See also: This [Twitter thread on X-DOS](https://twitter.com/anthony_m_cook/status/1385413903191101443) X-DOS is an interesting independently developed MS-DOS-compatible operating system for [[AMD64|x86]] developed by [Thierry Giron](https://facebook.com/thierry.giron.9). # Notability First came to a wider audience in 2021 as [[Foone]] discovered it running as an embedded OS for a Starbuck's back of house "bump bar". The included utilities are pleasant to use and colorful. # History ## 1990s X-DOS 5.0 is from circa 1992 by Thierry Giron of Hitech Business Software Inc of Taiwan. The US branch of HBS was known as Tigranes Worldwide Inc in Cambridge/Boston Massachusetts, it was dissolved in 1998. (Contrary to The Register's reporting.) The corporate registration for Tigranes Worldwide shows a Boston address, but the shareware version provides a Cambridge address. It's possible they moved offices in the intervening 6 years. That is nearly all I've been able to find out HBS in English searches. I don't know what happened to HBS or Thierry, but I know some things about what happened to X-DOS. DM&P, the makers of Vortex86, ended up with a license to X-DOS, however there is no indication that they have the source to it. However, JK Microsystems does! JK Microsystems is known for their Flashlite series of DOS-based embedded single-board computers. On their FAQ they mention it and show a copyright string for their variant from 1994 which includes both HBS and JK Microsystems. I do see the mention of Wilmington Delaware on DM&P's manual for X-DOS, and I tracked down the corporate registration. It seems to be a standard Delaware shell corp formed in 1991. Fun fact, the postal code associated with the entity is 95050 which is for Santa Clara County ins California. That would be for the previous registered agent, not the company itself. ## 2000s Anyway, there is a 2002 copyright notice attributed to Jan Yin Chan Electronics. I found their FCC registration, unsurprisingly like all the other players they're also Taiwanese. Ah okay, the answer to who Jan Yin Chan Electronics is can be found on DM&P's corporate About Us page. DM&P is the result of reorganizing Jan Yin Chan, so they're effectively the same entity. More thought and I don't think the Massachusetts company was ever actually a branch of HBS, just a proxy in the US, possibly a distributor. And worth noting that using a Delaware corporation doesn't imply anything shady, that's just how it's done. I also got a short reply from JK Microsystems, not much to go on but we'll see what I can turn up. They didn't offer up their modded version unfortunately.