# RSTS/E

> timesharing operating system for DEC PDP-11 minicomputers

**Wikidata**: [Q2366908](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2366908)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RSTS/E)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/rsts-e

## Summary
RSTS/E is a timesharing operating system for DEC PDP-11 minicomputers. It was developed by Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) and first appeared in 1970. RSTS/E is also known by the alias “RSTS.”

## Key Facts
- RSTS/E is an operating system (software that manages computer hardware resources).
- RSTS/E is described as a timesharing operating system for DEC PDP-11 minicomputers.
- Developer: Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC).
- Inception: 1970.
- Alias: RSTS.
- Programming language: assembly language.
- Runs on / requires: BASIC-PLUS (a dialect of the BASIC programming language).
- Language of work or name: English.
- Wikipedia title: **RSTS/E**; available in multiple languages (de, en, fr, ja, nl, no, ru, uk).
- Media assets documented: a logo and an image are available via Wikimedia Commons.

## FAQs
### Q: What is RSTS/E?
A: RSTS/E is a timesharing operating system for DEC PDP-11 minicomputers. It was developed by Digital Equipment Corporation and dates to 1970.

### Q: Who developed RSTS/E?
A: RSTS/E was developed by Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC). DEC is an American manufacturer of minicomputers.

### Q: When did RSTS/E first appear?
A: The inception date for RSTS/E is 1970. This places it in the early era of minicomputer operating systems.

### Q: What programming language is RSTS/E associated with?
A: RSTS/E is associated with assembly language. Assembly language is a low-level language closely tied to a computer architecture’s machine code.

### Q: What does RSTS/E run with or require?
A: RSTS/E is listed as running on / requiring BASIC-PLUS. BASIC-PLUS is a dialect of the BASIC programming language.

## Why It Matters
RSTS/E matters as a representative timesharing operating system built for DEC PDP-11 minicomputers, a major minicomputer platform. Timesharing operating systems are designed to let multiple users or tasks share a computer system’s resources, which is a foundational concept in the evolution of interactive computing. As an operating system, RSTS/E sits at the core layer of software that manages hardware resources and enables higher-level programs and user workflows to run on the machine. Its development by Digital Equipment Corporation ties it directly to a key vendor in the minicomputer era, and its association with BASIC-PLUS highlights its connection to a widely used programming language family. For historians of computing, PDP-11 users, and those studying operating system lineages, RSTS/E is relevant as a named, dated OS product (inception 1970) with identifiable documentation and references across multiple Wikipedia language editions.

## Notable For
- A timesharing operating system specifically for DEC PDP-11 minicomputers.
- Developed by Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC), a prominent minicomputer manufacturer.
- Inception in 1970.
- Associated with assembly language as its programming language.
- Listed as running on / requiring BASIC-PLUS.

## Body
### Overview
- Name: RSTS/E  
- Alias: RSTS  
- Type: Operating system  
- Description: Timesharing operating system for DEC PDP-11 minicomputers.

### Developer
- Developed by: Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC).
- DEC is an American manufacturer of minicomputers.

### Platform and Environment
- Target hardware family: DEC PDP-11 minicomputers.
- Runs on / requires: BASIC-PLUS (a dialect of BASIC).

### Technical Classification
- Instance of: operating system.
- Programming language: assembly language.

### Names, Language, and Documentation
- Language of work or name: English.
- Wikipedia title: **RSTS/E**.
- Wikipedia language editions listed: de, en, fr, ja, nl, no, ru, uk.

### Identifiers and Media
- Freebase ID: `/m/01tl04`.
- Logo and image are available via Wikimedia Commons (as referenced in the source material).

## References

1. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013