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GEOS (8-bit operating system)
Encyclopedia
GEOS is an operating system
from Berkeley Softworks (later GeoWorks). Originally designed for the Commodore 64
and released in 1986, it provided a graphical user interface
for this popular 8-bit
computer.
GEOS closely resembled early versions of Mac OS
and included a graphical word processor
(geoWrite) and paint program (geoPaint). For many years, Commodore
bundled GEOS with its redesigned and cost reduced C64, the C64C. At its peak, GEOS was the third most popular operating system in the world in terms of units shipped, trailing only MS-DOS
and Mac OS.
Other GEOS-compatible software packages were available from Berkeley Softworks or from third parties, including a reasonably sophisticated desktop publishing
application called geoPublish and a spreadsheet called geoCalc. While geoPublish was not as sophisticated as Aldus Pagemaker
and geoCalc not as sophisticated as Microsoft Excel
, the packages provided reasonable functionality, and Berkeley Softworks founder Brian Dougherty claimed the company ran its business using its own software on Commodore 8-bit computers for several years.
Enhanced versions of GEOS later became available for the Commodore 128
and the Apple II family. A lesser-known version was also released for the Commodore Plus/4
.
Written by a group of programmers, led by Dougherty, who cut their teeth on limited-resource video game machines
such as the Atari 2600
, GEOS was revered for what it could accomplish on machines with 64–128 kB
of RAM memory and 1–2 MHz of 8-bit processing power.
Unlike many pieces of proprietary software
for the C64 and C128, GEOS took full advantage of many of the add-ons and improvements available for these systems. Commodore's 1351
mouse
was supported by GEOS, as were its various RAM expansion units
. GEOS 128 also fully supported the C128's 640×200 high-resolution VDC
display mode through a compatible RGB monitor.
The C64 version of GEOS incorporated a built-in fast loader
, called diskTurbo, that significantly increased the speed of drive access on the slow 1541
. GEOS was the first software that could use a Commodore floppy disk as swap space or virtual memory
. GEOS 128 could take advantage of the C128's enhanced "burst mode" in conjunction with the 1571
and 1581
drives.
Via Berkeley's special geoCable interface converter or other third-party interfaces to connect standard RS-232
or Centronics
printers to the Commodore serial bus, GEOS supported a wide variety of printers, including HP
PCL printers and the Apple LaserWriter. This ability to print to high-end printers was a major factor in making GEOS a desktop publishing platform.
The Apple II version of GEOS was released as freeware
in August 2003. The Commodore 64/128 versions followed in February 2004. The Apple II version is freely available for download from Breadbox.
The latest GEOS desktop suite for IBM PC compatibles is Breadbox Ensemble. Revivals were seen in the OmniGo handhelds, Brother
GeoBook line of laptop-appliances, and the New Deal Office package for PCs. Related code found its way to earlier 'Zoomer' PDAs, creating an unclear lineage to Palm, Inc.
's later work. Nokia
used GEOS as a base operating system for their Nokia Communicator
series, before switching to EPOC (Symbian
).
Dozens of official and third-party applications and other products were produced for GEOS. Among the most important and popular were the following:
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...
from Berkeley Softworks (later GeoWorks). Originally designed for the Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
and released in 1986, it provided 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...
for this popular 8-bit
8-bit
The first widely adopted 8-bit microprocessor was the Intel 8080, being used in many hobbyist computers of the late 1970s and early 1980s, often running the CP/M operating system. The Zilog Z80 and the Motorola 6800 were also used in similar computers...
computer.
GEOS closely resembled early versions of Mac OS
Mac OS
Mac OS is a series of graphical user interface-based operating systems developed by Apple Inc. for their Macintosh line of computer systems. The Macintosh user experience is credited with popularizing the graphical user interface...
and included a graphical word processor
Word processor
A word processor is a computer application used for the production of any sort of printable material....
(geoWrite) and paint program (geoPaint). For many years, Commodore
Commodore International
Commodore is the commonly used name for Commodore Business Machines , the U.S.-based home computer manufacturer and electronics manufacturer headquartered in West Chester, Pennsylvania, which also housed Commodore's corporate parent company, Commodore International Limited...
bundled GEOS with its redesigned and cost reduced C64, the C64C. At its peak, GEOS was the third most popular operating system in the world in terms of units shipped, trailing only MS-DOS
MS-DOS
MS-DOS is an operating system for x86-based personal computers. It was the most commonly used member of the DOS family of operating systems, and was the main operating system for IBM PC compatible personal computers during the 1980s to the mid 1990s, until it was gradually superseded by operating...
and Mac OS.
