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The Sad Parable of OS/2
Still-in-Mourning writes "IBM's first 32-bit version of its advanced PC operating system was released 10 years ago this month. It was better than anything around, yet it failed. Its hopes were pinned on many of the same things we hope today will bring Linux to the forefront. What lessons are to be learned? Will we learn them? A glimpse of a sorry chapter in computing history."
I remember when OS/2 Warp 3 first came out. The Commercials were stupid. I mean, sure a lot of commercials are stupid, but at least they show the product they are peddling. IBM's OS/2 commercials just showed a bunch of guys crowded around a monitor going "Wow! I can't beleive it can do that! Wow that's amazing!" but the Camera view was from behind the monitor so you didn't see anything they were doing. Then it had some catchy IBM slogan and that was it. All the commercials I can remember were like that, and I never knew what it was. I did however buy it after seeing it at a local computer shop. I think I bought it at Walmart, all 45 Floppy Disks. It ran BBS's well. It's sad it never made it very far.. I hear banks still use it though for certain applications.
..There's a-dooin's a-transpirin'
I really get annoyed when I hear people continually sprouting the Microsoft line that they discoverd how to clutch start the 286 processor to get back to real mode. What most Lemmings forget is that Novell had been doing this for years with their Non-Dedicated version of Advanced Netware 2.0
Let's get it clear, like many other great technological breakthroughs which Microsoft make claim to, they simply copied it from someone else who wasn't into all the self-promotion. This sort of thing happens so often in this industry, and it is really annoying.
Why do people always ignore the illegal practices of Microsoft?
Probably for the same reason that they exaggerate these so-called illegal practices. When Microsoft signed the OEM contracts they weren't illegal. That's the funny thing about anti-trust law, it's retroactive: things that are perfectly legal for you to do if you're not a "trust" become illegal at the point at which you become one. But no-one knows for sure if you are or not until a court decides it. Hence the current situation.
Its IMPOSSIBLE to compete with a product which comes with the OS itself, and its IMPOSSIBLE to compete with a product which comes with the PC itself.
That's simply not true, and I challenge you to prove it. Why is WinAmp so popular when Windows Media Player can play MP3s? Why is Acrobat popular when WordViewer is free? Why is ICQ popular when MSN Messenger is bundled?
A user is not going to spend money on something they already have. Thats why OS2 didnt sell, why buy OS2 when you already have Windows?
See above.
Now, if Linux can manage to get OEM contracts, Linux can actually compete.
You clearly don't know what the OEM contracts were. The terms are, if a hardware vendor ships Windows on every PC, then they pay a vastly discounted license fee for each one. If they don't, then they need to pay MS full retail price for every one that they do ship with Windows on. How does Linux fit into this?
Besides, didn't you just say that OEM contracts were illegal? Make up your mind!
Apple couldnt / cant get OEM contracts so they sell their own Machines
Apple don't even want OEM contracts, they are a hardware company, and use their OS as a loss-leader to sell hardware.
Linux may have to do this if they cant get OEM contracts.
By Linux I presume you mean VA Linux? Because Linux isn't an corporation or even an organization. And they tried selling their own kit... see any of a dozen other stories for how that went.
The key is OEM contracts, thats the key.
Do you even know what OEM means?