Whatever happened to GEOS by Berkley Softworks? LOTS of things...

Here is a trip down memory lane for Commodore 64 users who used GEOS software:

GEOS: The Graphical Environment Operating System

[...] The Graphical Environment Operating System was released in 1986, created by Berkeley Softworks: a small company start-up by serial entrepreneur Brian Dougherty. GEOS is a classic Mac like GUI running on Commodore 64 / 128 hardware, then later the Apple II, and PC.

[...]

Even though Berkeley Softworks started out small, with only two salespeople, the new software proved very popular because of low price for the necessary hardware (and of course the capability of the OS). This was due in part to the aggressive pricing of the Commodore 64 as a games machine and home computer (With rebates, the C64 was going for as little as $100 at the time). This was in comparison to an atypical PC for $2000 (which required MS-DOS, and another $99 for Windows 1.0) or the venerable Mac 512K Enhanced also $2000.

In 1986, Commodore Business Machines announced the C-Model revision of the Commodore 64 in a new Amiga-like case (dropping the 'breadbox' look), and bundling GEOS in the US.

At its peak, GEOS was the second most widely used GUI, next to Mac OS, and the third most popular operating system (by units shipped) next to MS-DOS and Mac OS.

[...]

GEOS came at a time before the world wide web, before home computers were PCs, before mass storage that you could afford, and long before Bill Gates and Windows were No.1.

GEOS did not pioneer the GUI; most of its features were already present in the larger OSes of the day, like the classic Mac (albeit, not Windows). What GEOS did show is that cheap, low-power, commodity hardware and simple office productivity software worked. You did not need a $2000 machine to type a simple letter and print it. This gave some sense of perspective in the heady 'Golden Age of Computing' of the 80s and even now, as some alternative OSes struggle to port bloated software from other platforms.

Many OSes can claim all sorts of things, and in-fight over who invented what- first. GEOS helped drive the proliferation of the newfangled GUI concept to regular users without the need for the famous Apple Hype Machine (likely one reason why GEOS is now all but forgotten).

GEOS was able to introduce home users to Point & Click, Cut / Copy / Paste, WYSIWYG Word Processing and what you expect from a GUI without having to afford an expensive Mac or PC with Windows. Before GEOS, the home user had to go to work to even see a GUI.

Then there was GEOS on the PC (more about this at the end of the article), which had the Start Menu concept two and a half years before Windows, and a PDF-like UI model 10 years before Mac OS X ;) [...]

It's a long article, and it goes on about the history, what happened, to both the software and company. There are still people using GEOS on old C64's, and the old GEOS even kept evolving on the C64, even having a web browser called "Wave". It was supported by a company called CMD, right up until 2009. The article contains details and links all about it.

One can even download and use the old GEOS sofware on a modern PC, using C64 emulator software:


The article is full of screen shots. Gosh, the memories it all brings back!

It goes on to tell how GEOS evolved into GeoWorks for the PC, and how they resisted being assimilated by Microsoft, only to be crushed by them later. The software rights were bought and sold several times, it seems. A small version of GEOS still lives today, on cellphones and handheld devices. The article continues:

[...] Anybody can wax lyrical about 'what could have been', at the end of the day GEOS, both Commodore and PC versions, were genuine technical masterpieces in their own right - involving great skill. They stood true to being an affordable OS, that got the most power out of the least hardware. GEOS might not be an Open Source system but just because it's commercial, that does not negate the clear love for engineering that went into it.

Sure GEOS is all but forgotten now, but that doesn't mean it didn't contribute to what helped shape computer usage in the 80s and 90s. Considering that even an OS as popular as GEOS was can fade away, then there is no accuracy or inaccuracy in waxing lyrical that even Microsoft could be entirely forgotten one day in the far future. These things happen.

