KAMAS, an acronym for ''Knowledge and Mind Amplification System'', from Compusophic Systems, then Kamasoft (

Aloha, Oregon Aloha (, not ) is a census-designated place and unincorporated community in Washington County, Oregon, United States. By road it is west of downtown Portland. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 53,828. Fire protection and EMS services a ...

), 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 outlines, which are text files which have a tree structure, for organization. Textual information is contained in discrete sections c ...

or outline processor, and the first for CP/M. 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. Word processor (electronic device), Early word processors were stand-alone devices ded ...

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 oper ...

, Microsoft Windows, and the

Apple An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple trees are cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus '' Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, where its wild ances ...

Mac Mac or MAC most commonly refers to: * Mac (computer), a family of personal computers made by Apple Inc. * Mackintosh, a raincoat made of rubberized cloth * A variant of the word macaroni, mostly used in the name of the dish mac and cheese * Mac, ...

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 Scotla ...

. 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 (''"eighty-eighty"'') is the second 8-bit microprocessor designed and manufactured by Intel. It first appeared in April 1974 and is an extended and enhanced variant of the earlier 8008 design, although without binary compatibil ...

and NEC V20 and V30 compatibility (KAMAS required a

Zilog Z80 The Z80 is an 8-bit computing, 8-bit microprocessor introduced by Zilog as the startup company's first product. The Z80 was conceived by Federico Faggin in late 1974 and developed by him and his 11 employees starting in early 1975. The first wor ...

). 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 Application may refer to: Mathematics and computing * Application software, computer software designed to help the user to perform specific tasks ** Application layer, an abstraction layer that specifies protocols and interface methods used in a c ...

written for the CP/M operating system. Its "home" computer was the

Kaypro Kaypro Corporation was an American home and personal computer manufacturer based out of San Diego in the 1980s. The company was founded by Non-Linear Systems (NLS) to compete with the popular Osborne 1 portable microcomputer. Kaypro produced a ...

. 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 A think tank, or policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governmental or ...

, 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 in April 26th, 1983 as the successor to the TRS-80 Model III. The M ...

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