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Intellivision Operating System Revealed

Posted by simoniker on from the never-too-late-for-an-os-update dept.

Thanks to an anonymous reader for pointing to the IntyOS site, which has released Version 0.2 Alpha of a "multitasked operating system for the Intellivision console." According to the site, IntyOS "..includes a powerful GUI which handles a mouse pointer, windows, menus, icons, etc", and was "..written from scratch in CP-1600 assembly language in order to fit exactly to the hardware specificities of the Intellivision. Its main goal is now to see how far it's possible to go with today's technologies on such a limited system from the early 80's" There's also a site mirror available, and the demo ROM is viewable in a Java applet.

12 of 309 comments (clear)

  1. Hot damn. by Civil_Disobedient · · Score: 5, Interesting

    If someone can fit a GUI'd, multitasking OS in such a small amount of physical memory, why does Windows have to take up so much, or even Linux for that matter? I realize that programming in assembly is a bitch over C++, but surely Microsoft, with it's paid developers, could accomplish something streamlined like this.

    I wish Gates would hold off on innovation for a couple of years to produce such a beast. I, for one, would gladly pay for an Assembly-optimized, thoroughly bug-fixed version of Windows.

  2. 8 MOBS... by nhaze · · Score: 2, Interesting
    Roughly, an Intellivision includes: ... a 'Standard Television Interface Chip' (STIC) with a resolution of 160x96 in 16 colors + up to 8 'Moving OBjects' (MOBS)
    I was curious if someone familiar with older processors could explain the significance of independent MOBS? Are these small independent caches for storing sprites or something?
  3. It's a shame... by JFMulder · · Score: 2, Interesting

    ... there is no way to make your own Intellivision cartridges. I still have my Intellivision I and II (the brown one and the gray one) and they're still working! I'd be nice to try this on a real Intellivision.

    1. Re:It's a shame... by Mr+Z · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Actually, there is. I've sold several 4-Tris cartridges. And no, don't ask if I'll make any more. I will if and when I do, and no sooner.

      --Joe
      --
      Program Intellivision!
  4. I remember Intellivision by sakusha · · Score: 4, Interesting

    The local cable TV system in Dubuque Iowa did an experiment with Intellivision, back in the day. Intellivision users could get a special cable adapter and play other users across the cable net. This was the first networked multiuser video game system in the world. The system also offered text chat. It was a short-lived experiment, IIRC it only lasted a year or two, then Group W Cable discovered it wasn't making any money on it, so they pulled the plug. Still, it was an awesome precedent.

    1. Re:I remember Intellivision by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Back in 1982 in Ottawa (Canada) they started a network called NABU. For about the price of a C64 you got hardware that would hook up to the TV network and you could download software including games and personal finance software. You could also get a hard drive and printer for it.

      Bandwidth was 6.4 MByte/sec. In 1982.

      For more information see:

      http://www.ewh.ieee.org/reg/7/millennium/telidon /t elidon_nabu.html

  5. Intellivision=Apple Computer of Gaming Consoles by adzoox · · Score: 3, Interesting
    Actually, the intellivision with boxes and games with boxes and overlays go for quite the collector's price on eBay.

    NO CONSOLE to me has ever matched the ease and useability of the Intellivision controller. Modern football games are just eye candy and very confusing to me. With the Intellivision you had to understand plays and you could enter them privately without the other guy seeing them on the screen. If someone can see what you are about to run, what's the point? (No, I haven't forgotten that one could run backwards 70 yards and throw the ball the length of the field) Also, Utopia was true HOURS of fun between my brother and I as well as Triple Action Biplanes and Tanks. It was simple but took skill and thought.Games also required imagination. So these consoles also have historical value in the quality of games they had. The Intellivision was truly the Apple Computer of Consoles. Superior product/better graphics/easier to use & underdog.

    --
    Yell & scream & rant & rave... it's no use... you need a shaaaave ~ Bugs Bunny
  6. Of course it can... by User+956 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    It looks like it can be ported to a lot of other platforms as well, if this is any indication.

    --
    The theory of relativity doesn't work right in Arkansas.
  7. MOBS == sprites by nzyank · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Don't know much about the Intellivision HW because I went and bought a TI which HAD a keyboard, but, yes, MOBS are the same thing.

    First time I remember hearing the term 'sprites' was with my TI-99/4A, but the concept's the same. Moveable Object Blocks in case no one else has de-acronymed this yet. I would suspect 'sprites would have been the term used on the Vic-20 which had come out sometime around then or slightly earlier.

    1. Re:MOBS == sprites by hobsonchoice · · Score: 2, Interesting

      The C64 had 8 hardware sprites, and hardware for horizontal scrolling 0 to 7 pixels (so you could do a byte copy for smooth scrolling), among other things. The official name for the sprites on the VIC2 chip (as used in C64) was MOBs - it's in the early documentation, but eventually sprites became the normal word including in semi-official and even official docs

  8. Re:They also had the 1st RTS game by srn_test · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Err, the text-based game? How is that Real-Time? Or, for that matter, Strategic?

    Utopia was a two-player real-time game with graphics.

  9. Makes me think about 68000 based machines by chronos82 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Like my venerable Megadrive [Genesis]. This machine has not too bad at all processor, one that I believe Linux has already been run on, the question I have to ask myself is why no one has done anything with the last generation of 16 bit consoles?? Ive googled around and didnt really find anything interesting.