I love Commodore/GEOS because it represents something that no longer exists in the computer industry anymore. The Commodore 64's hardware is (programatically) beautifully designed. It is possible for one person to know the entirety of the machine, every function, every chip, every quirk. This gave the individual the power to create almost without limits, as shown by the continual modern day upgrades of the C64 and the popular demo and music scene. Today's hardware is just too complex to fully understand the whole system. Only a small percentage of the PC's actual power is ever used because of a rapidly moving platform that solves problems by throwing more hardware in. [...]

Yes, it came at a unique time in history. It made computing affordable for many people who otherwise would have never had the opportunity to own and use their own personal computer, until many years latter. And it really showed the world how much could be done, with so little.

I posted earlier about how the Commodore Brand is attempting to make a comeback: "The Commodore 64 goes Back to the Future".

The new company plans on using a new Commodore OS, based on the Linux operating system. I'm all for it, and hope it goes well. It will be fun to see how it works out, and even more fun if it succeeds. Yet I will still miss the old days of computing, when it was a new frontier. It was a unique time, and won't ever be quite that way again.
     

The Commodore 64 goes Back to the Future

Add this to the "Everything old is new again" file. The old C64, which was an 8-bit machine with 64 kilobyts of memory, is back as a modern PC with a 64-bit processor and up to 4 gigabytes of memory:

New Commodore 64 is Finally Here--For Real!

[...] The new Commodore 64 is, like the old 64, an entire system inside a (rather thick) keyboard. The old Commodore 64 originally cost $595 and featured an MOS Technology 6510 microprocessor, an impressive 64KB of RAM, and VIC-II graphics that supported a screen resolution of 320 by 200 pixels.

The new system, which also starts at $595, is a little more modern: it's got a Dual Core 525 Atom processor, an Nvidia Ion2 graphics chipset, 2GB of RAM (upgradeable to 4GB), a 160GB hard drive, and built-in Wi-Fi. On the left side of the keyboard there's a slot or tray-load DVD (upgradeable to Blu-ray), and on the right side there's a multi-format card reader, along with a USB 2.0 port. The rear features four additional USB 2.0 ports; mouse and keyboard PS/2 ports; DVI, VGA, and HDMI ports; Ethernet; and support for 6-channel HD audio. It runs Linux, but you can install Windows if you like. [...]

Neat! Way cool! You can see more about it here.



I have previously posted about the old C64, which I had used extensively in the 80's and 90's. I'm a sucker for nostalgia, so I suspect this new version with the old look is aimed at people like me.

The thing is though, that for the specs that it has, it's kinda pricey. For $595.00, you can buy a conventional laptop or desktop pc with more computing power than this has. But then, there is more to the new commodore than just hardware:

[...] Commodore USA, LLC was founded by Barry Altman in April of 2010, with the express purpose of reviving and re-establishing the famous Commodore computer brand. We are Commodore and AMIGA fanatics, just like many of you. We ask ourselves what could have been, and we are appalled by Apple revisionism. Commodore is back, and we're determined to bring the much loved brand back to the mainstream and restore its prominence in the tech industry to that which it richly deserves. It ain't over 'till we say so.

When Commodore went out of business, due to some bad management decisions, I often thought "What could have been?". They were way ahead of their competitors in some ways; the C64 computer was a multi-media computer before anyone even used the word multi-media. When Commodore closed it's doors, for me, a lot of the "magic" of computing went away with them:

[...] Commodore played a major role in the micro-computer era, which was a hot-bed of activity and innovation in technology. It was an era of distinctive platforms each with different capabilities and focus. Commodore's influence on the computing landscape was unparalleled, arguably even by the likes of Apple, Atari and IBM, their traditional rivals. When Commodore met its premature demise in the mid-nineties, we believe something of great value was lost in the tech world. Many Commodore fans and users were devastated, feeling that the magic had gone. Almost twenty years later there continues to be a huge cult following for the various generations of Commodore computers produced, with countless websites devoted to them, and thousands of enthusiasts who regularly meet at annual events all around the world. At Commodore USA, LLC we are striving to rekindle that magic that had left the world, to renew the fanbase, and to take the brand to new heights. To fight back against Apple revisionism. To start a new revolution. [...]

