Optimized Systems Software
Encyclopedia
Optimized Systems Software (OSS) was a small company producing operating systems and programming languages for the Atari 8-bit and Apple II
computer families. OSS is most noted for authoring Atari's BASIC and Disk Operating System
(DOS) products.
, Atari DOS
and the Atari Assembler/Editor product from Shepardson Microsystems
, Inc. (SMI) who had concluded that their BASIC and DOS products were not viable. The new company enhanced the products, renaming them OS/A+ (the Disk Operating System), BASIC A+ (a disk-based language), and EASMD (a powerful assembler / editor).
OSS's first debut was at the West Coast Computer Fair, March 1981.
OSS continued to work with Atari
(who had previously contracted with SMI) on enhanced products, most of which never actually reached the market. OSS' independent products fared somewhat better, particularly the Action programming language
. In January 1988, ICD
and OSS merged. Later, Fine Tooned Engineering owned all of ICD 8-bit products.
However, unlike VFAT, OS/A+ 4.1 disks were not backward compatible with earlier systems; Atari DOS or OS/A+ 2.1 could not read disks formatted by OS/A+ 4.1, breaking backward compatibility. The memory footprint was larger as well, resulting in insufficient memory to run some popular applications.
As a result of these drawbacks, OS/A+ 4.1 did not achieve the market penetration as the earlier product.
OSS did reissue OS/A+ 4.1 for a brief period when they decided not to modify DOS XL for double-sided disk support.
was designed to replace OS/A+. Included support for single and double-density disk drives. Utilized the command-prompt of OS/A+ but also included a menu program. Featured extensions that took advantage of unused memory space in Atari XL/XE computers and OSS Super-cartridges. Included support for Indus GT Synchromesh.
Written by Paul Laughton, Mark Rose, Bill Wilkinson and Mike Peters.
Due to lack of demand and Atari working on a new version of DOS, OSS decided to halt development of DOS XL 4 and reissue OS/A+ version 4.1.
Available on disk.
had been designed to fit in a single 8k cartridge, with an optional second cartridge adding additional capability (the Atari 800 home computer
featured two cartridge slots). However, the second cartridge was never produced.
Instead, OSS produced a disk-based product called BASIC A Plus (or BASIC A+), which was compatible with Atari BASIC but corrected several bugs and added quite a few features. Among the notable features were PRINT USING (for formatted output), trace and debug enhancements, direct DOS commands, and explicit support for the Atari computers' exceptional graphics hardware.
Because BASIC A+ had to be purchased, programs developed using its extended features could not be shared with people who did not own the interpreter.
Available on disk only.
Available in an OSS bank-selected cartridge.
Available in an OSS bank-selected cartridge and extension disk. No compiler or runtime was made available. The BASIC XL runtime could be used, but restricted to only XL functions.
. The Action programming language
used in-memory compilation (presaging Turbo Pascal
) straight to very efficient 6502
executable code. Action was known for its execution speed, but never became popular beyond Atari home computers.
. Superseded by MAC/65.
Available 1981 on disk only.
was a 6502
editor/assembler. A replacement for EASMD, MAC/65 featured macros and conditional assembly.
Written by Steven D. Lawrow.
Available 1982 on disk, 1983 on an OSS bank-selected cartridge.
Available on disk, required 48K of memory.
produced by Optimized Systems Software. Initially included with MAC/65, it was later added to DOS XL.
for the Atari. A subset of C, C/65 only generated assembly source code. An assembly compiler (like MAC/65
) was needed to generate an executable file.
Marketed, not produced by OSS.
Available in an OSS bank-selected cartridge and a double-sided disk (Master disk on one side, dictionary disk on the other side).
game system, Personal Pascal and Personal Prolog for the Atari ST
, and others.
Apple II
The Apple II is an 8-bit home computer, one of the first highly successful mass-produced microcomputer products, designed primarily by Steve Wozniak, manufactured by Apple Computer and introduced in 1977...
computer families. OSS is most noted for authoring Atari's BASIC and Disk Operating System
Disk operating system
Disk Operating System and disk operating system , most often abbreviated as DOS, refers to an operating system software used in most computers that provides the abstraction and management of secondary storage devices and the information on them...
(DOS) products.
