DEBUG.COM included in MS-DOS

DEBUG.COM was a simple, command-line debugger included with early versions of MS-DOS, allowing users to view and modify memory, examine registers, and step through assembly code.

Significance

One of the earliest widely available 'tools' for low-level program analysis, it served as a rudimentary precursor to more advanced debuggers and disassemblers, exposing a generation of users to machine code.

Key facts

Year
1981
Type
invention
Location
USA (Microsoft)