It seems as if they aren't just making a pc with a nostalgiac look. They want to bring Commodore back into the game as a major player. And part of their game plan is to offer a new Commodore OS. From their FAQ page:

10. What is Commodore OS?
Our new Commodore operating system, will be a unique Commodore and AMIGA centric Linux distribution, that will grow over time into something far greater. Commodore OS will not be your run of the mill Linux distribution. Every consideration will be given to retaining the look and feel of the classic Workbench environment, however there are limits to what is possible at this time, and we do not seek to re-invent the wheel. Our sights are set on creating an operating system environment competitive with the likes of those offered by Microsoft and Apple. An operating system that is inviting and accessible to new and old Commodore owners featuring modern day paradigms. With the inclusion of a plethora of the best open source games and applications, we intend to champion the open source movement and show the world what open source is capable of.

Yay! I'm enthused about that! I started tinkering with Linux around 1997, looking for some of that "magic", the fun, that got lost when switching over to PC's using Windows. I've found some of it, even more as Linux has continued to evolve. But now, we are going to have a new PC compatible Commodore brand that can run any operating system that can run on a conventional PC, AND have it's own branded Linux that it will be promoting. How good is that?

Pretty good, I'd say. BUT, one could still buy a laptop with better hardware specs, and install Linux on it oneself. So the reasons for going with the Commodore might be part nostalgia, and part wanting to support their effort to get back in the game with their own Linux OS. And if they start selling a lot of them, the price might come down, more in line with other hardware.

As of today, they are shipping the computer with Ubuntu Linux, because the Commodore OS isn't quite ready yet. People who buy the C64 now are promised they will be sent a disk with the new OS as soon as it is ready. Hmmm.

It will be interesting to see if they succeed. I've got this computer on my Wish List, but I'm not ready to press the "buy" button just yet. I think I may wait and see what happens with other people first. But I hope they succeed.

They also have a line of other computers as well, new Amiga's and computers like this new VIC-Pro:



It has higher specs than the C64. It looks like the kind of machine I expect the old Commodore company would have been offering now, if they had stayed in business. It's almost like, what could have been... now is.

They are offer a whole line of computers, which they will be expanding, too.


I will be watching with great interest, poised to push the "buy" button.


Also see:

The Commodore 64 is back, and it leaves the 1982 version in the dust

About Commodore USA, LLC

     

Computer Voices and the song "Daisy Bell"

I've been reading about artificial intelligence and computer voices lately, and I came across these videos on Youtube. The first video involves a clip from Arthur C. Clarke's "2001: A Space Odyssey". Remember the scene where Hal is deactivated? As his memory cards are being pulled, Hal's personality regresses to his "childhood" days in the computer Lab in Urbana Illinois. He sings a song he leaned there. The song was "Daisy Bell".

It seems that song was used for an historical reason:



The video (1 minute and 39 seconds) claims that a computer in the 1950's was the first computer ever to sing a song. The song was "Daisy Bell".

But another video gets more specific. It says that the first computer to sing a song was in 1961. It was an IBM 7094. The video (1 minute and 51 seconds) gives a sample of the song, with computerized musical accompaniment too, and also gives the names of the programmers who created it:



Another video (with no embedded option) shows a photo of the computer (?) with and audio track of it's voice and singing repertoire:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlBmbt8IVv4

Listening to all this reminds me of my Commodore 64 days. Does anyone remember "The Write Stuff", a Commodore 64 word processor released in 1987 by Busy Bee Software? It could read documents with a computer voice that was very similar to the one in these videos. My Busy Bee software could even sing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star". It was both funny and painful to listen to.

Nowadays, computer voice technology is so much more advanced. There are a growing number of realistic sounding computer voices, and an abundance of free or inexpensive TTS (Text-T0-Speech) programs to go with them. And Hal-like computer programs to go with those voices are fast approaching, too.

Oh Brave New World, with such people (and artificial-people) in it!


Related Links:

Artificial voice synthesis, 1939 to the present

Ultra HAL, your personal computer assistant

The history and lyrics of the song "Daisy Bell"