Optimized Systems Software: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 10:26, 21 November 2019

Revision as of 16:44, 3 January 2020

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== History ==

Optimized Systems Software was formed in early 1981 by Bill Wilkinson, Mike Peters, Paul Laughton, and Kathleen O'Brien.<ref name="savetz">{{cite web |last1=Savetz |first1=Kevin |title=Paul Laughton Interview |url=http://ataripodcast.libsyn.com/antic-the-atari-8-bit-podcast-paul-laughton-interview |website=ANTIC: The Atari 8-Bit Podcast |date=October 21, 2014}}</ref> Laughton., the primary author of [[Atari BASIC]], was still employed by Atari, Inc. at the time, and had permission to be involved with OSS from his manager. O'Brien wrote the [[Atari Assembler Editor]] for Atari. Laughton and O'Brien (married) were not as involved with the company and were bought out by Peters and Wilkinson.

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.