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GEOS Available for Download After 18 Years
gp writes "Back in 1986, Berkeley Softworks presented GEOS,
the Graphical Environment Operating System for the Commodore 64 (screenshots). GEOS
effectively turned the 8-bit Commodore 64 into something very similar to a
Macintosh, but for an 8th of the price. In 2004, pushed hard by
rivaling C64 open source alternatives such as the Contiki operating system and
desktop environment and the LUnix *nix clone, the owners of
GEOS have finally decided to release GEOS to the public. Hordes of
Commodore 64 users are expected to download the system." Sadly, there's no mention of GEOS for the Apple 2 series of computers, which also enjoyed this fine precursor of GUIs to come.
look out XP!!
So somebody *did* get that leaked NT code to compile?
Is there really THAT much pressure among C64 OS's?
"Hordes of Commodore 64 users are expected to download the system."
Watch out, I hope their web servers will be capable of handling all 23 downloaders.
Anyone who's still got a C64 should really consider upgrading...
Cause Doom III won't be out in 18 years either.
...considering no one (outside the ultra high geek) is going to be starting a c64 any time soon.
That's exactly what i was planning on doing after I finish smoking this bowl.
LOAD "GEOS",8,1
POKE "SCO","SHARP STICK"
ahhh yes...
Reminds me of today, booting WindowsXP on a 3Ghz machine... the 2 minute disk loads, the disk swapping bah!
Not only did GEOS have fonts, it was possible to overload the system memory and crash the computer, forcing a reboot if you tried to load too many of them at once. Man, those were the days. :)
"The price has been reduced to a very affordable $25 (plus shipping) for either version, GEOS 64 or GEOS 128."
Does that makes the TCO (total cost of ownership) more than Linux?
...the server's /.'d. And after only 80 replies, too.
That's what you get when you actually host a website on a C64 running Contiki...
The only surefire protection against Microsoft infections is abstinence. - The Onion
I'll be needing a WAV file for the tape drive version (Though I don't think there was one) ... my 1541 gave up years ago ....
Mole? 4? Cars?
Geoworks was certainly an early pioneer in one area: unimaginative name conventions for its apps. Looking at the screenshots page, every damn app is geoThis, or geoThat. It's a wonderful trend that the KDesigners of the KDE KDestop KEnvironment have picked up one, as well as their GCompetitors Gover Gat Gthe GNOME GProject. And don't get me JStarted Jon Java JApplications.
the fact that the authors of this (ahead of its time) platform are nobodys, and bill gates is a household name is quite sad.
yeah, now Junis or Akbar or whoever you refer to can watch it through PETSCIIlib :P
Join the TWIT army now!
Don't forget to use a hole-punch on the edge of the disk so you can use BOTH sides...
I have something in common with Stephen Hawking...
Are you keeping up with the Commodore? Because the Commodore is keeping up with you!
Flamin' soviets...
Send lawyers, guns, and money!
What kind of crack were the 1541 disk drive engineerings smoking? Did they even have crack back then?
The 1541 was a somewhat self-destructing device. As I recall, the designers needed a way to make sure the read/write head shuttle was properly aligned with the (freeway sized) magnetic disk tracks, so they rubbed their brain cells together and decided it was appropriate and OK to just keep seeking the head shuttle inwards until it violently slammed the read write head into whatever was blocking its way. Then it was sure to be at the end of its travel. klak-klak-klak-klak-klak-klak!
All my friends had C64's back then, and we all had one or two 1541's over time. Luckily, one of us was well versed at fixing the blasted things.
I think it was when the 1571 drive came out they stopped slamming the disk head shuttle repeatedly.
I will never forget my introduction to Infocom on my Commodore 64, what, its been 21 years!!! I played it straight until my 1541 died from exhaustion. It went tits up from Zork. I guess a grue ate the bastard.
8-bit? It's supposed to be 64-bit as I can tell reading the name c64. Otherwise, why is it c64?
Less is more !
Oh I get it... (you were modded badly)
In Soviet Russia, you don't keep up with the Commodore... the Commodore keeps up with you!
(Homage to an old 80s Commodore marketing campaign)
READY.
PRINT ""+-0
I remember using a joystick to navigate the UI, since mice were a bit of a rarity.
:-(
You didn't miss much. I had a Commodore mouse. As it plugged into the joystick port, the pointer would only move at angles of 45 degrees, just like a joystick
Just because there are no viruses for the C64, doesn't mean it's invulnerable. It's just that writing a virus for a C64 would be like beating up your grandmother.
If I seem short sighted, it is because I stand on the shoulders of midgets
They were actually kinda cool and hip, if you can believe it. This was several incarnations prior to today's SCO Group, back when they were the Santa Cruz Organization. The world isn't black and white you know, and the shades of gray tend to change over time.
Now I've done it. I'm really due for a good stoning now!
Priest: Now let me make this perfectly clear. No one is to stone anyone, even if, and I repeat, even if they do say SCO!
Crowd of 'Gentlemen': STONE HIM!
Yes, for some reason I'm on a 'Life of Brian' kick tonight.
- None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
Speaking of AOL - since the GEOS site in the article is slashdotted, I wonder if it comes with the Quantum Link software? I hope not =)
Bah. Diskettes. Sheer luxury. We used cassette tapes, and we were glad to have 'em, too!.
We used to turn the volume up and sing along with the streaming bits out of gratitude that we were allowed to LOAD software on our computers...
"Oh my God. This is terrible. This is the end of my Presidency. I'm fucked."; ~ Donald J. Trump