SymbOS

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SymbOS

Screenshot of the SymbOS desktop on the Amstrad CPC
Developer	SymbiosiS
Written in	Assembly language (Zilog Z80)
Working state	Current
Source model	Freeware
Initial release	1 May 2006; 19 years ago (2006-05-01)
Latest release	4.0 / 31 January 2025; 3 months ago (2025-01-31)
Available in	English
Platforms	Amstrad CPC, MSX, Amstrad PCW, Amstrad NC100, Amstrad NC200, Enterprise 64/128, ZX Spectrum Next, Virtual Machine
Kernel type	Microkernel
Default user interface	Graphical user interface
Official website	www.symbos.de

SYmbiosis Multitasking Based Operating System (SymbOS) is a multitasking operating system for Zilog Z80-based 8-bit computer systems.

Unlike early 8-bit operating systems, SymbOS is based on a microkernel, which provides preemptive and priority-oriented multitasking and manages random-access memory (RAM) with a size of up to 1024 KB. It has a Windows-like graphical user interface (GUI), supports hard disks with a capacity of up to 128 GB and can already be booted on an unexpanded Amstrad CPC-6128, a 128K-MSX2 and an Amstrad PCW.

As of January 31, 2025, it is available for the Amstrad CPC, Amstrad PCW models, Amstrad NC series of computers, Enterprise 64/128, the ZX Spectrum Next, all MSX models starting from the MSX2 standard, MSX with V9990 graphics chip, CPC-TREX, C-ONE and as a Virtual Machine for running on modern hardware.^[1]