Editing OS/8 (section)

{{short description|Primary operating system used in the DEC PDP-8 minicomputer}}
{{Infobox OS
| name = OS/8
| developer = [[Digital Equipment Corporation]]
| source_model = [[Closed source]]
| released = {{Start date and age|1971}}
| supported_platforms = [[PDP-8]]
| ui = [[Concise Command Language]] (CCL)<br />([[Command-line interface]])
| marketing_target = 
| working_state = Discontinued
| license = [[Proprietary software|Proprietary]]
| preceded by = [[PS/8]]
}}
'''OS/8''' is the primary [[operating system]] used on the [[Digital Equipment Corporation]]'s [[PDP-8]] [[minicomputer]]. 

PDP-8 operating systems which precede OS/8 include:
* R-L Monitor,<ref>for Richard Lary, who also was involved with OS/8 and RTS8. {{cite web
 |url         = http://sunsite.tus.ac.jp/pub/academic/computer-science/history/pdp-8/docs/WHAT-IS-A-PDP8
 |title       = What is a PDP 8?
 |url-status     = dead
 |archiveurl  = https://web.archive.org/web/20040825183612/http://sunsite.tus.ac.jp/pub/academic/computer-science/history/pdp-8/docs/WHAT-IS-A-PDP8
 |archivedate = 2004-08-25
}}</ref> also referred to as [[MS/8]].
* P?S/8,{{efn|Yes, with a question-mark!}} requiring only 4K of memory.
* [[PDP-8 4K Disk Monitor System]]<ref>{{cite web |website=BitSavers
     |url=http://bitsavers.informatik.uni-stuttgart.de/pdf/dec/pdp8/diskMonitor/DEC-D8-SDAA-D_PDP-8_I_Disk_Monitor_System_Programmers_Reference_Manual_Jun1968.pdf
     |title=Disk Monitor System}}</ref>
* PS/8 ("Programming System/8"), requiring 8K. This is what became OS/8 in 1971.

Other/related DEC operating systems are [[DECmate|OS/78]], OS/278,<ref>COMPUTERWORLD, June 1984: "OS/278 is available for $74." {{cite news
|newspaper=Computerworld |date=June 11, 1984  |page=130 
|title=Decmate II 08/278 Digital Equipment Corp. has introduced a new version of its OS/8 ... 
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CLbHc0Acrm4C}}</ref> and OS/12. The latter is a virtually identical version of OS/8, and runs on Digital's [[PDP-12]] computer.

Digital released OS/8 images for non-commercial purposes<ref>File: ''/Licenses/os8_license.txt'' in [http://simh.trailing-edge.com/kits/os8swre.tar.Z os8swre.tar.Z]</ref> which can be emulated through [[SIMH]].