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'''FutureOS''' is an operating system for the Amstrad [[CPC6128|CPC6128]], 6128plus, [[C-ONE|C-One]] and [[CPC TREX|T-Rex1]]. The version for the CPCPlus supports some of its special features. FutureOS is developed by [[TFM|TFM]] of [[FutureSoft|FutureSoft]] in [[Z80|Z80]] assembler. Its development continues from 1989 up to now (2008). FutureOS allows the user to control the computer with with an icon section and a file section; it can deal with files up to 4 MB big in one piece. It has a dynamic memory management system, which divides RAM into 16 KB blocks. Further it supports a variety of hardware expansions. FutureOS is delivered together with basic utilities in the same ROMs.

'''FutureOS''' only runs well on a [[CPC6128|CPC6128]] or 6128plus (not CPC464 or 664), because of their support for RAM configuration C3 (essential for the mouse pointer).

== UI GUI ==

The work surface graphical user interface uses uses a point-and-click interface, though it is not completely graphical in its naturemouse pointer to select functions or files. The pointer can be controlled with a joystick, mouse, trackball or , light-penor the Grafpad II. There is no No command line. Therefore FutureOS stands somewhere in the middle between a console interface and a fully-fledged GUI, since there are not the classical elements of WIMP that characterize a GUI but also there is no command lineused.

Applications can call the UI GUI as a subroutine. The icons are fixed, so you will always work with find the icons at the same layoutposition.

Files can be viewed on-screen (scroll up and down) or printed. File FutureOS- and AmsDOS- file headers can also be viewed. When typing a text file it is possible to set the number of columns and lines of the window the text is displayed in.

Apart from the UI GUI mentioned above there is another surface for FutureOS, the command bar menu [[CBM|CBM]]. It consists of several flexible pull down menus and file selectors. You can easily use [[CBM|CBM]] for your own programs. Since all programs that use [[CBM|CBM]] look similar its also easy to use different programs in an intuitive way.

Filenames can use all 256 different characters and user areas from 0 to 254 (except for &E5, which is reserved for deleted files). Unlike Amsdos, a file that is erased under FutureOS is not shifted to user &E5, but is physically removed from the directory. File headers are displayed as AmsDOS files or the icon-like file-header of a FutureOS program. An AmsDOS file header has 128 bytes of which are unused. FutureOS makes use of those unused bytes so that files have a length definition of 24bit and can have a physical RAM select. Therefore a file can be defined to be loaded everywhere in the external RAM. Also a FutureOS file-header can contain a graphical icon, a textual icon or a short description of the file.

*''Plug and Play:'' If a hardware expansion is connected to the CPC FutureOS will '''automatically detect''' that expansion, initialise it and make it available to the user. The architecture of the OS allows you to add and remove hardware on purpose. The user can switch external hardware on or off in the configuration bytes (use ConfigOS utility).

A small machine monitor is also provided. This monitor provides features like CPU register editing, I/O ports, memory editing and display and manipulation of the ASIC contents (6128 Plus). Memory blocks can be copied or initialised. It is possible to call a routine with defined CPU registers and memory.