Other GEOS-compatible software packages were available from Berkeley Softworks or from third parties, including a reasonably sophisticated desktop publishing
Desktop publishing
Desktop publishing is the creation of documents using page layout software on a personal computer.The term has been used for publishing at all levels, from small-circulation documents such as local newsletters to books, magazines and newspapers...
application called geoPublish and a spreadsheet called geoCalc. While geoPublish was not as sophisticated as Aldus Pagemaker
Adobe PageMaker
PageMaker was one of the first desktop publishing programs, introduced in 1985 by Aldus Corporation, initially for the then-new Apple Macintosh and in 1987 for PCs running Windows 1.0....
and geoCalc not as sophisticated as Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Excel is a proprietary commercial spreadsheet application written and distributed by Microsoft for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X. It features calculation, graphing tools, pivot tables, and a macro programming language called Visual Basic for Applications...
, the packages provided reasonable functionality, and Berkeley Softworks founder Brian Dougherty claimed the company ran its business using its own software on Commodore 8-bit computers for several years.
Enhanced versions of GEOS later became available for the Commodore 128
Commodore 128
The Commodore 128 home/personal computer was the last 8-bit machine commercially released by Commodore Business Machines...
and the Apple II family. A lesser-known version was also released for the Commodore Plus/4
Commodore Plus/4
The Commodore Plus/4 was a home computer released by Commodore International in 1984. The "Plus/4" name refers to the four-application ROM resident office suite ; it was billed as "the productivity computer with software built-in"...
.
Written by a group of programmers, led by Dougherty, who cut their teeth on limited-resource video game machines
Video game console
A video game console is an interactive entertainment computer or customized computer system that produces a video display signal which can be used with a display device to display a video game...
such as the Atari 2600
Atari 2600
The Atari 2600 is a video game console released in October 1977 by Atari, Inc. It is credited with popularizing the use of microprocessor-based hardware and cartridges containing game code, instead of having non-microprocessor dedicated hardware with all games built in...
, GEOS was revered for what it could accomplish on machines with 64–128 kB
Kilobyte
The kilobyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information. Although the prefix kilo- means 1000, the term kilobyte and symbol KB have historically been used to refer to either 1024 bytes or 1000 bytes, dependent upon context, in the fields of computer science and information...
of RAM memory and 1–2 MHz of 8-bit processing power.
Unlike many pieces of proprietary software
Proprietary software
Proprietary software is computer software licensed under exclusive legal right of the copyright holder. The licensee is given the right to use the software under certain conditions, while restricted from other uses, such as modification, further distribution, or reverse engineering.Complementary...
for the C64 and C128, GEOS took full advantage of many of the add-ons and improvements available for these systems. Commodore's 1351
Commodore 1351
The Mouse 1351 is a mouse made by Commodore in 1986, which can directly be plugged into the 9-pin control port of a C64/128/D/DCR.- Description :...
mouse
Mouse (computing)
In computing, a mouse is a pointing device that functions by detecting two-dimensional motion relative to its supporting surface. Physically, a mouse consists of an object held under one of the user's hands, with one or more buttons...
was supported by GEOS, as were its various RAM expansion units
Commodore REU
Commodore's RAM Expansion Unit range of external RAM add-ons for their Commodore 64/128 home computers was announced at the same time as the C128. The REUs came in three models, initially the 1700 and 1750 , and later the 1764...
. GEOS 128 also fully supported the C128's 640×200 high-resolution VDC
MOS Technology 8563
The 8563 Video Display Controller was an integrated circuit produced by MOS Technology. It was used in the Commodore 128 computer to generate an 80-column RGB video display...
display mode through a compatible RGB monitor.
The C64 version of GEOS incorporated a built-in fast loader
Fast loader
A fast loader is a software program for a home computer - most commonly, the Commodore 64 - that accelerates the speed of file loading from the floppy disk drive.- Background :...
, called diskTurbo, that significantly increased the speed of drive access on the slow 1541
Commodore 1541
The Commodore 1541 , made by Commodore International, was the best-known floppy disk drive for the Commodore 64 home computer. The 1541 was a single-sided 170 kilobyte drive for 5¼" disks...
. GEOS was the first software that could use a Commodore floppy disk as swap space or virtual memory
Virtual memory
In computing, virtual memory is a memory management technique developed for multitasking kernels. This technique virtualizes a computer architecture's various forms of computer data storage , allowing a program to be designed as though there is only one kind of memory, "virtual" memory, which...
