# KERNAL

> Commodore operating system

**Wikidata**: [Q1362489](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1362489)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KERNAL)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/kernal

## Summary
KERNAL is the proprietary operating system (kernel) used by Commodore home computers. It was developed by Commodore International and provided low-level hardware and OS services on multiple Commodore platforms such as the PET, VIC-20, Commodore 64, Plus/4, 16, and 128.

## Key Facts
- KERNAL is an instance of both a kernel and an operating system used on Commodore microcomputers.
- Developer: Commodore International.
- Platforms: Commodore PET, Commodore VIC-20, Commodore 64, Commodore Plus/4, Commodore 16, Commodore 128.
- Image resource: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Cbm_kernal_jmp_table3.jpeg
- c64_wiki_id: KERNAL.
- freebase_id: /m/01zpbw (reference publication_date: 2013-10-28).
- Wikipedia title: KERNAL; Wikipedia languages available: de, en, es, fi, it, lmo, nl.
- Wikidata description: "Commodore operating system".
- Sitelink count for the KERNAL entry: 7.
- Related class: operating system — software that manages computer hardware resources (operating system class sitelink_count: 183).

## FAQs
### Q: What is KERNAL?
A: KERNAL is the Commodore operating system kernel that provides low-level hardware and OS services on several Commodore microcomputer models. It functions as the system software layer for those machines.

### Q: Which Commodore computers use the KERNAL?
A: KERNAL was used on multiple Commodore platforms, including the Commodore PET, VIC-20, Commodore 64, Plus/4, 16, and 128.

### Q: Who developed KERNAL?
A: KERNAL was developed by Commodore International.

## Why It Matters
KERNAL is significant because it served as the foundational system software for a range of Commodore home computers. As a kernel and operating system component, it provided the essential low-level routines and hardware interfaces required for those machines to boot, access peripherals, and run higher-level software. Its presence across multiple Commodore platforms made it a shared piece of system architecture for that product family. Documentation, identifier entries (such as c64_wiki_id and freebase_id), and multilingual Wikipedia coverage reflect ongoing historical and technical interest. For historians, hobbyists, and retro-computing communities, KERNAL represents a core element of how Commodore machines managed hardware resources and delivered a consistent system interface across different models.

## Notable For
- Being the core operating system/kernel for a family of Commodore home computers spanning PET through C128 models.
- Development and maintenance by Commodore International as an internal system component.
- Presence in multiple reference sources and identifiers (c64_wiki_id, freebase_id).
- Multilingual Wikipedia coverage (de, en, es, fi, it, lmo, nl) indicating broad documentation and interest.
- Publicly available imagery of KERNAL internals (see Wikimedia Commons image link).

## Body
### Overview
- KERNAL is identified on Wikidata as the "Commodore operating system."
- It functions as both a kernel and an operating system component for Commodore machines.
- The name is usually written in uppercase: KERNAL.

### Platforms
- Explicit platforms listing:
  - Commodore PET
  - Commodore VIC-20
  - Commodore 64
  - Commodore Plus/4
  - Commodore 16
  - Commodore 128

### Developer and provenance
- Developer: Commodore International.
- The KERNAL entry appears in multiple documentation and reference systems (for example, c64_wiki_id: KERNAL and freebase_id: /m/01zpbw).

### Classification and related concepts
- Instance of: kernel; operating system.
- Related class: operating system — described as software that manages computer hardware resources.
- The operating system class has broader linkage (operating system sitelink_count: 183), situating KERNAL within that category.

### Resources and documentation
- Wikimedia Commons image of KERNAL internals: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Cbm_kernal_jmp_table3.jpeg
- Wikipedia title for the entry: KERNAL.
- Wikipedia language editions for KERNAL: German (de), English (en), Spanish (es), Finnish (fi), Italian (it), Lombard (lmo), Dutch (nl).
- Sitelink count for the KERNAL entry: 7.

### Identifiers and external references
- c64_wiki_id: KERNAL.
- freebase_id: /m/01zpbw (reference includes publication_date: 2013-10-28).
- Quora topic entry: "Kernal" (reference token present).

### Metadata
- Wikidata description: "Commodore operating system".
- The structured data provided records multiple identifiers and cross-links for reference and research.

## References

1. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013
2. Quora