Path: utzoo!yunexus!geac!syntron!jtsv16!uunet!seismo!sundc!pitstop!sun!imagen!atari!portal!cup.portal.com!BobR From: BobR@cup.portal.com Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.8bit Subject: Re: New Software..? Message-ID: <10015@cup.portal.com> Date: 13 Oct 88 05:22:00 GMT Article-I.D.: cup.10015 References: Organization: The Portal System (TM) Lines: 61 XPortal-User-Id: 1.1001.5368 Ray Wilmott asks: >Has anybody here actually seen this GEOS desktop DOS I've been hearing >about lately? Is it really as good as what I've been hearing? (and who >sells it and for how much?) The Graphics Operating System, from Total Control Systems is *BETTER* than *anything* you've heard about it...! Our user group was treated to a demo of GOE this week, courtesy of programmer David Sullivan and the Michigan Atari Magazine (MAM). The version we showed was a disk based demo version of the finished system, which will be released as a "double ended" cartridge. (You can plug another cart in on top of GOE). According to David, he's received the cartridges and GOE should be ready to ship very soon. I'm an 8-bit user from Waaay back, but my old brown tank 800 hasn't gotten much use since my shiny new ST came home... GOE could go a long way toward revitalizing the 8-bit scene though, much as GEOS did for the Commodore-64.. When GOE boots, you are treated to a VERY close "workalike" to the ST desktop. Your disk drives are represented as icons, and the ubiquitous Trash Can is present for deleting files... at the top of the screen is a "Menu Bar" virtually identical to the ST desktop's. Using the Keyboard, Joystick or *an ST Mouse*, you can "double-click" on a disk icon, which opens up a window and displays the disk directory.. in *either* text, or icons! Running an .EXE or .COM program is as easy as double-clicking on it, and you can copy files or disks by simply "dragging" them, just like on an ST... deleting is as easy as dragging the file to the Trash Can... The menus "drop down", and you can do many of the ST desktop functions from them... the demo we saw even had "desk accessories" like a system Control Panel and a Calculator! The cartridge itself will allow 40, 64 or 80 column displays, and there will soon be a "Developers' Kit" to allow GOE features to be used within your own programs. Other products in the GOE line will include a "Paint" program which will reportedly allow up to 128 colors, and will be "NeoChrome-like", and an 80 column wordprocessor (David asked Atari to loan him an XEP-80 so he could test his program on it, but they refused... XEP-80 owners will be happy to know that his word processor *DOES* work with it though) Future products include Desktop Publishing, Communications Terminals and DataBase programs, all using the GOE window environment... A few years ago, Commodore Business Machines revitalized the C-64 by packaging a copy of GEOS with every machine sold... apparently there had been talks with Atari to do the same kind of thing with GOE and the 8-bit Atari line, but Atari has apparently decided not to do it... For more info on GOE, contact: Total Control Systems, 4156 Tolowa St., San Diego, CA 92119 (619) 270-0111 (Ask them about the special user group purchase plan!) Disclaimer: I've got no connection with TCS, other than being an Atari 8-bit computer owner who's excited about this great new program..! BobR