lunarOS History by openrain502r

Zia Technologies (a subsidiary of Zia Inc.) initially started as Astro Systems (At this point, it was only Astro Systems. Astro Inc. and its derivatives would be founded in 1991), starting as a distributor for the IBM System/360, alongside making some addons for it in collaboration with IBM.

The first version of AstroDOS was quite simple and was designed exclusively for the System/360 with the CRT addon. Distributed on punch tape, it wasn't successful due to its high price (costing about USD 6500 in 1965 money, about USD 53k today), but Astro still decided to continue making versions of AstroDOS, for the System/360, and transitioning to the IA-16 architecture in 5.0, 6.0 and 7.0. Around this time, Astro made various applications to try and sway people to use AstroDOS; those being Writer, Database, Sheets, and Presenter. All of these would later appear in Astro Suite. Astro also made some computer systems to try and sway audiences, ranging from the AstroSystem I in 1973 to the AstroSystem 3 in 1983.

Just like the launch of AstroDOS, the introduction of AstroGUI for AstroDOS, MS-DOS, and PC-DOS also required a specialized piece of hardware to work; a two-button mouse that plugged into the serial port. AstroGUI was decently successful for the time, especially due to ImaginEdit 1.0 (an exclusive app to LunarGUI), though the UI was criticized for being plagiaristic of the Apple Lisa, which was released 3 months prior. Despite this, a second version was put into production. This version added EGA support, allowing color on a high resolution, and was generally more successful, alongside the SimpleAstro, PowerAstro, and PortableAstro, which were all released alongside it. It was hampered however by the launch of Microsoft's Windows, and the Apple Macintosh. It was only when version 3 was released that it was more successful than Windows, putting Astro into the main market.

While version 3 was more or less a more feature-rich version of 2 that had more optimization (ala Vista to 7), there wasn't much under the hood that was changed, which was criticized. Still, many third parties began making software for AstroGUI, including Astro themselves, releasing their previous apps in AstroSuite. 4.0 introduced better font support and changed the name to LunarGUI. More OEMs began including AstroGUI instead of DOS and Windows in their PCs as well, such as the updated versions of the Simple/Power/PortableAstro, called Simple/Power/PortableAstro+. Around this time, Astro released their first console, the Astro Gaming System as an entry in the 4th generation of consoles, to OK success. 5.0 improved multimedia support and had 32-bit components in the kernel, and 6.0 was the last version with the Classic interface (which would appear later), and the first version with a full 32-bit kernel. In the same year, the first portable console from Astro Systems (the Astro Portable Gaming System, later renamed to the Zia PGS) was released, to immense success, and updated versions of the Simple/Portable/PowerAstro were also released. In 1994, Astro introduced a major update to the AGS; the Astro Vea (later renamed to zVea), to critical acclaim, becoming one of the highest-selling consoles at the time (it didn’t beat the PS1 however). LunarSystem 95 (alongside the Zia Simple/Power/LapSystem III released alongside it) was a monumental release, becoming the best-selling version of LunarSystem since 3.0. LunarSystem 95 introduced the improved Launch menu (which was also moved to the bottom-left, ala Start), pre-included Mail (removing it from the now-rebranded zSuite) and was the premiere product to introduce the Zia Computers branding and Zia.com. LunarSystem '97 was more or less '95 with some slight improvements, such as anti-aliased fonts and integration with the newly-released zNetwork, (which was the base to the updated version of the PGS, the PGS 2, which released to great success), and 99 introduced better integration with the PDA version of LunarSystem, alongside being the first version to support 64-bit processors, alongside zSuite ’99 and an updated version of the Simple/Power/LapSystem, now with ServerSystem included in there, and the zVea 2 as Zia’s entry into the 6th generation consoles (which due to including network capabilities out of the box and a lot of other multimedia features, it quickly became a success, becoming the 2nd highest-selling console at the time).

LunarSystem 2000 finally introduced some better improvements, stabilizing the kernel, and most notably introducing Windows (based on 98SE and 2000) and Mac OS (9.0, PPC apps only for now) compatibility. Alongside the release, Zia.com and zNetwork.com got a refresh for the new millennium, and Media Pass (at this point Music Pass), allowing for music streaming via the Internet, was released. A month later, in line with Zia's internet strategy, introduced Mumble, one of the first social media platforms (similar to Twitter, Facebook, and Myspace), and a year later Pictit (a website similar to Instagram, Pinterest, Tumblr, and DeviantArt). In 2002, Zia released LunarSystem Stella, another milestone in LunarOS history, outselling '95 significantly, and adding a lot of features, like theme support, pre-included maps, an advanced version of TextIt, among others. In the same year, the websites got refreshed (to better fit in with Stella's UI), Chattr (a website similar to blogs, Tumblr, and Reddit), eMart (eBay and Amazon), and Detective (initially a search engine in LunarSystem, now adapted to a webpage, outperforming Google) were also released to coincide with Stella’s launch. All of the additional websites, in combination with LunarSystem Stella's success, propelled Zia Computers (and as such, Zia Inc.) to one of the top 1000 companies in the world. A month before, the Zia PGS 3 was released, to moderate success, and the same month as Stella released, updated versions of the System line were released too.

