MetaComCo
Encyclopedia
MetaComCo was a computer
systems software company started in 1981 and based in Bristol
, England by Peter Mackeonis and Derek Budge.
MetaComCo's first product was an MBASIC
compatible interpreter for IBM PC
's, which was licensed by Peter Mackeonis to Digital Research
in 1982, and issued as the Digital Research Personal Basic, or PBASIC
, running under CP/M
. Other computer languages followed, also licensed by Digital Research
and MetaComCo established an office in Pacific Grove, California
, to service their USA customers.
In 1984 Dr. Tim King joined the company, bringing with him a version of the operating system TRIPOS
for the Motorola 68000
processor
which he had previously worked on whilst a researcher at the University of Cambridge
.
This operating system
was used as the basis of AmigaDOS
(file-related functions of AmigaOS
); MetaComCo won the contract from Commodore
because the original planned Amiga
disk operating system
called CAOS was behind schedule; timescales were incredibly tight and TRIPOS
provided a head start
for a replacement system.
MetaComCo also developed ABasiC for the Amiga
which was initially provided with Amigas.
Much to Commodore's annoyance MetaComCo also worked with Atari
to produce the BASIC that was initially provided with the Atari ST
— ST BASIC.
The company also sold the Lattice C
compiler
for the Sinclair QL
and the Atari ST
and range of other languages for m68k-based computers. MetaComCo also represented LISP
and REDUCE software from the RAND Corporation.
Several of the team at MetaComCo went on to found Perihelion Software
. Mackeonis founded Triangle Publishing, the software publishing company responsible for creating the ST Organizer for the Atari ST and PC Organizer and Counterpoint
(a GUI
system) for Amstrad
Computers and Goldstar
computers.
Computer
A computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem...
systems software company started in 1981 and based in Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, England by Peter Mackeonis and Derek Budge.
MetaComCo's first product was an MBASIC
MBASIC
MBASIC is the Microsoft BASIC implementation of BASIC for the CP/M operating system. MBASIC is a descendant of the original Altair BASIC interpreters that were among Microsoft's first products. MBASIC was one of the two versions of BASIC bundled with the Osborne 1 computer...
compatible interpreter for IBM PC
IBM PC
The IBM Personal Computer, commonly known as the IBM PC, is the original version and progenitor of the IBM PC compatible hardware platform. It is IBM model number 5150, and was introduced on August 12, 1981...
's, which was licensed by Peter Mackeonis to Digital Research
Digital Research
Digital Research, Inc. was the company created by Dr. Gary Kildall to market and develop his CP/M operating system and related products. It was the first large software company in the microcomputer world...
in 1982, and issued as the Digital Research Personal Basic, or PBASIC
PBASIC
PBASIC is a microcontroller based version of BASIC created by Parallax, Inc. The language was created to bring ease of use to the microcontroller and embedded processor world. PBASIC is used for writing code for the BASIC Stamp microcontrollers. After the code is written it is tokenized and...
, running under CP/M
CP/M
CP/M was a mass-market operating system created for Intel 8080/85 based microcomputers by Gary Kildall of Digital Research, Inc...
. Other computer languages followed, also licensed by Digital Research
Digital Research
Digital Research, Inc. was the company created by Dr. Gary Kildall to market and develop his CP/M operating system and related products. It was the first large software company in the microcomputer world...
and MetaComCo established an office in Pacific Grove, California
Pacific Grove, California
Pacific Grove is a coastal city in Monterey County, California, USA, with a population of 15,041 as of the 2010 census, down from 15,522 as of the 2000 census...
, to service their USA customers.
In 1984 Dr. Tim King joined the company, bringing with him a version of the operating system TRIPOS
TRIPOS
TRIPOS is a computer operating system. Development started in 1976 at the Computer Laboratory of Cambridge University and it was headed by Dr. Martin Richards. The first version appeared in January 1978 and it originally ran on a PDP-11. Later it was ported to the Computer Automation LSI4 and the...
for the Motorola 68000
Motorola 68000
The Motorola 68000 is a 16/32-bit CISC microprocessor core designed and marketed by Freescale Semiconductor...
processor
Central processing unit
The central processing unit is the portion of a computer system that carries out the instructions of a computer program, to perform the basic arithmetical, logical, and input/output operations of the system. The CPU plays a role somewhat analogous to the brain in the computer. The term has been in...
which he had previously worked on whilst a researcher at the University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
.
This 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...
was used as the basis of AmigaDOS
AmigaDOS
AmigaDOS is the disk operating system of the AmigaOS, which includes file systems, file and directory manipulation, the command-line interface, and file redirection....
