KAMAS, an acronym for ''Knowledge and Mind Amplification System'', from Compusophic Systems, then Kamasoft ( Aloha, Oregon), was, in the 1980s the most influential

outliner An outliner (or outline processor) is a specialized type of text editor (word processor) used to create and edit Outline (list), outlines, which are text files which have a tree structure or a tree view, for organization. Textual information is co ...

or outline processor, and the first for

CP/M CP/M, originally standing for Control Program/Monitor and later Control Program for Microcomputers, is a mass-market operating system created in 1974 for Intel 8080/Intel 8085, 85-based microcomputers by Gary Kildall of Digital Research, Dig ...

. It was a type of

word processor A word processor (WP) is a device or computer program that provides for input, editing, formatting, and output of text, often with some additional features. Early word processors were stand-alone devices dedicated to the function, but current word ...

that edited outline elements, enabling showing, hiding, promotion, demotion, and moving (cutting and pasting) of outline trees ("branches"). Each string of text occupied a "leaf". While some modern word processing programs include limited outline capability, none has the features of KAMAS. A number of outline processors exist for

MS-DOS MS-DOS ( ; acronym for Microsoft Disk Operating System, also known as Microsoft DOS) is an operating system for x86-based personal computers mostly developed by Microsoft. Collectively, MS-DOS, its rebranding as IBM PC DOS, and a few op ...

Microsoft Windows Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...

, and the

Apple An apple is a round, edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus'' spp.). Fruit trees of the orchard or domestic apple (''Malus domestica''), the most widely grown in the genus, are agriculture, cultivated worldwide. The tree originated ...

Mac Mac or MAC may refer to: Common meanings * Mac (computer), a line of personal computers made by Apple Inc. * Mackintosh, a raincoat made of rubberized cloth * Mac, a prefix to surnames derived from Gaelic languages * McIntosh (apple), a Canadi ...

platforms. None has achieved a significant market share, or the enthusiastic user base which supported KAMAS. Adam Trent was president of Kamasoft and the central figure in the development of the program. The initial price was $147. In addition to the outline processor, KAMAS was also released with a programming language, a threaded interpreter most similar to

FORTH Forth or FORTH may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''forth'' magazine, an Internet magazine * ''Forth'' (album), by The Verve, 2008 * ''Forth'', a 2011 album by Proto-Kaw * Radio Forth, a group of independent local radio stations in Scotl ...

. It was found to be "complex and not easily learned," and most purchasers of KAMAS never used it. A simpler version without the programming facilities, Out-Think, was released in 1986. The code was retooled for

8080 The Intel 8080 is Intel's second 8-bit microprocessor. Introduced in April 1974, the 8080 was an enhanced successor to the earlier Intel 8008 microprocessor, although without binary compatibility.'' Electronic News'' was a weekly trade newspa ...

and NEC V20 and V30 compatibility (KAMAS required a

Zilog Z80 The Zilog Z80 is an 8-bit computing, 8-bit microprocessor designed by Zilog that played an important role in the evolution of early personal computing. Launched in 1976, it was designed to be Backward compatibility, software-compatible with the ...

). The price was $69.95; the price for KAMAS had dropped to $99.95. Some disks of auxiliary utility programs were sold.Untitled, http://gopherproxy.meulie.net/gopher.floodgap.com/0/archive/walnut-creek-cd-simtel/LAMBDA/CATALOG.TXT, retrieved September 2015; untitled, http://www.retroarchive.org/cpm/cdrom/_BBS/WC30/ALLFILES.TXT, retrieved September 2015 KAMAS, released in 1984, was the last important application written for the

operating system. Its "home" computer was the

Kaypro Kaypro Corporation was an American home and personal computer manufacturer based in Solana Beach, California, in the 1980s. The company was founded by Non-Linear Systems (NLS) to compete with the popular Osborne 1 portable microcomputer. Kaypro ...

. An

version was released, without the programming language. The only output was print, or an untagged file image of the printed output, which required extensive editing to import into a word processing program. Except for a limited export in the MS-DOS version to other outline processors such as ThinkTank, there was no file export mechanism preserving the outline structure, nor did any third party develop a converter.

References

External links

* * * {{cite web , url= http://chiclassiccomp.org/docs/content/computing/Kamasoft/KamasV2flyer.pdf , title= Brochure advertising Version 2, the MS-DOS version, price $69.95 , accessdate=7 September 2014

''80 Micro'' review of KAMAS running on

TRS-80 Model 4 The TRS-80 Model 4 is the last Z80-based home computer family by Radio Shack, sold from April 1983 through late 1991. Model 4 Tandy Corporation introduced the TRS-80 Model 4 on April 26, 1983 as the successor to the TRS-80 Model III. The ...

under Montezuma CP/M

''Byte'' product preview of KAMAS including short example of KAMAS program code CP/M software Outliners DOS software

References

Further reading

External links