History
Optimized Systems Software was formed in early 1981 by Bill Wilkinson and Mike Peters, who had purchased Atari BASICAtari BASIC
Atari BASIC is a BASIC interpreter for the Atari 8-bit family of 6502-based home computers. The interpreter originally shipped on an 8 KB cartridge; on later XL/XE model computers it was built in, with an option to disable it, and started when the machines were booted with no other cartridges...
, Atari DOS
Atari DOS
Atari DOS is the disk operating system used with the Atari 8-bit family of computers. Operating system extensions loaded into memory were required in order for an Atari computer to access a disk drive. These extensions to the operating system added the disk handler and other file management...
and the Atari Assembler/Editor product from Shepardson Microsystems
Shepardson Microsystems
Shepardson Microsystems, Inc. was a small company producing operating systems and programming languages for the Atari 8-bit and Apple II computer families...
, Inc. (SMI) who had concluded that their BASIC and DOS products were not viable. The new company enhanced the products, renaming them OS/A+ (the Disk Operating System), BASIC A+ (a disk-based language), and EASMD (a powerful assembler / editor).
OSS's first debut was at the West Coast Computer Fair, March 1981.
OSS continued to work with Atari
Atari
Atari is a corporate and brand name owned by several entities since its inception in 1972. It is currently owned by Atari Interactive, a wholly owned subsidiary of the French publisher Atari, SA . The original Atari, Inc. was founded in 1972 by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney. It was a pioneer in...
(who had previously contracted with SMI) on enhanced products, most of which never actually reached the market. OSS' independent products fared somewhat better, particularly the Action programming language
Action programming language
Action! is a programming language, with integrated editor, debugger, and 6502 compiler, for the Atari 8-bit family of microcomputers. Action! was created by Clinton Parker and released on cartridge by Optimized Systems Software in 1983...
. In January 1988, ICD
ICD (disambiguation)
ICD may refer to:Health* ICD, International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems* Implantable cardioverter-defibrillator* Impulse control disorder* Contact dermatitis* Isobaric counterdiffusion...
and OSS merged. Later, Fine Tooned Engineering owned all of ICD 8-bit products.
OS/A+
Atari DOS 2.0S consisted of two portions, a memory-resident portion that facilitated access to disk files by programs, and a disk-resident portion providing menu-driven utilities to format, copy, delete, rename, and otherwise manipulate files on Atari's 810 disk drive. The menu system was too large to keep memory-resident, but the necessity to reload the menu system after every program was frustrating to many users.- OS/A+ 2.0, 2.1 was a disk-based replacement for the Atari DOS and the Apple II DOS. It replaced the menu-driven utilities with a compact command line approach similar to CP/MCP/MCP/M was a mass-market operating system created for Intel 8080/85 based microcomputers by Gary Kildall of Digital Research, Inc...
(and later, DOSDOSDOS, short for "Disk Operating System", is an acronym for several closely related operating systems that dominated the IBM PC compatible market between 1981 and 1995, or until about 2000 if one includes the partially DOS-based Microsoft Windows versions 95, 98, and Millennium Edition.Related...
). The command line was small enough to remain in memory with most applications, removing the need for the dreaded post-program reload. When first introduced at the West Coast Computer Faire, the program was named CP/A, but a lawyer from Digital Research (owners of CP/M) visited the booth and the name was changed. OSS couldn't have afforded even a court filing fee.
- OS/A+ 4.1 OSS extended the successful OS/A+ product with additional capabilities for version 4, many of which were arguably ahead of their time. For example, the strict "8.3" naming scheme (eight alphanumeric characters with a three character extension) was replaced by "long" filenames, similar to the Microsoft DOS transition to VFATFile Allocation TableFile Allocation Table is a computer file system architecture now widely used on many computer systems and most memory cards, such as those used with digital cameras. FAT file systems are commonly found on floppy disks, flash memory cards, digital cameras, and many other portable devices because of...
in 1995.
However, unlike VFAT, OS/A+ 4.1 disks were not backward compatible with earlier systems; Atari DOS or OS/A+ 2.1 could not read disks formatted by OS/A+ 4.1, breaking backward compatibility. The memory footprint was larger as well, resulting in insufficient memory to run some popular applications.
