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10 OSes We Left Behind

CWmike writes "As the tech community gears up to celebrate Unix's 40th birthday this summer, one thing is clear: People do love operating systems. They rely on them, get exasperated by them and live with their little foibles. So now that we're more than 30 years into the era of the personal computer, Computerworld writers and editors, like all technology aficionados, find ourselves with lots of memories and reactions to the OSes of yesteryear (pics galore). We have said goodbye to some of them with regret. (So long, AmigaOS!) Some of them we tossed carelessly aside. (Adios, Windows Me!) Some, we threw out with great force. (Don't let the door hit you on the way out, MS-DOS 4.0!) Today we honor a handful of the most memorable operating systems and interfaces that have graced our desktops over the years. Plus: We take a look back at 40 years since Unix was introduced."

18 of 562 comments (clear)

  1. Lights Out - RIP CBM by TaoPhoenix · · Score: 4, Funny

    Poke 53280,0
    Poke 53281,0
    New

    Ready.

    --
    My first Journal Entry ever, in 8 years! http://slashdot.org/journal/365947/aphelion-scifi-fantasy-horror-poetry-webzine
  2. Whoa! 40 years old!? by Samschnooks · · Score: 5, Funny
    Oh God! Gotta find an excuse to get rid of the old fogy. No one is creative over 40!

    Um, Unix was insubordinate. Unix was late in its tasks. Unix didn't offer anything to the team - it didn't work well with Windows. Unix refused to take time off - it insisted on working all the time; even when other OSes wanted the time off.Unix is not a team player. Unix refuses to learn new technologies (specifics available one request). Unix made sexual advances to other OSes: tried to "hadnshake" with Windows, "Integrated" with OS X.

    It is my profound conclusion and advice that Unix should be terminated. It is an "out of date" operating system and therefore; contributes to an"out of date" business model.

  3. Some of them we tossed carelessly aside... by Zakabog · · Score: 4, Funny

    FTA: "Some of them we tossed carelessly aside. (Adios, Windows Me!)"

    I took great care in building a trebuchet capable of tossing Windows Me far enough from in order to keep it from further damaging my poor, unsuspecting PC.

    1. Re:Some of them we tossed carelessly aside... by Kjella · · Score: 5, Funny

      I took great care in building a trebuchet capable of tossing Windows Me far enough from in order to keep it from further damaging my poor, unsuspecting PC.

      If the PC is your baby, Windows ME is child molestation. 'nuff said.

      --
      Live today, because you never know what tomorrow brings
    2. Re:Some of them we tossed carelessly aside... by Pope · · Score: 2, Funny

      Why do people keep wanting to build tree buckets? Is it something to do with maple syrup?

      --
      It doesn't mean much now, it's built for the future.
  4. Re:UNIX is not a by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · · Score: 5, Funny

    No need to be so pendantic...

  5. Re:DOS 5.0 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    IMO, DOS 5.0 was the best OS Microsoft made.

    This would be the textbook example of damning with faint praise.

  6. Re:Bastards! by mad.frog · · Score: 3, Funny

    Um... that bouncing-ball demo that all the Amiga owners loved to show off?

  7. Re:Criteria by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    "with 128mb of RAM"
    You know that your computer's memory is limited when you measure in millibits....

  8. The 10 OSes I have gladly left behind... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Windows 3.1
    Windows 3.11
    Windows NT 4.0
    Windows 95
    Windows 98
    Windows 98se
    Windows ME
    Windows 2000
    Windows Vista
    Windows 7

    1. Re:The 10 OSes I have gladly left behind... by falconwolf · · Score: 3, Funny

      Windows NT 4.0

      Windows NT 4.0 is the only version of MS Windows I've used I did not have trouble with. That could be because I haven't used my NT4 PC much. Because the CPU is a DEC Alpha I wasn't able to install all the software I wanted to use.

      Falcon

  9. Re:Bastards! by baka_toroi · · Score: 5, Funny

    Fuck yeah! MOD(:P) parent up.

  10. What about BOB? by cve · · Score: 4, Funny

    MS BOB was the OS that made computing personal for me.

  11. So that's what AmigaOS looked like by AnalPerfume · · Score: 4, Funny

    I had an Amiga for a couple of years when they were popular. Many of my mates had Amigas then too. None of us used them for anything other than games, so we never seen anything beyond the white screen with the hand holding the floppy disc. I keep hearing about how well regarded the AmigaOS was but have never seen screenshots until this article.

  12. Re:DOS 5.0 by frinkillo · · Score: 1, Funny

    I'm pretty sure their Upgrade Video helped to that ;)

  13. Re:Bastards! by daveime · · Score: 4, Funny

    You must have a lot of wobbly bookcases eh ?

  14. What the??? You missed fingered? by SmallFurryCreature · · Score: 2, Funny

    Geez, how could you miss "fingered CP/M"

    --

    MMO Quests are like orgasms:

    You may solo them, I prefer them in a group.

  15. Re:Bastards! by Tore+S+B · · Score: 2, Funny

    Show's what you know.

    No. Clearly, show is what *you* know.

    --
    toresbe