I am a long-time Commodore 128 owner. My system still runs and I thought it would be fun to share a couple of screen shots.

In 1985, Berkeley Softworks introduced GEOS, a graphical operating system that ran on the Apple II, Commodore 64, and Commodore 128 home computers. GEOS brought a Macintosh-like look and feel to these 8-bit machines. When you consider the limitations of an 8-bit computer system from that era, it makes GEOS even more amazing.

This is a screen shot of the GEOS 128 Desktop. Today, we take icons and pointers for granted, but they were still a new thing back then. The Desktop features a desk “blotter” which holds up to 8 program or data file icons per page. To the right are icons representing the floppy storage devices. Below are the currently installed printer driver and wastebasket icons.

Berkeley Softworks provided a nice library of software package with, and available as add-ons to the GEOS environment. All of the things you’d expect in an “office” suite: word processor, spreadsheet, paint tool, desktop publishing, and more. Best of all, there was a programming environment so geeks like me could roll their own applications.

Three of the programs on this page are my own creation:

GeoMines, an implementation of Minesweeper
GeoMille, based on the Parker Brothers card game, Mille Bornes
ScoreUp, a single-player puzzle game adapted from something I found in Games magazine