Oases

 

Product name: Oases Publisher: Esquimalt Digital Logic, Canada UK distributor: Floppyshop Contact: 01224 312756 Cost: £22  Requires: 1Mb memory minimum Pros: Solid pre-emptive multitasking Cons: No software, no prospects Score: 40%

 
 

Frank Charlton revisits this cross-platform operating system...

Changing platforms has been an issue close to the hearts of Atari users for several years now. In an ideal world, every computer would be capable of running the same programs. We're not talking about a global corporation shoving their system down our throats, just a decent level of interoperability between platforms. Esquimalt Digital Logic thinks so too, and was the idea behind Oases.

The basic Oases Desktop offers windows like GEM, but no drive or program icons

OMEn of Doom?

Oases is an operating system which runs across multiple computer platforms. The idea is any software written under one version of Oases should run instantly on any other version. Originally, Oases was released as OMEn, the Open Multitasking Environment and Esquimalt began development on the PC, Mac, Amiga and Atari platforms. Currently Amiga and PC development seems to have stalled which somewhat dents the lofty aspirations.

Oases is an operating system, just like TOS/GEM and MagiC, except Oases doesn't run Atari software at all! Software has to be programmed specifically for Oases, which brings us to the first major obstacle. For Oases to succeed as a true cross-platform solution, software authors on the PC and Mac - especially the world-dominating PC - would need to re-develop their flagship applications from scratch. Without several major new applications Oases is destined to remain a curiosity.

Steamy Windows

Oases runs under a graphical windowed system, similar to XWindows used on UNIX machines and looks nothing like GEM. The basic desktop has no drive or program icons - everything is controlled via the Oases File Manager. To open a window containing a drive's contents, you click on the 'Disks' section in the Manager. Likewise, programs are launched by clicking the crude text display offered by Manager windows. To open a document, you either have the choice of clicking the file itself to launch the parent application, or picking up the file from the Manager window and dropping it into the open window of a program you're already running. This drag and drop system makes file selectors redundant, but it's difficult to get used to. Windows can be closed and moved as with GEM, but without close boxes and title bars, it can get confusing.

The core of the Oases system seems stable, providing a solid working environment but the fly in the Oases ointment is obviously software, or rather the lack of it. When I first looked at Oases years ago, it included a few simple applications - a basic paint program, a word processor and a few file conversion utilities. Years later they're still there but worst of all none of them come close to holding a candle to current Atari equivalents.

Multimedia Mayhem

The one major addition to the Oases stable is called Interactive Author. Basically, it's intended to be a multimedia development system and can create 'Interactive Textbooks' for educational or home use. Each book can contain text, sound, video footage (thankfully a program to create your own using the Vidi digitisers is supplied) and hyperlinks to other elements. Although Interactive Author is fun to play around with it doesn't break any new ground and you could create more stylish true cross-platform documents on a basic ST using HTML and a copy of CAB.

Interactive Author is used to create multimedia documents. It's easy to use, but lacks power features

Oases is a brave attempt at solving the thorny question of cross-platform compatibility. Unfortunately, the slow development - it seems no more advanced than the old OMEn ever was - coupled with the dire software available is likely to kill any hope it ever had of succeeding. Oases has not significantly penetrated the PC and Mac markets which leaves it an interesting curiosity rather than a serious alternative to any of the established operating systems.