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."

Comments

OS/2

[shankark]

One of my professors in undergraduate school often quipped that IBM's OS/2 was exactly that, an OS by half.

Re:OS/2

[Com2Kid]

"Massive CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files "

Oh yes, the Windows Registery is just SOOO much more managable!

::reachs down to pick eyes up off of ground::

Sorry, then just rolled right on out!

Reminds me of my old bumper sticker

[3ryon]

Mind you I was an IBMer at the time:

OS/2 on a PS/2, half an Operating System on half a Computer.

I'm not a big fan of any operating system that doesn't have a native TCP/IP stack.

Re:My favorite quote.

[flikx]

Yeah, I tried to distance myself from that stuff. Same thing with the fact that I use linux today. Too many groupies and wild eyed zealot fanatics foaming at the mouth really helps denigrate an operating system.

All through these OS fads, I've still used BSD. BSD will outlive all of this crap. Good ol' low-key BSD.. it's always been there for me.

Re:IBM killed OS/2

[Anonymous Coward]

What is a "PS/2"? The Playstation 2 didn't come out that long ago so I'm guessing it is something else.

Re:Windows 95 applications killed OS/2

[clontzman]

"Developing for Windows is corporate suicide."

Compared to what? Developing for Linux? I take it you haven't checked your portfolio at finance.yahoo.com lately....

I'd still rather be Macromedia or Adobe than any of the corporate Linux development houses, what few there are.

and Windows in an Elevator is a scary thing!

[teambpsi]

The elevator in our building has a little LCD screen in it that displays time/temp/weather information as well as the individual company names of the floors its on.

Last week the marquis application crashed and had a blue screen of death on it....NO ONE USED THE ELEVATORS until the building management rebooted the display software and sent out a notice that windows was only used for the marquis, and NOT in the operation of the Otis elevator

Europe rocks.

[nougatmachine]

I think I might just have to move to Europe. My favorite part of that article was when it quoted John Dvorak saying he didn't like Europe because they always did their own things and bought Amigas, Ataris, and OS/2s. You know, the cool stuff that the rest of the world is too timid to use.

So if I got this right, Europe actually gives a shit about their computers. My plane leaves in five hours ; )

Re:Wasn't it obvious?

[ksflock]

Other factors might potentially kill Linux (I could see it getting made illegal in the
current legal climate) but repeats of OS/2's mistakes will not be a factor.

Would not that make every computer literate a criminal? We all got a copy, don't we? Would you trash your copy, just because the OS became illegal? Don't think so.:o)

Re:OS/2 Microsoft

[smash]

By the way - if you doubt that W95 is the worst OS ever - here is a simple test: name an OS that was less stable - less secure - and more virus prone that W9x. There isn't one. Like I said; W95 is the worst operating system ever put on a computer.

I think its called Windows 98/ME (with the included Internet Explorer which enables the internet to explore your computer, and the e-mail client that will help you mirror your personal documents over the world (ala sircam). or something)

smash.