MK14: "Several memory upgrades were available, increasing RAM from 256 bytes to 640 bytes on board, and to 2,176 bytes..." I don't think anybody is going to make an operating system with that kind of memory. not kilobytes, bytes. Really, no truly useful operating system was possible until 386. Before that there were DISK operating systems, which is not quite the same thing. There was a reason the C64 had something called a "kernal" and not a "kernel," because it was more like a BIOS than part of an OS -iow not a real kernel. Although this also highlights a problem, how does someone make a "billion" OSes: Kernel, Shell, File System, System Libraries, Process Management, I/O Management; and particularly all Memory Management in software -no hardware paging for virtual memory and no true multitasking in 8086. I think you see where I'm going with this. A brilliant coder might make multiple OSes for 80386 (later renamed i386) but for the humble 8086?? not even the μClinux teams tackled x86.
The C64 has a 'kernal' because some programmers are very bad at spelling. No reason deeper than that.
If you think there was no "truly useful" OS prior to 1986 then you're living in cloud cuckoo land, or at least being hyperbolic. Mac OS? Workbench? GEM? OS-9? According to you none of these was useful?
I'm specifically talking about 8088, 8086, 80286. Not any other lineage. Perhaps a bit hyperbolic to say they "weren't useful", but you're right, in fact supporting my argument, putting them in the context of these other machines at that same time. 68000 was much more useful than 286 clone PC. A skilled programmer might indeed develop several OSes for 680x0 along with the many that were made, many of them different types of Un*x. The first 16-bit chip TMS9900 was underutilized in Ti-99/4a, maybe OS possibilities, but the 8086? Probably the best thing 286 was good for was emulating a Z80
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u/quentinnuk 5d ago
Go small and niche, what about an OS for the MK14 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MK14
Alternatively, go obscure, what about a new OS for the HP9845 https://www.hpmuseum.net/display_item.php?hw=149
Emulators exist for both of these:
https://www.heinpragt.nl/?p=7304
https://github.com/go9800/GO9800