Anders Hesselbom

Some cool software for the C128: GEOS

2010-06-13

So CP/M is the text based disk operating system for the Commodore 128. You could buy a window based operating on disk called GEOS (Graphic Environment Operating System). GEOS was available for some of the Commodore machines and the Apple II. GEOS is not “smashing” either, but it solved some problems that text based systems had at that time. It presented the features of the applications and the system itself, so that the user could point and click on the feature that user wants to use. These screenshots show GEOS in all its glory on an enormous 320 by 200 pixel screen.

At startup, GEOS shows the content of the system disk. To access some of the useful applications, you would insert that disk, and click Disk and Open to refresh the screen. GEOS was delivered with word processor, a painting program, among other things. Not very sophisticated compared to what you could get for your Macintosh or Windows, but a life saver for any C128 user.

GEOS did not multitask very well. Here, when I use the calculator, I can’t move the mouse outside the calculator window. I need to close it, before I can access the applications window behind, and that window cannot be moved around. It can be closed, and reopened from the Disk menu.

GEOS was relesed in 1986 and from what I know, the GEOS disks are not available for download.

Categories: Geeky

Tags: C128