. GEOS 128 could take advantage of the C128's enhanced "burst mode" in conjunction with the 1571
Commodore 1571
The Commodore 1571 was Commodore's high-end 5¼" floppy disk drive. With its double-sided drive mechanism, it had the ability to utilize double-sided, double-density floppy disks natively. This was in contrast to its predecessors, the 1541 and 1570, which could fully utilize such disks only if the...
and 1581
Commodore 1581
The Commodore 1581 is a 3½ inch double sided double density floppy disk drive made by Commodore Business Machines primarily for its C64 and C128 home/personal computers. The drive stores 800 kilobytes using an MFM encoding but format different from both MS-DOS , and the Amiga formats. With...
drives.
Via Berkeley's special geoCable interface converter or other third-party interfaces to connect standard RS-232
RS-232
In telecommunications, RS-232 is the traditional name for a series of standards for serial binary single-ended data and control signals connecting between a DTE and a DCE . It is commonly used in computer serial ports...
or Centronics
Centronics
Centronics Data Computer Corporation was a pioneering American manufacturer of computer printers, now remembered primarily for the parallel interface that bears its name.-The beginning:Centronics began as a division of Wang Laboratories...
printers to the Commodore serial bus, GEOS supported a wide variety of printers, including HP
Hewlett-Packard
Hewlett-Packard Company or HP is an American multinational information technology corporation headquartered in Palo Alto, California, USA that provides products, technologies, softwares, solutions and services to consumers, small- and medium-sized businesses and large enterprises, including...
PCL printers and the Apple LaserWriter. This ability to print to high-end printers was a major factor in making GEOS a desktop publishing platform.
The Apple II version of GEOS was released as freeware
Freeware
Freeware is computer software that is available for use at no cost or for an optional fee, but usually with one or more restricted usage rights. Freeware is in contrast to commercial software, which is typically sold for profit, but might be distributed for a business or commercial purpose in the...
in August 2003. The Commodore 64/128 versions followed in February 2004. The Apple II version is freely available for download from Breadbox.
The latest GEOS desktop suite for IBM PC compatibles is Breadbox Ensemble. Revivals were seen in the OmniGo handhelds, Brother
Brother Industries
is a diversified Japanese company that produces or imports a wide variety of products including printers, sewing machines, large machine tools, label printers, and typewriters, fax machines, and other computer-related electronics. It markets its multifunction printers as Multi-Function Centers...
GeoBook line of laptop-appliances, and the New Deal Office package for PCs. Related code found its way to earlier 'Zoomer' PDAs, creating an unclear lineage to Palm, Inc.
Palm, Inc.
Palm, Inc., was a smartphone manufacturer headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, that was responsible for products such as the Pre and Pixi as well as the Treo and Centro smartphones. Previous product lines include the PalmPilot, Palm III, Palm V, Palm VII, Zire and Tungsten. While their older...
's later work. Nokia
Nokia
Nokia Corporation is a Finnish multinational communications corporation that is headquartered in Keilaniemi, Espoo, a city neighbouring Finland's capital Helsinki...
used GEOS as a base operating system for their Nokia Communicator
Nokia Communicator
The Nokia Communicator is a brand name for a series of business-optimized smartphones marketed by Nokia Corporation, all of which appear as normal phones on the outside, and open in clamshell format to access a QWERTY keyboard and an LCD screen nearly the size of the device footprint.Nokia...
series, before switching to EPOC (Symbian
Symbian
Symbian is a mobile operating system and computing platform designed for smartphones and currently maintained by Accenture. The Symbian platform is the successor to Symbian OS and Nokia Series 60; unlike Symbian OS, which needed an additional user interface system, Symbian includes a user...
).
GEOS products and applications
- geoBASIC
- geoCable
- geoCalc
- geoChart
- geoDex
- geoDraw
- geoFAX
- geoFile
- geoFont
- geoLabel
- geoPaint
- geoPrint
- geoProgrammer
- geoPublishGeoPublishgeoPublish was a desktop publishing program designed by Berkeley Softworks for the GEOS environment on the Commodore 64. Though not as sophisticated as contemporary counterparts such as Adobe InDesign, geoPublish was capable of outputting PostScript page descriptions to laser printers and was used...
- geoSpell
- geoWrite
- geoWrite Workshop
External links
- The Commodore GEOS FAQ v1.4.2 – By Bo Zimmermann
- Full Commodore GEOS download (not for redistribution or sale) – At the website cbmfiles.com - Courtesy of Click Here Software Co.
- GEOS: The Graphical Operating System A lengthy review of GEOS and its history
- geosDS – Run GEOS for Commodore 64 on your Nintendo DS
- Breadbox Home of the GEOS operating system
- Commodore16.com Commodore 16/Plus 4 GEOS page