The minor update to Stella, called Isonoe, added an anti-virus (which was significantly praised), the release also kickstarted the launch of Motious (a YouTube competitor with elements of Tumblr) and added books to Music Pass (renamed to Media Pass, and also fitted the Reader app included in Isonoe). The next year, the first version of the zVea to be a hybrid console was released, to mixed reviews. Reviewers praised the form factor but criticized the heat outtake and size of the console, and lack of games at release but the console sold quite well for a 7th generation console (selling about as much as the Xbox 360), alongside being the debut product to have the new name of Zia Technologies (pre-2006 rebrand).

2005 was an empty year for Zia Technologies since nothing was released in that year, but 2006 was a big year for them, due to the release of LunarSystem Galaxy (introducing UniSys, meaning better compatibility with software of all OSs and architectures), updated versions of the System line, the first versions of the zMedia (a media player competing with the iPod and later iPod Touch), zPhone (obvious), and a website refresh to better fit in with the new rebrand. Since all of these were released on the same day, these are all the premiere products of the 2006 rebrand of Zia Technologies. The next year, Media Pass added various videos (such as select videos on Motious, TV shows, and movies, including those currently airing at the time, among others) and introduced the zCam (a Kinect competitor, and general webcam), and in 2008 GeniusTalk released (a competitor to LinkedIn that combined elements of Mumble and Chattr). All the products were quite successful, but they were overshadowed by 2009. 2009 showed the latest version of LunarSystem (Pulsar), integrating Eli (the assistant from LunarSystem Mobile), and the introduction of zNetwork Cloud, initially starting at 20GB per account, and of course releasing an update to the System line (which would be the last revision). All were critically acclaimed, to the point where LunarSystem Pulsar was the best-selling product of June 2009, its release month. However, this would be the last commercial version of LunarSystem (for the consumer, anyways).

In late 2009, Zia Technologies announced that it would be making the next version of LunarSystem free to all (excluding OEMs who wanted it on their computers) and making it open source. This was met with acclaim by many, saying that it was a step in the right direction for the FOSS movement. January 2010 started with people making edits to, compiling, and scrutinizing the source code, showing how it was quite a mess. Later on, when LunarSystem Andromeda was released in September 2010, it was quite a revelation of how much it had improved. Better touchscreen support, thousands of bugs fixed, UEFI support, major security improvements, better integration with the Eli assistant, etc. made Andromeda quite a successful release, being downloaded over 20k times before the week ended. Embedded was split off from the regular release and given a longer life span (25 years instead of 10-15), and Mobile was given a refresh, fitting right in with the updated zMedia and zPhone.

2011 saw the release of the zVea 4 (the first console in the 8th generation of consoles), which later became one of the highest-selling consoles of all time, selling over 120 million units in its life cycle, the launch of the zSlate and zDock (two of the most iconic products from Zia), zSlate and zDock accessories (such as the zDrive (a hard drive), zDisplay (the zDock without the zSlate requirement), zPhones (headphones) and an updated version of the zCam) and the launch of Fadiki, a competitor to wikis based on certain things (think Mirahaze wikis, MediaWiki, Fandom, etc.). While not as successful as the other websites that are part of zNetwork Social, its launch is still important, due to it being the first zNetwork Social website to be decentralized, later taking effect on the other websites too throughout the early 2010s. While 2012 was quiet for Zia, 2013 introduced a variety of products, such as the X-Disc standard (storing 300GB on a disc twice as thick as a Blu-Ray), LunarOS Scylla (the first to use the lunarOS branding), and the zDock and zSlate Lite (designed for 3rd world countries).

2014 introduced an updated version of Scylla (Eris), refreshed the websites to fit in with the design language of Scylla and Eris, and improved the zMedia and zPhone in terms of specs. 2015 didn’t bring a LunarOS release but did highlight a refreshed zSlate, zDock, their lite versions, the zPhones, the zDisplay, and the zDrive, but also the zServer (the first server since the ServerSystem 6 released 6 years ago at this point), and the zVirtual (a VR device, at this point requiring a PC to run it). 2016 was also quiet excluding the shutdown of Fadiki (all wikis were transferred to MediaWiki, Mirahaze or Fandom), but 2017 introduced some brand-new products into the ecosystem.

