One of the early GUI operating systems for the PC, that is still being developed today, is GEM. GEM is an operating system that was originally created by Digital Research in the early 1980s. GEM was described as providing a Mac like GUI for the PC – long before Microsoft Windows 3.1 or 95. Today GEM continues to be developed as FreeGEM and old and new versions of the GEM OS and GEM applications can be downloaded for free (see links below). The history of Digital Research and GEM is quite interesting, as GEM had the potential to become the “Windows” (or Mac) of the PC world. [Plus the fact that GEM is still available currently, and provides a nice GUI operating system for older or newer computers.]

DIGITAL RESEARCH AND CP/M

Digital Research was the company that developed CP/M for the early personal/home computers. Many of the computers that existed before the IBM PC used the CP/M operating system. CP/M was a text based operating system, similar to DOS, however, CP/M existed long before DOS. In fact, is appears that DOS used CP/M as a model. Of course, there are those who would point out that CP/M was modeled after unix.

When IBM was looking for an operating system for their soon to be introduced PC, CP/M was chosen. However, when IBM first approached Digital Research about using CP/M, the company’s founder, Gary Kildall, was out of the office for the day. With Gary gone, Kildall’s wife and business associates were reluctant to sign the stringent IBM nondisclosure agreement. The IBM representatives left Digital Research without ever explaining the reason for their visit. [note: various versions of the above story exist, but this seems to be the general consensus.]

IBM looked next to Microsoft, as they believed Microsoft had the rights to CP/M. Microsoft didn’t, but they didn’t tell IBM this. What they did have was knowledge of the Seattle Computer Company, which had developed QDOS (Quick and Dirty Operating System). They quickly made a deal, and sold the operating system to IBM. With this, DOS soon became the new standard.

THE GUI PROJECT: GEM

Around that time (the early 80s) most personal companies recognized that GUI based operating systems were the future. Apple was developing the Lisa computer, with its GUI operating system, which was released in 1983. With CP/M losing out, Digital research was working on its next operating system, GEM.

GEM was first shown at a computer show in 1983. Although similar in concept to Windows 3.1, GEM was especially interesting is it was quite similar to the Lisa or Macintosh GUI, (or like Windows 9x) in that it had a desktop, menus that pulled down from the top, windows, folders, a trash can, a calculator, and so on. Again, see the links below for examples of the original GEM and today’s version.

A few years ago I talked to a computer specialist who told me of his reaction when he saw GEM running on a PC in the mid 1980s. It made quite an impression on him. To him it was the Mac OS running on a PC. He said he was convinced that it was over for Windows. Windows 3.1 was still a few years away, and in his opinion, the current version of Windows (version 1 or 2) was no match for GEM. He expected Windows to just “go away.”

Later versions of GEM were altered a bit, as Apple Computer thought GEM looked too much like the Mac GUI and took Digital Research to court. The trash icon was removed and a few other things were changed in later versions. Still, GEM continued to be developed for the PC, and various GEM applications, such as word processors and publishing software were created for it.