
| latest_release_version = 
| latest_release_date    = 
| latest_test_version    = 
| latest_test_date       = 
| marketing_target       = 
| programmed_in          = 
| prog_language          = 
| language               = [[English language|English]]
| updatemodel            = 
| package_manager        = 
| working_state          = Discontinued
| license                = 
| preceded by            = 
| succeeded by           = [[P?S/8]], [[COS-310]]
| website                = 
}}
'''MS/8''' or '''The RL Monitor System''' is a discontinued computer [[operating system]] developed for the [[Digital Equipment Corporation]] [[PDP-8]] in 1966 by [[Richard Lary|Richard F. Lary]].<ref>{{cite web
   |website=BitSavers
   |url=http://www.bitsavers.org/bits/DEC/pdp8/decus_pdp8_index.txt
   |title=5/8-1.1a BPAK - A Binary Input/Output Package for the PDP-5
   |quote=System 8-466A RL Monitor System (WCFMPG Version)
   |access-date=2020-09-30
   |archive-date=2019-09-24
   |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190924084919/http://bitsavers.org/bits/DEC/pdp8/decus_pdp8_index.txt
   |url-status=live
   }}</ref><ref>{{cite web
|url=http://svn.so-much-stuff.com/svn/trunk/pdp8/src/decus/8-466/decus-8-466.htm
|title=RL Monitor System
|access-date=2020-09-30
|archive-date=2023-10-05
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231005154939/https://svn.so-much-stuff.com/svn/trunk/pdp8/src/decus/8-466/decus-8-466.htm
|url-status=live
}}</ref> 

==History==
RL Monitor System, as it was initially called, was developed on a 4K (12-bit) PDP-8 with "a Teletype that had a paper tape reader and punch and ..  a single [[DECtape]]."<ref name=PDP8Stuy65>{{cite web  |website=ComputerHistory.org
   |url=http://archive.computerhistory.org/resources/access/text/2018/07/102737954-05-01-acc.pdf
   |title=Interview of Richard (Richie) Lary, part 1
   |author=Tom Burniece  |date=August 14, 2015}}</ref> It was a disk oriented system, faster than its predecessor, the [[PDP-8 4K Disk Monitor System]], with tricks to make it run quickly on [[DECtape]] based systems. 

Still named RL, it was submitted to [[DECUS]] in 1970.<ref>{{cite web
       |url=http://bitsavers.trailing-edge.com/pdf/dec/decus/programCatalogs/DECUS_PDP-8_Program_Library_Catalog_Jun79.pdf
       |title=PDP-a
       |quote=Author: Richard Lary, Mario DeNobili, et al. Submitted by: Stanley Rabinowitz, Digital Equipment Corp., Maynard
       |access-date=2020-09-30
       |archive-date=2017-01-17
       |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170117212136/http://bitsavers.trailing-edge.com/pdf/dec/decus/programCatalogs/DECUS_PDP-8_Program_Library_Catalog_Jun79.pdf
       |url-status=live
       }}</ref> 

MS/8 was replaced by [[P?S/8]]<ref>yes, with a question-mark!</ref> and [[COS-310]].

==See also==
* [[PDP-8]]
* [[Digital Equipment Corporation]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* "''[https://web.archive.org/web/20040825183612/http://sunsite.tus.ac.jp/pub/academic/computer-science/history/pdp-8/docs/WHAT-IS-A-PDP8 What is a PDP-8]?''". PDP-8 and DECmate documentation files.

{{Operating system}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:MS 8}}
[[Category:Free software operating systems]]
[[Category:1966 software]]

{{operating-system-stub}}