A really wierd OS and a quest for information.

[Kingsnapped]

Wayyyy back in the day (circa 1994-95) my first major exposure to computers was at my dad's office. He had just gotten top-of-the line Acer computers. In addition to windows 95(!) there was as I remember, another OS on it.
The theme was a Lion, and I belive it was an OS designed by Acer. On the sides, there were tabs for different groups of Applications. All of this is back when I was 8 or so, so I'm not too clear on the specifics.
I can't find anything on Google, or Acer's site. Does anybody remember anything about this obviously ill-fated attempt as a new OS? Why they attempted to make it? Or was it just a skin of some sort for Windows? I know it's not really a Mac related question, but you're the only computer-y people I have any faith in. Thank you much.

[Stelliform]

Originally posted by Kingsnapped
On the sides, there were tabs for different groups of Applications.

I think I might know what you are talking about, but I cannot for the life of me remember the name. The GUI I am thinking of came with the AOL ver 1.0 (or 1.1) floppy to give your DOS PC a GUI. It wasn't an OS, since it sat on DOS.

I am going to poke around and see if I can figure out the one I am thinking of...


Geos was the name of the one I was thinking of. (thank you google groups...)

Here is a link. No Tabs... Sorry

(BTW that site is cool! It has dozens of old GUIs archived...)

[Powerbook G5]

Acer had its own desktop GUI environment that came with their brand new Windows 95 computers, I know since my parents got a 90 MHz Acer Aspire back when 95 had just came out. It was called the Acer Computer Explorer or something like that (for some reason the word "ACE" comes to mind) and the GUI reminds me of the "button" view of OS 8/9 days and was a terrible GUI that hogged resources and RAM like crazy.

[Kingsnapped]

PBG5, that sounds about right. I believe it came on the first incarnation of the Acer Media Desktop.

[Powerbook G5]

If your parents kept the CDs with it, the Acers shipped with a special CD restore with that GUI on it so I bet you could install it on a PC and relive those days if you ever wanted. In fact, I think I still have the CDs somewhere at home, I have floppies and CDs dating back to the old 286 Packard Bell we first got.

[Kingsnapped]

They were at a business that my dad worked at. If they still exist somewhere, it would be a hell of a challenge to go back there and convince them to surrender them to me.

[expert01]

Sorry for dragging up an old post like this, but I just found it while searching for Acer Computer Explorer.

The Acer Computer Explorer (ACE Desktop) is a Windows shell made by Medius IV (http://www.medius-iv.com/) for Acer Computer Corporation. It was released only for Acer Aspire machines, with a primitive Windows 3.1 (version 1.x) and a Windows 9x version (up to version 4.01). The Windows 9x version features several folders on the left side of the screen, each of which opens in the main part of the window with many different program icons. This program runs in full screen mode, hiding novice users from the main Windows 95 interface. It also has an install feature similar to the Add Programs wizard for Win95, but with the addition of specific applications for the Aspire computer it was installed on. It comes with five themes: Fusion, Sandstone, Metallic, Photoreal, and Cartoon. The default style is Cartoon. It has built-in support for multiple users in Windows 95, as well as restricted access for certain users. The shell was used on most Acer Aspire systems sold through 1997.

The actual desktop consists of a vertical folder bar on the left side of the screen, a central desktop, and a menu to the upper-right of the screen (with the following options: Exit, Minimize, Help, Options, and Install). The desktop will dislay 6 folders per page at 640x480, 8 folders per page at 800x600, 10 folders per page at 1024x768, 12 folders per page at 1152x864 (there is no limit to resolution); the folders can have custom graphics and titles. The desktop displays icons (like the normal Windows desktop), with the addition that it also has two pages. The maximum number of buttons for both pages are: 40@640; 70@800; 134@1024. The entire program does not minimize (unless a Minimize All command is used). The program runs in place of the desktop background. It is skinnable, but each skin involves much graphics editing and would need a registry patch.

This program also comes with a screensaver. The screensaver will display user selected pictures on the screen in 2 rows of 3 (at a time).

Known bugs under Windows XP: If you add icons to the desktop it will delete some icons, freeze, and not allow you to move to another folder. This problem does not exist in compatibility mode (Windows 95 mode, no themes, no advanced text services). Also, the program will not cover the taskbar (best to set taskbar to background and minimise).

An interesting tidbit that I read but never experienced: "apparantly, Acer built into their ACE software a Wizard, or a Deamon type program that handled the Interrupt generated by a General Protection Fault, and especially the Blue Screen of Death!! A message would appear, informing of the problem, and an Amber colored Arrow would slowly move accross the taskbar from Right to Left, approaching the Start Button but bouncing off of it three or four times!!! The whole thing lasted no more than 20 seconds. But, and here is the neat part, the system DID NOT FREEZE, and you didn't have to touch the Start Button...just do the EXACT same thing that caused the Blue Screen of Death and Voila!, no BSD, just continue processing!!! In other words, Acer implemented a Operating System Supervisory Program that repaired Windows on THE FLY!!!"

Screenshot Gallery http://img225.exs.cx/gal.php?g=aceaddfolder5qs.jpg


I'm trying to find the download I have for it (versions 1.1, 2, 3, and 4.01) but it is probably on my other hard drive, which has a servo failure on the seek arm.