Re: OS/A+ DOS for Apple

["Liam Busey" <buseyl@yahoo.com>]

Carsten Strotmann wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I'm looking for technical background information on the Apple OS/A+ DOS.
> OS/A+ was a product of Optimized System Software (OSS). OSS Programmer
> Paul Laughton wrote (at least part) of Apple DOS 3 and Atari Dos 2.0 while
> at Shepardson Microsystems.
>
> I believe that OS/A+ Version 4 for Atari is part compatible with or
> similar to Apple DOS 3. We already have collected some technical
> information from the OS/A+ Handbook from the Atari Version at
> http://www.strotmann.de/twiki/bin/view/APG/OssAPlusFour
>
> But some values documented as "reserved" in the Atari Version seems to be
> used. Also the Atari Handbook makes a reverence to a DOS 3, and at the
> time of publication, no Atari DOS Version 3 exists (1982), so this might
> be Apple DOS 3.
>
> I would be happy if anyone knows about the Apple 2 Version of OS/A+. Was
> it used? Does anyone sell a copy of it? Or is a diskimage available?
>
> Best regards
>
> Carsten Strotmann
> Atari Bit Byter User Club (ABBUC)

Why don't you ask Paul Laughton himself? :)
http://www.laughton.com/Apple/Apple.html

I'm afraid I don't know anything about OS/A+. I however snarfed a
manual for an Apple product called CP/A off a website a couple years
back. The product was by Shepardson Microsystems and describes itself
as a command control program for the OSS disk operating system.

Paul also has a page on OSS. There's a picture off an OSS booth with
CP/A there.
www.laughton.com/paul/abps/oss/oss.html

OSS's products seem to be a continuation of Shepardson Microsystem's.

from the site:
/****************************************************************************************************
In late 1980, and early 1981, Bob Shepardson, owner of Shepardson
Microsystems, Inc., decided that the pain and trouble of having
employees wasn't justified by the amount of extra income (if any) that
he derived. Though we still occasionally function in a loose,
cooperative arrangement, the halcyon days of SMI seem to be over.

I negotiated with Bob Shepardson for his rights to the Atari products
(FMS, BASIC, and the Assembler/Editor) and their Apple II counterparts.
Thankfully, Atari had purchased from SMI only a non-exclusive right to
distribute these products. SMI had retained the rights to license other
users on a similar non-exclusive basis (and, indeed, SMI sold a version
for the Apple II during most of 1980).

So now it was frantic time again: this was February 25, 1981, and the
West Coast Computer Faire was April 3rd. But our brand new company,
Optimized Systems Software, arrived on time, bringing with it BASIC A
+, OS/A + and EASMD. All three were enhanced, disk-based versions of
the original Atari programs (and, in fact, derived some of their
enhancements from the previous 055 Apple II products).
****************************************************************************************************/

There may be some relation. I can email you the CP/A manual if you
like. Unfortunately, I have no disks to offer. :(


Liam Busey