tag:dreamwidth.org,2022-02-24:3887720Liam on LinuxLiam Proven's thoughts on IT, especially FOSSLiam_on_Linux2025-09-18T16:20:30Ztag:dreamwidth.org,2022-02-24:3887720:96552The more recent history of DR GEM2025-09-18T16:19:54Z2025-09-18T16:20:30Zpublic3A tech blogger called Nemanja Trifunovic posted an enjoyable article called the <a href="https://nemanjatrifunovic.substack.com/p/history-of-the-gem-desktop-environment">History of the GEM Desktop Environment</a>.<br /><br />It's a nice piece -- it's very good on the early history.<div> </div><div>It does, however, totally omit much of the later development.</div><div> </div><div>When Caldera released the source code, it also <a href="http://www.deltasoft.com/news.htm">released</a> the unfinished <a href="https://lunduke.substack.com/p/freegemxm-the-open-source-version">multitasking GEM/XM version</a>.</div><div> </div><div>Another version was <a href="http://bitsavers.informatik.uni-stuttgart.de/pdf/digitalResearch/flexos/flexos_386/Inside_Flexos386_Part_4_Computer_Shopper_199001.pdf">X/GEM on FlexOS</a> [PDF], DR's multitasking RTOS line, and at least some forms of UNIX.</div><div> </div><div>DR FlexOS eventually evolved into <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FlexOS#4680_OS">IBM 4680 OS</a>. </div><div> </div><div>And that evolved into <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4690_Operating_System">IBM 4690 OS</a>, later sold as Toshiba 4690 OS.</div><div> </div><div>This supports a GUI, which I think is based on X/GEM -- as well as TCP/IP networking, app development in Java, and more. It was sold until about 10 years ago. </div><div> </div><div>I don't think I've ever seen a screenshot.</div><div> </div><div>There have also been interesting later FOSS developments.</div><div> </div><div>On the ST platform, TOS + GEM evolved in multiple directions. Some were proprietary, such as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MagiC">MagiC</a>.</div><div> </div><div>A FOSS one became <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MiNT">MiNT</a>, which is sometimes called FreeMINT.</div><div> </div><div>This became the basis of TOS 4, so "Mint is Not TOS" was redefined to mean <em>Mint is Now TOS</em>.</div><div> </div><div>There's a complete distro of FreeMINT with the TeraDesk multitasking desktop, called <a href="https://aranym.github.io/afros.html">AFROS</a>. It targets a FOSS ST emulator called <a href="https://aranym.github.io/">ARANyM</a>.</div><div> </div><div>One <a href="https://github.com/ragnar76/afros">version is on Github</a>.</div><div> </div><div>Some very minimal firmware to emulate just enough of TOS to boot the MINT replacement OS was developed, called <a href="https://emutos.sourceforge.io/">EmuTOS</a>.</div><div> </div><div>This eventually grew into a very complete FOSS clone of TOS+GEM. It even supports some Amiga hardware now!</div><div> </div><div>There's a 4min<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kYr5ftxyTA"> demo on Youtube</a>. </div><div> </div><div>EmuTOS went from a stub ROM that just reproduced something analogous to the kernel of MS-DOS to a full graphical OS, <em>using the PC GEM source code that Caldera made GPL</em>.</div><div> </div><div>So there is a lovely full circle here, where the ST version continued for years after Windows killed off the PC version, but then the PC version got open-sourced and was used to revive and modernise the ST version in the 21st century.</div><div><br /> </div><div>There's been a lot more GEM-related development in the last decade or two than you'd expect. This makes me happy. </div><br /><br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=liam_on_linux&ditemid=96552" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> comments