# MetaComCo

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English software company

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MetaComCo Type Limited Industry Software Founded 1981 Defunct 1988 Fate Bankrupt Headquarters Bristol , England Key people Peter Mackeonis Products BASIC interpreters AmigaDOS

**MetaComCo** (**MCC**) was a computer systems [software](/source/Software) company started in 1981 and based in [Bristol](/source/Bristol), England by Peter Mackeonis and Derek Budge. A division of Tenchstar, Ltd.

MetaComCo's first product was an [MBASIC](/source/MBASIC) compatible [interpreter](/source/Interpreter_(computing)) for [IBM PCs](/source/IBM_PC), which was licensed by Peter Mackeonis to [Digital Research](/source/Digital_Research) in 1982, and issued as the Digital Research Personal Basic, running under [CP/M](/source/CP%2FM). Other [computer languages](/source/Computer_language) followed, also licensed by Digital Research and MetaComCo established an office in [Pacific Grove, California](/source/Pacific_Grove%2C_California), to service their United States customers.

In 1984 Dr. Tim King joined the company, bringing with him a version of the operating system [TRIPOS](/source/TRIPOS) for the [Motorola 68000](/source/Motorola_68000) [processor](/source/Central_processing_unit) which he had previously worked on whilst a researcher at the [University of Cambridge](/source/University_of_Cambridge).

This [operating system](/source/Operating_system) was used as the basis of [AmigaDOS](/source/AmigaDOS) (file-related functions of [AmigaOS](/source/AmigaOS)); MetaComCo won the contract from [Commodore](/source/Commodore_International) because the original planned [Amiga](/source/Amiga) [disk operating system](/source/Disk_operating_system) called Commodore Amiga Operating System (CAOS) was behind schedule; timescales were incredibly tight and [TRIPOS](/source/TRIPOS) provided a [head start](/source/Head_start_(positioning)) for a replacement system.

MetaComCo also developed ABasiC for the [Amiga](/source/Amiga), the first [BASIC interpreter](/source/BASIC_interpreter) provided with Amigas. MetaComCo also worked with [Atari Corporation](/source/Atari_Corporation) to produce the BASIC initially provided with the [Atari ST](/source/Atari_ST) in 1985: [ST BASIC](/source/ST_BASIC).

The company also sold the [Lattice C](/source/Lattice_C) [compiler](/source/Compiler) for the [Sinclair QL](/source/Sinclair_QL) and the [Atari ST](/source/Atari_ST) and range of other languages (e.g. Pascal, BCPL) for m68k-based computers. MetaComCo also represented [LISP](/source/LISP) and [REDUCE](/source/REDUCE) software from the [RAND Corporation](/source/RAND_Corporation).

Several of the team at MetaComCo went on to found [Perihelion Software](/source/Perihelion_Software). Mackeonis founded Triangle Publishing, the software publishing company responsible for creating the *ST Organizer* for the Atari ST and *PC Organizer* and *Counterpoint* (a [GUI](/source/Graphical_user_interface) system) for [Amstrad](/source/Amstrad) Computers and [GoldStar](/source/GoldStar) computers.

MetaComCo BASIC was available on the [Singapore Teleview](/source/Singapore_Teleview) videotext receiver.

MetaComCo was disestablished in 1988

## References

- Finkel, Andy. "In the beginning was CAOS". *Amiga Transactor*. 1988. [\[1\]](https://haynie.amigaworld.de/caos.html)

- Reimer, Jeremy. "A history of the Amiga", [Ars Technica](/source/Ars_Technica) [\[2\]](https://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/amiga-history-4-commodore-years.ars/2) Oct 2007.

- Peck, Robert. [The ABasiC manual](http://amiga-manuals.xiik.net/applications/ABasiC%20-%20Manual-ENG.rar)[*[permanent dead link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Link_rot)*]. 1985.

## External links

- [Amiga portal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Amiga)

- [Overview](https://www.atarimagazines.com/st-log/issue20/85_1_REVIEW_METACOMCO_OVERVIEW.php)

- [Programming the 68000 by Metacomco](https://nosher.net/archives/computers/percw_1986-12_metacomco)

- [History](https://www.stcarchiv.de/hc1987/11/metacomco) (German)

v t e Amiga companies Property owner Amiga, Inc. Original developer Amiga Corporation Mainly hardware ACube Systems Srl Genesi NewTek Mainly software Hyperion Entertainment MetaComCo Other companies - Former Amiga, Inc. (South Dakota) Commodore Escom Eyetech Gateway Great Valley Products Phase5 Xetec

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