The MSX Standard

8-Bit DOS for MSX Micros

Microsoft announces that MSX-DOS, an 8-bit disk operating system for MSX microcomputers, will be available to 14 Japanese and one U.S. micro manufacturers(Canon, Fujitsu, General, Hitachi, JVC, Kyocera, Matsushita, Mitsubishi, NEC, Pioneer, Sanyo, Sony, Toshiba, Yamaha and Spectravideo from the US) next January. MSX-DOS is CP/M-80 2.2 compatible and runs all Microsoft's 8-bit software including the languages BASIC, COBOL-80, and FORTRAN-80, and Multiplan.

MSX was a standard agreed by a group of major manufacturers, the idea was simple if  the manufactures stuck to the standards for the design of  computers then it would be possible to write software that would run on any machine, an idea that failed but why ? when you consider this is what we have in the PC clone ? .

The story goes that NEC and Matsushita approached Microsoft with the specifications of a micro they were jointly developing, they wanted Microsoft to develop a version of Microsoft BASIC for their new machine.   Over the next few month Microsoft were approached by another 12 companies for much the same thing, to avoid writing many different versions of BASIC Microsoft come up with the idea of the MSX standard using an optimized Microsoft extended BASIC.

The minimum  MSX  hardware specification.

CPU  Z80A or equivalent, bankable 4-window memory control circuitry

RAM 8k minimum

ROM 32k MSX BASIC Language

Display Text 32 columns 24 lines, Graphics 256 by 192 Pixels Colour 16 (8 colours, 2 intensities)

Cassette 1200 & 2400 baud FSK format with 12 as default, motor controlled

Sound 3 music channels, 8 octaves each ( General Instruments AY-3-8910)

Keyboard 72 keys, JIS standard, software scanned matrix, English & Japanese characters, Graphics.

Cartridge Connector bankable Z80 I/O type design, built in power protection during insertion/removal multi way plug/socket construction.

Expansion Connector bankable Z80 I/O type design, edge-connector construction.

The above information appears to contradict many other web sites on MSX, I believe the above information to be true, the sources of information include:

The Bill Gates Web Site, Microsoft, Personal Computer News(march 84), MSX an Introduction.

If you have any comments or further information please contact me at

brian@oldcomputers.freeserve.co.uk