68K/OS

68K/OS
68K/OS EPROM expansion card
DeveloperGST Computer Systems
OS familyDisk operating systems
Working stateDiscontinued
Source modelClosed source
Initial release1984; 40 years ago (1984)
PlatformsSinclair QL microcomputer
Default
user interface
Command-line interface or menu

68K/OS was a computer operating system developed by GST Computer Systems for the Sinclair QL microcomputer.

It was commissioned by Sinclair Research in February 1983. However, after the official launch of the QL in January 1984, 68K/OS was rejected, and production QLs shipped with Sinclair's own Qdos operating system.[1]

GST later released 68K/OS as an alternative to Qdos, in the form of an EPROM expansion card,[2] and also planned to use it on single-board computers based on the QL's hardware.[1]

The operating system was developed by Chris Scheybeler,[3] Tim Ward,[2] Howard Chalkley and others.[citation needed]

The few ROM cards that were made mean that surviving examples now fetch a high price: On Feb 04, 2010 one sold for £310 on eBay.[4]

  1. ^ a b Leon Heller (September 1984). "QL Affairs = Operating with a difference". Your Spectrum. No. 7. Retrieved 2009-03-26.
  2. ^ a b Graham, Adrian. "Sinclair QL". Binary Dinosaurs. Retrieved 2009-03-26. It was my mate Tim Ward who wrote the alternative O/S - 68K/OS.
  3. ^ "QDOS under fire". Personal Computer News. No. 77. 8 September 1984. p. 3. [...] said Chris Scheybeler, who is in charge of the 68K/OS project [...]
  4. ^ Ebay. "Sinclair QL - GST 68k/OS 68kos VERY RARE!!". Retrieved 2009-02-05.[dead link]