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Desktop Environment System

1,787 bytes added, 20:20, 22 September 2006
Rewrote article
[[Image:DES.gif|thumb|320px|DES screen shotScreenshot of ''Desktop Environment System'']]
''Desktop Environment System'DES'(shortened to ''DES'' (Desktop Environment System) is a graphical user interface (GUI) for the Amstrad CPC which was programmed by [[Michael Beckett]] and released by [[Campursoft]]on both disc and ROM. Its The disc version cost £14.99, and the ROM version cost £24.99. The ROM version occupied two ROMs and booted directly into the GUI environment, bypassing the BASIC command line entirely (although this could be prevented by holding down the SPACE bar). The aim of ''DES'' was to realise a system similiar that was similar to graphical user interfaces for other computers, such as ''GEOS '' on the C64, ''Microsoft Windows'' for PCs, and ''Mac OS'' for the Apple Macintosh. Applications could be started from a desktop and used the GUI library of ''DES''. Control of the cursor was done either performed through a mouse (such as the [[AMX Mouse]]), a joystick, or the keyboard (using the cursor keys). == Applications == Unlike the many other graphical user interfaces for instancethe CPC that had been released previously, ''DES'' allowed programmers to write their own applications, thanks to the built-in library of routines (which were accessed in a similar way to the CPC's own firmware routines) or joystick . Campursoft hoped that if external ''DES'' applications were programmed, then ''DES'' would become more popular. However, only a few applications were ever released: * CPC Disc Editor (slow!Michael Beckett)* DES Camera Utility (Michael Beckett) - a utility to grab and save screenshots from within ''DES''* Desktop Organise ([[ChaRleyTroniC|Richard Fairhurst]])* DES Tape Archiver (Michael Beckett)* [[DesText]] ([[Wild Thang|Richard Wildey]]) - a front-end for [[Arnor]]'s ''[[Protext]]'' word processor* Directory Printer (Richard Wildey) == Reviews == [[Clur Hodgson]] reviewed ''DES'' in the March 1994 issue of ''[[Amstrad Action]]'' (issue 102), giving it an overall rating of 84%Richard Fairhurst reviewed ''DES'' in issue 1 of ''[[Better than Life]]'', giving it an overall rating of 75%. == Links == * [http://www.kjthacker.f2s.com/docs/desprog.pdf ''Desktop Environment System'' Programmer's Guide] (PDF file)
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