Last week we saw the official release of the C64 OS v1.0. What is C64 OS you say? C64 OS is the brainchild of Gregory Nacu and he’s been working on the project for the last five years. In a nutshell, C64 OS is a modern operating system add-on designed to balance power and add the modern ease of use we have on PCs to the C64. This sounds similar to the first couple of versions of Windows which were overlayed on top of MS-DOS.
A licensed copy of C64 OS v1.0 includes:
The Starter Bundle (16 MB System Card)
$59 CAD which is approx $43 USD – before tax and shipping fees
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- Access to the 3,500 word online Getting Started Guide
- Access to the complete 75,000 word online User’s Guide
- A 42-page full-color professionally printed User’s Guide Supplement
- A pre-installed copy of C64 OS v1.0 on a System Card (16 MB or 64 MB SD Card)
- An installation archive and install tools for C64 OS v1.0 for other storage media
- App Launcher, File Manager, C64 Archiver, 3 additional Applications, and over 25 Utilities, plus 10 KERNAL modules, 12 Drivers, 18 Libraries, 24 Toolkit classes, and 8 additional Tools
- A high-quality promotional C64 OS vinyl sticker
- Access to ongoing patches, bug fixes, and feature updates to C64 OS v1.0
- Access to new non-commercial Applications and Utilities for C64 OS
- Access to a C64 OS Discord server for support, help, bug reporting, news and community
The Standard Bundle (64 MB System Card) comes with these bonuses:
$64 CAD which is approx $47 USD – before tax and shipping fees
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- A pre-installed CMD HD hard drive image of C64 OS v1.0 for use in VICE
- A collection of C64 graphics files that can be viewed with Image Viewer
- A collection of popular HVSC SID tunes that have been relocated for use in C64 OS
Perifractic from the Youtube Retro Recipes channel has already obtained an early copy and created the first comprehensive review of C64 OS. Make sure you watch this before you purchase a copy so you can make an informed decision.
Minimum Hardware Requirements
- A Commodore 64 computer
- A Joystick
- An SD2IEC drive
Recommended Hardware
- A Commodore 64, C64c, Ultimate 64, C128 or C128D computer
- A 1351 mouse or compatible adapter
- An IDE64, SD2IEC, CMD HD or RamLink
- A Ram Expansion Unit or 1541 Ultimate II+
- JiffyDOS KERNAL ROM*
- A ZiModem WiFi Modem (support coming in the future)
Alternative Requirements
C64 OS can also be installed in the VICE emulator, and use VICE’s support for an emulated 1351 mouse and CMD HD.
- A Mac or PC
- VICE version 3.5 or greater
Conclusion
So what do you think? Is C64 OS something you’re going to try out on your C64, C128, or Ultimate 64 board? What do you find interesting about it? Did you watch the video above? Are you going to purchase additional hardware in order to use it at its full potential or do you already have everything you need to make it fast?