As a result of these drawbacks, OS/A+ 4.1 did not achieve the market penetration as the earlier product.
OSS did reissue OS/A+ 4.1 for a brief period when they decided not to modify DOS XL for double-sided disk support.
DOS XL
DOS XLDOS XL
DOS XL was a Disk Operating System written by Paul Laughton, Mark Rose, Bill Wilkinson and Mike Peters and produced by Optimized Systems Software for Atari 8-bit microcomputers...
was designed to replace OS/A+. Included support for single and double-density disk drives. Utilized the command-prompt of OS/A+ but also included a menu program. Featured extensions that took advantage of unused memory space in Atari XL/XE computers and OSS Super-cartridges. Included support for Indus GT Synchromesh.
Written by Paul Laughton, Mark Rose, Bill Wilkinson and Mike Peters.
Due to lack of demand and Atari working on a new version of DOS, OSS decided to halt development of DOS XL 4 and reissue OS/A+ version 4.1.
Available on disk.
BASIC A+
Atari BASICAtari BASIC
Atari BASIC is a BASIC interpreter for the Atari 8-bit family of 6502-based home computers. The interpreter originally shipped on an 8 KB cartridge; on later XL/XE model computers it was built in, with an option to disable it, and started when the machines were booted with no other cartridges...
had been designed to fit in a single 8k cartridge, with an optional second cartridge adding additional capability (the Atari 800 home computer
Home computer
Home computers were a class of microcomputers entering the market in 1977, and becoming increasingly common during the 1980s. They were marketed to consumers as affordable and accessible computers that, for the first time, were intended for the use of a single nontechnical user...
featured two cartridge slots). However, the second cartridge was never produced.
Instead, OSS produced a disk-based product called BASIC A Plus (or BASIC A+), which was compatible with Atari BASIC but corrected several bugs and added quite a few features. Among the notable features were PRINT USING (for formatted output), trace and debug enhancements, direct DOS commands, and explicit support for the Atari computers' exceptional graphics hardware.
Because BASIC A+ had to be purchased, programs developed using its extended features could not be shared with people who did not own the interpreter.
Available on disk only.
BASIC XL
Replaced BASIC A+. Fixed bugs and added even more commands and features.Available in an OSS bank-selected cartridge.
BASIC XL Toolkit
This disk contained additional code and examples for use with the BASIC XL language. Included a runtime package for redistribution. No compiler was available.BASIC XE
Enhanced version of BASIC XL, contained additional functions and high-speed math routines. Because it required 64kB, it would only run on an XL/XE system.Available in an OSS bank-selected cartridge and extension disk. No compiler or runtime was made available. The BASIC XL runtime could be used, but restricted to only XL functions.
ACTION!
A cartridge-based language that combined the readability of BASIC with the performance of the C programming languageC (programming language)
C is a general-purpose computer programming language developed between 1969 and 1973 by Dennis Ritchie at the Bell Telephone Laboratories for use with the Unix operating system....
. The Action programming language
Action programming language
Action! is a programming language, with integrated editor, debugger, and 6502 compiler, for the Atari 8-bit family of microcomputers. Action! was created by Clinton Parker and released on cartridge by Optimized Systems Software in 1983...
used in-memory compilation (presaging Turbo Pascal
Turbo Pascal
Turbo Pascal is a software development system that includes a compiler and an integrated development environment for the Pascal programming language running on CP/M, CP/M-86, and DOS, developed by Borland under Philippe Kahn's leadership...
) straight to very efficient 6502
MOS Technology 6502
The MOS Technology 6502 is an 8-bit microprocessor that was designed by Chuck Peddle and Bill Mensch for MOS Technology in 1975. When it was introduced, it was the least expensive full-featured microprocessor on the market by a considerable margin, costing less than one-sixth the price of...
executable code. Action was known for its execution speed, but never became popular beyond Atari home computers.
ACTION! Toolkit
This disk contained additional code and examples for use with the ACTION! language. Formerly the ACTION! Programmer's Aid Disk (PAD).ACTION! RunTime Package
Allows ACTION! programs to be redistributed to Atari users without the ACTION! cartridge.EASMD
EASMD (Edit/ASseMble/Debug) was the first editor/assembler from OSS. Enhanced from the original Atari Assembler EditorAtari Assembler Editor
The Atari Assembler Editor cartridge was a program used to edit, compile and debug assembly language programs for the Atari 8-bit computers. It was programmed by Kathleen O'Brien of Shepardson Microsystems, Inc.- Details :...
