GEOS (16-bit operating system)

From ArticleWorld

PC/GEOS is a graphical user interface-based desktop system for IBM PC and compatible systems, developed by Berkeley Software. It is not the same, although it is related in terms of usage, as the GEOS Operating System for 8-bit workstations.

History

The first version was launched in 1990, under the name of PC/GEOS, launched by Geoworks Ensemble. Unlike the GEOS Operating System, it was not compatible with any of the 8-bit machines like Commodore's or Apple's system, but it included a large number of features for the IBM machines. It was highly regarded for the fact that it provided excellent performance when compared to Microsoft's Windows 3.0, which was Microsoft's flagship at the time. It included support for multitasking and scalable fonts, and was less demanding than Windows 3.0 in terms of resources. It could run with acceptable performance even on an AT-class PC, as it was written directly in assembly language.

The GeoWorks subsystem was then used by AOL. America Online used it for their DOS connection packages, as it was quick enough to provide a reliable GUI interface for the multimedia features needed by the emerging WWW. It was consistently used throughout the 1990s until AOL stopped supporting DOS and switched to Microsoft Windows. Hackers found a way to use the 3.5" AOL diskette to boot directly into the GeoWorks environment, making these diskettes quite popular and, probably, the least despised of AOL's disks.

After version 2.01 released in 1994, GEOS changed its owner. New Deal Inc. tried to open a niche market using the PC/GEOS, re-branded into New Deal Office. New Deal Office was targeted at users of less powerful computer systems which could not run the more popular operating systems reliable enough for daily usage. NewDeal kept it until the early 2000, when Breadbox Ensemble took over the package.

Present

At the moment, Breadbox Ensemble owns PC/GEOS after patenting it from Geoworks Ensemble. GEOS is alive and well at the time of writing, being distributed and owning a significant market share its its niche.