WELCOME

C64OS.com is the official website of C64 OS, a versatile operating system expansion for the Commodore 64 that gives you a whole new set of sophisticated tools in a powerful and unified user interface. With an REU you can enable Fast App Switching and have up to 30 Applications open at the same time.

The powerful File Manager is loaded with features. Recursively copy or move whole directory trees between any places on any devices. The tabbed interface lets you be in up to 4 places at the same time. The favorites, recents, path bar, and menu bar, access with a mouse or keyboard shortcuts, lets you whizz around all your drives at record speed.

App Launcher gives you multiple desktops. You can name your desektops and customize each with a different backdrop, hint color, and color coded aliases to C64 OS Apps, C64 OS Utilities and to original C64 games and programs.

C64 OS comes bundled with 11 Apps and 40 useful Utilities that can be opened and used concurrently with any C64 OS Application, including: A calculator, calendar, memo pad, SID music player, a timer and stopwatch, text viewer, memory inspector and much more.

Get your copy of C64 OS today.

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NEWS, EDITORIALS, REFERENCE

In the weblog, you'll find posts that cover news, editorial reviews, programming reference documents, technical deep dives into software and hardware, plus thoughts and progress updates on the development of C64 OS.

Over time my posts have gotten longer and more detailed. These in-depth posts take time research, write and edit. I have been keeping to steady pace of at least one such post a month. It is difficult to get regular readers if new content is not showing up more frequently. To help cope with this, the weblog also has an RSS feed. Subscribe to it, and you'll get new posts in your feed reader as soon as they're published. Or follow me on X (Twitter), where I announce each new post.

COMMODORE 8 BIT BUYER'S GUIDE

Commodore hardware is great. The architecture has proven to be very well designed as is still usable and expandable decades later. But in order to take advantage of that architecture design, you need to actually expand it by building or purchasing expansion hardware.

Commodore 8-bit computers have had lots of third-party supporting hardware. And while much of it is no longer commercially available, there are hundreds of modern projects and expansion options that are available and under development today. When I returned from my hiatus, I was amazed by the rich support the C64 still has, from hardware, software and publications. However, I learned about these things in dribs and drabs by haunting IRC channels, message boards and following C64 fans on X (Twitter).

The Commodore 8 Bit Buyer's Guide is a graphical catalog of all the hardware products, projects and kits I know of that are commercially available today. Product feature pages show high-res photos, link to the homepage, documentation and supporting software, include a mini review and product description and list prices and instructions on how you can buy the product for yourself.

Quick Links

View the Buyer's Guide now ⇒

C64 OS v1.08: AVAILABLE NOW

C64 OS version 1.08 comes with a professionally printed User's Guide, two promotional stickers, and a custom labeled System Card (SD Card) with a complete system pre-installed and ready to boot up. The System Card includes an OS archive and installation tools which can be used to install C64 OS on a different C64 mass storage device.

C64 OS v1.08 includes system-level files, plus, File Manager, App Launcher, Image Viewer, Wikipedia, C64 Archiver, and other Applications, 40 Utilities, including a help viewer, calculator, timer and stopwatch, calendar, memo pad, SID music player, and helper Utilities like Settings, File Info, and Open and Save dialogs. This system includes 28 hardware drivers, more than 25 shared libraries, 29 Toolkit classes, 20 data type loaders, and 65 desktop backdrops.

As a bonus, the System Card also comes with a CMD HD hard drive image and an IDE64 hard drive image pre-installed with C64 OS for use in the latest versions of VICE, as well as sample MText files, graphics files, and SID music.

Updates and expansion Apps and Utilities are available for download from the Official Software Updates page, to add to and expand the capabilities of the base C64 OS system.

Learn more about C64 OS ⇒

Purchase a copy of C64 OS, install on any number of Commodore computers and emulators, for your personal use and enjoyment. Install free software updates.

C64 OS Printed User's Manual, Bootable Volume on SD Card, and Stickers.

OPCODERS STORE

The OpCoders Store is now open. Where before we offered the purchase of C64 OS bundles, one at a time, the store gives you a proper cart. In addition to the operating system software bundles, we're offering goodies and extras and will be adding a selection of hardware devices that help you get the most out of C64 OS.

Visit the OpCoders Store ⇒

Special thanks to "The Sarge" for this beautiful C64 OS boot screen.
Bundled in the free update to C64 OS v1.05

C64 LUGGABLE PROJECT

In 2000 I acquired my first SX-64 Executive Computer. A luggable C64 with a built in 5" display, 1541 floppy drive and a unified power supply. All with a handle on the top. I heavily modified mine to include a SuperCPU, IDE64, CD-Rom drive, Ethernet adapter and High Speed RS232, all powered by a lightweight AT Power Supply.

But the SX-64 was built for a different time. Its display is a massive CRT block, 1-foot deep. The rest of the internal layout is modeled around this main feature. C64 Luggable is a project to build an all-in-one C64, oriented vertically rather than horizontally. It has a large 15" LCD display and foregoes old tech like a floppy drive, in favor of SD card and USB-based storage. Ethernet is a standard. And so are its front-mounted 4-player controller inputs, and rear-mounted PS/2 mouse and keyboard ports.

I love my Commodore computers and how expandable they are, but they have a tendency to take up a whole desk with sprawling peripherals and multiple power supplies. This is fun its own way, but it makes them inconvenient to take with you. C64 Luggable is a practical project for me, and a reference design for other people to be creatively inspired. It allows me to bring a C64 with me to my friends' houses, to remove the friction of getting them to be able to enjoy C64 demos and multi-player games with me. C64 Luggable helps me share the love of the C64 more easily and with more people.

Learn more about C64 Luggable ⇒

SUPPORT MY WORK

Dear Commodore 64 enthusiast,

I'm working hard on C64 OS, and I'm building it for you and for the Commodore community. Its combination of a zippy and consistent user interface, essential programming frameworks, and a suite of online proxy services, will give you a new way to enjoy your Commodore 64.

The C64OS.com weblog brings you quality reading material, programming and hardware reference, technical deep dives, product and event reviews, and updates on my progress.

The Buyer's Guide is the best way for you to find out about new and existing, commercially available, products, projects and kits for all Commodore 8-Bit computers. With large clear photos, detailed writeups, and standardized information on price and compatibility, links to documentation, third-party reviews, and specific instructions on how to buy, the Buyer's Guide is becoming the resource of choice for discovering what you want to get next and how to get it.

But, you guessed it. Providing you with all of this great content takes time, effort and money. The good news is that you can help out! You can make a real difference, and support the future of these great initiatives with a helpful contribution.

The easiest way to support my work is to purchase a commercial copy of C64 OS. If you have already purchased C64 OS and you want to provide additional support, you can always make a donation. Just buy me a cup of coffee. (I also accept Bitcoin.)