Optimized Systems Software: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 18:27, 13 February 2019

Revision as of 20:36, 15 May 2019

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| successor = ICD

| foundation = {{Start date and age|1981}}

| founders = Bill Wilkinson<br>Mike Peters<br>Paul Laughton<br>Kathleen O'Brien

| defunct = {{End date and age|1988|01}}

| location_city = Cupertino, California<ref name="atari">{{cite web |url=http://www.atariarchives.org/iad/introduction.php |title=Inside Atari DOS - Introduction}}</ref>

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== History ==

Optimized Systems Software was formed in early 1981 by Bill Wilkinson and, Mike Peters, whoPaul had purchased [[Atari BASIC]]Laughton, [[Atariand DOS]]Kathleen andO'Brien.<ref thename="savetz">{{cite [[Atariweb Assembler|last1=Savetz Editor]]|first1=Kevin product|title=Paul fromLaughton [[ShepardsonInterview Microsystems]], Inc|url=http://ataripodcast.libsyn.com/antic-the-atari-8-bit-podcast-paul-laughton-interview (SMI)|website=ANTIC: whoThe hadAtari concluded8-Bit thatPodcast their|date=October BASIC21, and DOS products were not2014}}</ref> viableLaughton. Thethe newprimary companyauthor enhancedof the[[Atari productsBASIC]], renamingwas themstill OS/A+employed (theby Disk Operating System)Atari, BASICInc. A+at (athe disk-based language)time, and EASMDhad (apermission powerfulto assemblerbe /involved editor).with OSS continuedfrom tohis workmanager. withO'Brien wrote the [[Atari Assembler Editor]] for Atari. Laughton and O'Brien (whomarried) hadwere previouslynot contractedas involved with SMI)the oncompany enhancedand products,were mostbought ofout whichby never reachedPeters theand marketWilkinson.

OSS purchased [[Atari BASIC]], [[Atari DOS]], and the [[Atari Assembler Editor]] product from [[Shepardson Microsystems]] 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 (an update to the Assembler Editor). OSS continued to work with [[Atari]] (who had previously contracted with SMI) on enhanced products, most of which never reached the market.

OSS debuted at the [[West Coast Computer Faire]], March 1981. Their products released over the next several years became respected among Atari programmers, particularly the [[MAC/65]] assembler, the [[Action! (programming language)|Action!]] programming language, and BASIC XL. In an interview with Bill Wilkinson published in 1984, he said the company consisted of 15 people.<ref name="ellison">{{cite journal |last1=Ellison |first1=Peter |title=Bill Wilkinson Interview |journal=ROM |date=August 1984 |volume=1 |issue=7 |page=13 |url=https://archive.org/details/ROM_Magazine_v1i7/page/n12}}</ref>