Details
The Atari TOS (The Operating System) debuted with the Atari 520ST in 1985. TOS combines Digital Research's GEM GUI running on top of the DOS-like GEMDOS. Features include a flat memory model, MS-DOS-compatible disk format, support for MIDI, and a variant of SCSI called ACSI in later versions. Atari's TOS is usually run from ROM chips contained in the computer: Thus, before local hard drives were available in home computers, it was an almost instant-running OS. TOS booted off floppy disks in the very first STs, but only about half a year after the ST was introduced, all ST models started shipping with the latest version of TOS in ROM.
TOS consisted of the following:
- Desktop - The main interface loaded after bootup.
- GEM - Graphical Environment Manager, licensed from Digital Research
- AES - Application Environment Services
- VDI - Virtual Device Interface (screen drivers only, other drivers loaded using GDOS)
- GEMDOS - GEM Disk Operating System
- BIOS - Basic Input/Output System
- XBIOS - Xtended BIOS
- Line-A - Low-level high-speed graphics calls. Obsolete
The following were extensions to TOS (loaded separately):
- GDOS - Graphics Device Operation System
- AHDI - Atari Hard Disk Interface (driver for Hard Drive)
True multitasking was not directly supported, TOS allows desk accessories to be loaded into the system which are similar to TSRs (Terminate and Stay Resident) on PCs (up to a maximum of six) and could co-operatively multitask. MultiTOS was developed to allow TOS to preemptively multitask.
Read more about this topic: Atari TOS
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