A Commodore 64 operating system with modern concepts

C64 OS has one goal. Make a Commodore 64 feel fast and useful in today’s modern world.

It’s a very high bar. The C64 was introduced in 1982 and has an 8-bit, 1MHz, 6510 CPU with just 64 kilobytes of directly addressable memory. It has a screen resolution of 320×200 pixels, and a fixed palette of 16 colors. But, it is an incredibly versatile machine. And it enjoys an active userbase and a great variety of modern hardware expansions.

The C64 has had many operating systems written for it, So why write another?

Some of these projects were designed to be experimental, or to demonstrate a point, rather than to solve a problem or to make using the C64 better. Others had good intentions but pushed the machine in ways it wasn’t designed for, compromising on speed and usability in the pursuit of features available on more powerful computers. The aim of C64 OS is to work with the limitations of the Commodore 64 and enable it to become useful.

It never ceases to amaze me how much functionality programmers can squeeze out of old micros.

5 Comments

  1. 2018-09-17 9:01 pm
    • 2018-09-18 4:28 pm
  2. 2018-09-18 7:14 am
  3. 2018-09-19 6:07 am
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