(file-related functions of AmigaOS
AmigaOS
AmigaOS is the default native operating system of the Amiga personal computer. It was developed first by Commodore International, and initially introduced in 1985 with the Amiga 1000...
); MetaComCo won the contract from 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...
because the original planned Amiga
Amiga
The Amiga is a family of personal computers that was sold by Commodore in the 1980s and 1990s. The first model was launched in 1985 as a high-end home computer and became popular for its graphical, audio and multi-tasking abilities...
disk operating system
Disk operating system
Disk Operating System and disk operating system , most often abbreviated as DOS, refers to an operating system software used in most computers that provides the abstraction and management of secondary storage devices and the information on them...
called CAOS was behind schedule; timescales were incredibly tight and TRIPOS
TRIPOS
TRIPOS is a computer operating system. Development started in 1976 at the Computer Laboratory of Cambridge University and it was headed by Dr. Martin Richards. The first version appeared in January 1978 and it originally ran on a PDP-11. Later it was ported to the Computer Automation LSI4 and the...
provided a head start
Head start (positioning)
In positioning, a head start is a start in advance of the starting position of others in competition, or simply toward the finish line or desired outcome...
for a replacement system.
MetaComCo also developed ABasiC for the Amiga
Amiga
The Amiga is a family of personal computers that was sold by Commodore in the 1980s and 1990s. The first model was launched in 1985 as a high-end home computer and became popular for its graphical, audio and multi-tasking abilities...
which was initially provided with Amigas.
Much to Commodore's annoyance MetaComCo also worked with Atari
Atari
Atari is a corporate and brand name owned by several entities since its inception in 1972. It is currently owned by Atari Interactive, a wholly owned subsidiary of the French publisher Atari, SA . The original Atari, Inc. was founded in 1972 by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney. It was a pioneer in...
to produce the BASIC that was initially provided with the Atari ST
Atari ST
The Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was released by Atari Corporation in 1985 and commercially available from that summer into the early 1990s. The "ST" officially stands for "Sixteen/Thirty-two", which referred to the Motorola 68000's 16-bit external bus and 32-bit internals...
— ST BASIC.
The company also sold the Lattice C
Lattice C
Lattice C was the first C compiler for MS-DOS on the IBM PC, in 1982. It was ported to many other platforms, such as mainframes , minicomputers , workstations , OS/2, the Commodore Amiga, Atari ST and the Sinclair QL.The compiler was subsequently repackaged by Microsoft under a distribution...
compiler
Compiler
A compiler is a computer program that transforms source code written in a programming language into another computer language...
for the Sinclair QL
Sinclair QL
The Sinclair QL , was a personal computer launched by Sinclair Research in 1984, as the successor to the Sinclair ZX Spectrum...
and the Atari ST
Atari ST
The Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was released by Atari Corporation in 1985 and commercially available from that summer into the early 1990s. The "ST" officially stands for "Sixteen/Thirty-two", which referred to the Motorola 68000's 16-bit external bus and 32-bit internals...
and range of other languages for m68k-based computers. MetaComCo also represented LISP
Lisp
A lisp is a speech impediment, historically also known as sigmatism. Stereotypically, people with a lisp are unable to pronounce sibilants , and replace them with interdentals , though there are actually several kinds of lisp...
and REDUCE software from the RAND Corporation.
Several of the team at MetaComCo went on to found Perihelion Software
Perihelion Software
Perihelion Software was a United Kingdom company founded in 1986 by Dr. Tim King along with a number of colleagues who had all worked together at MetaComCo on AmigaOS and written compilers for both the Amiga and the Atari ST....
. Mackeonis founded Triangle Publishing, the software publishing company responsible for creating the ST Organizer for the Atari ST and PC Organizer and Counterpoint
Counterpoint
In music, counterpoint is the relationship between two or more voices that are independent in contour and rhythm and are harmonically interdependent . It has been most commonly identified in classical music, developing strongly during the Renaissance and in much of the common practice period,...
(a GUI
Gui
Gui or guee is a generic term to refer to grilled dishes in Korean cuisine. These most commonly have meat or fish as their primary ingredient, but may in some cases also comprise grilled vegetables or other vegetarian ingredients. The term derives from the verb, "gupda" in Korean, which literally...
system) for Amstrad
Amstrad
Amstrad is a British electronics company, now wholly owned by BSkyB. As of 2006, Amstrad's main business is manufacturing Sky Digital interactive boxes....
Computers and Goldstar
GoldStar
GoldStar was an electronics company established in 1958. The corporate name was changed to LG Electronics and LG Cable in 1995 after merging with Korean competitor Lucky...
computers.