BTRON
Encyclopedia
Business TRON is a computer operating system
with a graphical user interface
(GUI) built upon Central TRON (CTRON), itself a subproject of The Real-time Operating system Nucleus (TRON
). TRON was launched in Japan in 1984 as an initiative to create a single, universal operating system with an open architecture
.
At one point, BTRON had a chance of becoming a popular desktop
operating system in Japan. In 1989 the Japanese company Matsushita
released an Intel
-based PC with the BTRON operating system. Though it only had an Intel 80286
processor with 2 MB of RAM, the system could render color video in a separate window. The Japanese government planned to introduce the Matsushita PC in its schools, but the United States government objected, claiming that the plan constituted market intervention and threatened Japan with sanctions (partly at the request of Microsoft
).
BTRON was unable to gain a position in the desktop OS market, however other TRON operating systems continue to be extensively used in small devices such as mobile phone
s, digital camera
s, and CD player
s. The Desktop PC operating system market is dominated by Microsoft's Windows
operating system.
Operating system
An operating system is a set of programs that manage computer hardware resources and provide common services for application software. The operating system is the most important type of system software in a computer system...
with a graphical user interface
Graphical user interface
In computing, a graphical user interface is a type of user interface that allows users to interact with electronic devices with images rather than text commands. GUIs can be used in computers, hand-held devices such as MP3 players, portable media players or gaming devices, household appliances and...
(GUI) built upon Central TRON (CTRON), itself a subproject of The Real-time Operating system Nucleus (TRON
TRON Project
TRON is an open real-time operating system kernel design, and is an acronym for "The Real-time Operating system Nucleus". The project was started by Prof. Dr. Ken Sakamura of the University of Tokyo in 1984...
). TRON was launched in Japan in 1984 as an initiative to create a single, universal operating system with an open architecture
Open architecture
Open architecture is a type of computer architecture or software architecture that allows adding, upgrading and swapping components. For example, the IBM PC and Apple IIe have an open architecture, whereas the Apple IIc and Amiga 500 computers have a closed architecture...
.
At one point, BTRON had a chance of becoming a popular desktop
Workstation
A workstation is a high-end microcomputer designed for technical or scientific applications. Intended primarily to be used by one person at a time, they are commonly connected to a local area network and run multi-user operating systems...
operating system in Japan. In 1989 the Japanese company Matsushita
Matsushita Electric Industrial Co.
, formerly known as , is a Japanese multinational consumer electronics corporation headquartered in Kadoma, Osaka, Japan. Its main business is in electronics manufacturing....
released an Intel
Intel Corporation
Intel Corporation is an American multinational semiconductor chip maker corporation headquartered in Santa Clara, California, United States and the world's largest semiconductor chip maker, based on revenue. It is the inventor of the x86 series of microprocessors, the processors found in most...
-based PC with the BTRON operating system. Though it only had an Intel 80286
Intel 80286
The Intel 80286 , introduced on 1 February 1982, was a 16-bit x86 microprocessor with 134,000 transistors. Like its contemporary simpler cousin, the 80186, it could correctly execute most software written for the earlier Intel 8086 and 8088...
processor with 2 MB of RAM, the system could render color video in a separate window. The Japanese government planned to introduce the Matsushita PC in its schools, but the United States government objected, claiming that the plan constituted market intervention and threatened Japan with sanctions (partly at the request of Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
).
BTRON was unable to gain a position in the desktop OS market, however other TRON operating systems continue to be extensively used in small devices such as mobile phone
Mobile phone
A mobile phone is a device which can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link whilst moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile network operator...
s, digital camera
Digital camera
A digital camera is a camera that takes video or still photographs, or both, digitally by recording images via an electronic image sensor. It is the main device used in the field of digital photography...
s, and CD player
Compact disc player
A Compact Disc player , or CD player, is an electronic device that plays audio Compact Discs. CD players are often a part of home stereo systems, car audio systems, and personal computers. They are also manufactured as portable devices...
s. The Desktop PC operating system market is dominated by Microsoft's Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
operating system.
External sources
- Linux Insider, "The Most Popular Operating System in the World", October 15, 2003. Retrieved July 13, 2006.
- TRON Web