. Superseded by MAC/65.
Available 1981 on disk only.
MAC/65
MAC/65MAC/65
MAC/65 was an assembler produced by Optimized Systems Software for the Atari 8-bit family of microcomputers. It was a direct descendent of OSS's EASMD. Much like the Atari Assembler Editor cartridge, MAC/65 combined a line editor, assembler, and debugger into a single package. MAC/65 was notable...
was a 6502
MOS Technology 6502
The MOS Technology 6502 is an 8-bit microprocessor that was designed by Chuck Peddle and Bill Mensch for MOS Technology in 1975. When it was introduced, it was the least expensive full-featured microprocessor on the market by a considerable margin, costing less than one-sixth the price of...
editor/assembler. A replacement for EASMD, MAC/65 featured macros and conditional assembly.
Written by Steven D. Lawrow.
Available 1982 on disk, 1983 on an OSS bank-selected cartridge.
MAC/65 Toolkit
This disk contained additional code and examples for use with the MAC/65 editor/assembler.Available on disk, required 48K of memory.
BUG/65
A machine language debuggerDebugger
A debugger or debugging tool is a computer program that is used to test and debug other programs . The code to be examined might alternatively be running on an instruction set simulator , a technique that allows great power in its ability to halt when specific conditions are encountered but which...
produced by Optimized Systems Software. Initially included with MAC/65, it was later added to DOS XL.
C/65
C programming languageC (programming language)
C is a general-purpose computer programming language developed between 1969 and 1973 by Dennis Ritchie at the Bell Telephone Laboratories for use with the Unix operating system....
for the Atari. A subset of C, C/65 only generated assembly source code. An assembly compiler (like MAC/65
MAC/65
MAC/65 was an assembler produced by Optimized Systems Software for the Atari 8-bit family of microcomputers. It was a direct descendent of OSS's EASMD. Much like the Atari Assembler Editor cartridge, MAC/65 combined a line editor, assembler, and debugger into a single package. MAC/65 was notable...
) was needed to generate an executable file.
Marketed, not produced by OSS.
The Writer's Tool
A word processing application from OSS. Required 48K of memory to run properly.Available in an OSS bank-selected cartridge and a double-sided disk (Master disk on one side, dictionary disk on the other side).
Other Products
OSS was involved with other projects, such as a modified BASIC and DOS for the Atari 7800Atari 7800
The Atari 7800 ProSystem, or simply the Atari 7800, is a video game console re-released by Atari Corporation in January 1986. The original release had occurred two years earlier under Atari Inc. The 7800 had originally been designed to replace Atari Inc.'s Atari 5200 in 1984, but was temporarily...
game system, Personal Pascal and Personal Prolog for the Atari ST
Atari ST
The Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was released by Atari Corporation in 1985 and commercially available from that summer into the early 1990s. The "ST" officially stands for "Sixteen/Thirty-two", which referred to the Motorola 68000's 16-bit external bus and 32-bit internals...
, and others.
Sales
According to Bill Wilkinson, OSS sold about 12,000 copies of Basic XL before the ICD merger. Basic XL outsold Action! by about 2.5 or 3 to 1. MAC/65 outsold Action! by about 1.5 to 1. Basic XE sold poorly, a money-loser. Personal Pascal sold over 10,000 copies.- Note: These are just rough estimates.
Sources
- Wilkinson, Bill (1983). The Atari BASIC Source Book. Compute! Books. ISBN 0-942386-15-9.
- A User's Guide and Reference Manual for DOS XL 2.30, 1983
- OSS Newsletter - Spring 1984
- OSS Newsletter - October 1984
External links
- Dan's tribute to OSS — A site dedicated to the products produced for Atari 8-bit computers by Optimized Systems Software.
- The Atari 400/800 and OSS
- Antic Vol. 4, No. 9 - Jan 1986 Basic XE from O.S.S. (Product Review)
- Antic Vol. 3, No. 11 - Mar 1985 The Writer's Tool (Product Review)
- ICD, Incorporated former OSS software distributor