All releasing in July, lunarOS Sedna, the zWatch, and zSuite 2017 and a bump to 50GB per account for zNetwork Cloud were all released to high fanfare. 2018 didn’t introduce any major updates but did introduce a lot of hardware, such as revisions for the zSlate and Dock (incl. lite versions), zServer, zVirtual, zDisplay, and zPhones, while introducing the zMini (the zSlate without the display and docking connector), the zPico (a competitor to the Raspberry Pi), the zNano (a competitor to the Arduino), the zProject and zTV (they both run the same UI, but one is a projector and the other is a TV), the zVoice (a home assistant similar to the Google Nest Hub), the zCharge (a charging mat), the zEXP (an external expansion device), the zMacro (a device that’s only purpose is to use macros, ala Stream Deck), the zClassic (Emuvisor but as a device), and the zHub (a digital whiteboard), and also Zia One, comprising of Media Pass, continuous updates to zSuite, $20 worth of credit on the Store/month, and zNetwork Cloud, all for $50/month.

2019 only introduced zNetwork Stock (for stock images), which would be integrated into Zia One. 2020 introduced the zVea 5, updates to the zCam, zWatch, zMedia, and zPhone, alongside the zVR (a DVR for Zia products), lunarOS Orcus (introducing Organiser), and its Embedded and Mobile equivalent, 2021 was silent, but 2022 was a big year.

It introduced lunarOS Nix, zSuite 2022, and a website refresh (all of them in line with the Morph design language, which was praised), and updates to the zDock/Slate/Dock Lite/Slate Lite, zWatch, zMini/Pico/Nano, zVirtual, zServer, zProject/TV, zCharge, zEXP, zDrive, zMacro, zDisplay, zPhones, while also introducing the zSpeak (dual speakers), the zPrint (a printer, with a 3d printer attachment), the zTape (a tape reader), and the zSwitch (a modular a/v switch and converter). 2023 and 2024 were quiet, but 2025 brought lunarOS Atlas, the addition of games to Media Pass (which, unlike competitors like Luna, Game Pass, or Stadia, was actually done right), and updated versions of the zWatch, zPhone, and zMedia.

2026 was quiet (except for lunarOS Europa), but 2027 introduced updates for all previously released z-Series devices, and an updated version of the X-Disc (X-Disc 8K), this time supporting 2TB worth of data on a disc twice as thick as a Blu-Ray. 2028 and 2029 were silent, but 2030 introduced an updated version of lunarOS (Ariel, alongside renaming Mobile to lunarOS-M and Watch to lunarOS-W), and updates for most z-Series devices (including the zVea 6, which released to critical acclaim, becoming the highest-selling gaming console of all time). 2031 and 2032 were silent, but 2033 introduced an updated version of lunarOS (Tethys), zSuite 2033, and an updated version of the zWatch. 2034 introduced an update to the zVR, allowing for 16K archival, and also the X-Disc 16K, allowing for a whopping 32 terabytes of storage on a single disc (by making the pits even smaller, using pits about the size of a molecule), alongside other improvements, such as there being no major WORM version (excluding Video, Music, and other pieces of media, there is a WORM version marketed as such but it isn’t as common as, say, a DVD-R), SRB (Self-Recovering Bit) technology, and speeds up to 120 gigabits/s. 2035 was silent, but 2036 introduced a new version of lunarOS (Apollo), and updates to all the previous z-Series devices and the zVea 7, which was released to much fanfare (mainly due to its sideloading capabilities and emulation support). Lastly, the last version of lunarOS (Hestia) was released to moderate fanfare, fixing a lot of bugs that Apollo had, but soon was discontinued.

Due to the universalOS project started in the late 2020s to try and make the perfect OS, as soon as universalOS released its first main release in 2041, lunarOS Hestia (and other versions of lunarOS, excluding embedded versions for now) were discontinued, marking the end of lunarOS. Zia would still produce hardware, but while extremely niche versions of lunarOS (such as the ones on the zMacro and the zPhones, among other devices) remained, universalOS was to be packaged on the main devices (such as the zSlate/Phone/Media/Voice/Virtual/Project/TV/Vea/Watch, etc.), marking the end of an OS that lasted 58 years (or 73 if you count AstroDOS).

While Zia Technologies was mainly known for its hardware and lunarOS, they have also significantly helped other projects such as helping to code Linux and OpenBSD, the universalOS project, and others. However, due to the fall of capitalism in mid-2041, Zia (and as such, Zia Technologies) was dissolved, and any assets it had were distributed, such as the motherboard designs, unused features in released versions, and every single build of lunarOS that was ever compiled. However, its legacy still lives on in future devices and software (such as the Morph aesthetic, zNetwork and zNetwork Social, elements of lunarOS are in universalOS, the zVea is still a popular console to make homebrew for, the first VR device to use a translucent 16K display per eye, and the larger Zia Inc. did introduce a lot of innovations to the industry, such as 22.2.4 surround sound in collaboration with Dolby, nigh-perfect image calibration with zRGB, the first online stream of 11.1.4 surround sound content via Media Pass, the first 2D animated film to gross over 500 million since The Simpsons Movie, the first TV show aired from another planet, the first game console to be a hybrid console, and the first game to utilize VR and 4D).


-open

P.S. Yeah, this might not be my best work, but I’m proud of it!