City of Armadale - History House > Records

GEOS USERS GUIDE FOR THE COMMODORE 64 COMPUTER

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Berkeley Softworks

c. 1986 - 1994

Overview

A book, with white pages, split into seven sections detailing the operation of GEOS (acronym for Graphic Environment Operating Systems).
The front cover has text [COMMODORE 64 C / PERSONAL COMPUTER / GEOS / QUANTUM LINK / The Commodore®Connection / User's Guide] and a globe with a depiction of the American continents.
The back cover has text [COMMODORE TM® / Copyright © 1986 by Berkeley Softworks. All rights reserved. / Commodore is a registered trademark of Commodore Electronics Limited / Commodore 64C is a trademark of Commodore Electronics Limited. / GEOS is a trademark of Berkeley Softworks.]. Text in the bottom middle is [Berkeley Softworks / 2150 Shattuck Avenue / Berkeley, CA 94704], in the bottom left is [Commodore Business Machines, Inc / 1200 Wilson Drive West Chester / PA 19380 / 319883-07] and bottom right is [Commodore Business Machines, Limited / 3470 Pharmacy Avenue Agincourt, Ontario M1W 3G3].

Historical information

The Commodore 64, also known as C64, was a home computer introduced in January 1982 by Commodore International. The C64 name came from its 64 kilobytes of RAM. Retailing at US$595 (equivalent to $1545 USD in 2018) and selling 17 million units worldwide during its lifetime, it was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as being the highest-selling single computer model of all time. Between 1983 and 1986, the C64 outsold its competitors' products, IBM PC Compatibles, Apple Computers, and Atari 8-bit. This was achieved through selling at regular retail stores, rather than at electronics and computer specialist stores. Aproximately 10,000 software titles were made for the C64, including office productivity applications, development tools and video games. It was discontinued in April 1994, although it remains popular in society today with collectors and computer enthusiasts. In 2018, the C64 mini 'retro' console was announced, introducing a new generation to the wonders of the C64.

Details

Registration number

cwa-org-33-COA2010.89

Item type

Books

Themes

People
Social History

Material

Ink

Paper

Width

134 mm

Height or length

213 mm

Depth

12 mm

Inscriptions and markings

Berkeley Softworks Commodore Electronics Limited

Keywords

LLEVANO Lee & DEL SESTO Enc E

BERKELEY California

Commodore Business Machines Pty Ltd

ARMADALE

Albany Highway

BROWN Ken Mr

Place made

Berkeley
California
United States

Year

c. 1986 - 1994

Statement of significance

This object is part of a collection that represents the types of technology that were used on a daily basis by people who lived in worked in the City of Armadale. The collection represents how technology has influenced how people lived, worked and played within the City of Armadale. The collection also is representative of how technology evolves and can become obsolete which in turn can make pastimes, jobs and skills evolve or become obsolete.

Comparative significance criteria

Interpretive capacity

Rare or representative

Well provenanced

City of Armadale - History House

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