Happy Birthday, OS/2

Today marks the 25th anniversary of the launch of IBM’s OS/2 operating system. At Time Techland, Harry McCracken has an excellent account of how OS/2 failed to head off Windows, but ended up as a strange zombie operating system. But the birthday brought to mind my own encounters with OS/2.

I first ran into it in its least known form, the original command-line version that was a joint venture with Microsoft. We had been running a proprietary 3Com LAN at the Washington office of BusinessWeek and 3Com decided to stop development of the software and migrate customers of Microsoft LAN Manager, which ran on OS/2. LAN Manager is one of those products about which the less said the better. The software was awful and the support non-existent. Before long, we switched over to the then-dominant LAN software, Novell Netware (which we stayed with for way too long,  but that’s another story.) A couple years later, Microsoft released Windows NT Server and put LAN Manager out of its misery.

By the time OS/2 3.0 Warp, the alleged consumer version, shipping in 1994, I had switched  jobs from editorial bureaucrat to tech pundit, so of course I had to try it. I scrounged up a PC–I didn’t have a large collection yet–and tried to install it. And tried. I eventually got it running but could not get it to recognize an NEC CD drive, at the time the most widely used optical disk reader. I eventually got IBM tech support to explain how to find the device drivers and install them manually, a process that convinced me that the only consumers who would ever use Warp had day jobs in IT.

By that time, Windows 3.11 at least worked pretty reliably and even the early betas of “Chicago,” which became Windows 95, convinced me that whatever its architectural flaws, it had OS/2 beat by a mile on usability. I think that when Windows 95 shipped, I installed it on my OS/2 system, and that was that.

Published by

Steve Wildstrom

Steve Wildstrom is veteran technology reporter, writer, and analyst based in the Washington, D.C. area. He created and wrote BusinessWeek’s Technology & You column for 15 years. Since leaving BusinessWeek in the fall of 2009, he has written his own blog, Wildstrom on Tech and has contributed to corporate blogs, including those of Cisco and AMD and also consults for major technology companies.

423 thoughts on “Happy Birthday, OS/2”

  1. Greetings! Very helpful advice in this particular article! It is the little changes which will make the most important changes. Thanks a lot for sharing!

  2. An impressive share! I have just forwarded this onto a co-worker who had been conducting a
    little homework on this. And he actually bought me breakfast because I discovered it for him…
    lol. So allow me to reword this…. Thank YOU for the meal!!
    But yeah, thanx for spending the time to discuss this subject here on your internet site.

  3. Долгие выбор вероятно обычным саботированием. Не находи самооправданий, лучше сходить к первому встречному психологу чем так и не сделать выбор.Психолог онлайн.

  4. Сомнительные выбор 100% бытовым саботированием. Выслушай мудрых, лучше сходить к обычному психологу чем не сходить.Психолог сейчас.

  5. Долгие оценивания могут быть типичным самоотказом. Надо по другому, лучше сходить к не лучшему психологу чем так и остаться на этапе поисков.Психолог консультация.

  6. Сомнительные оценивания 100% унылым нежеланием. Сделай без оправданий, лучше сходить к обычному психологу чем так и не сделать выбор.Психолог тут.

  7. Утомительные поиски почти наверняка обычным самоотказом. Выслушай мудрых, лучше сходить к неидеальному психологу чем не сходить.Психолог здесь.

  8. Сомнительные поиски всем понятно унылым нежеланием. Не надо так, лучше сходить к обычному психологу чем так и не сделать выбор.Психолог твой.

  9. Долгие выбор ясно как божий день бытовым самооправданием. Послушай старших, лучше сходить к плохому психологу чем не сходить.Психолог консультация.

  10. Долгие оценивания почти наверняка тухлым самооправданием. Не находи самооправданий, лучше сходить к доступному психологу чем проникнуться своим фантазиям.Психолог здесь.

  11. I have observed that over the course of constructing a relationship with real estate managers, you’ll be able to get them to understand that, in every real estate contract, a percentage is paid. In the long run, FSBO sellers really don’t “save” the commission payment. Rather, they try to earn the commission simply by doing an agent’s occupation. In accomplishing this, they shell out their money as well as time to accomplish, as best they could, the duties of an representative. Those tasks include getting known the home by marketing, showing the home to willing buyers, developing a sense of buyer emergency in order to prompt an offer, preparing home inspections, handling qualification inspections with the loan company, supervising repairs, and facilitating the closing of the deal.

  12. Can I just say what a relief to find somebody that genuinely understands what they’re talking about on the web.
    You certainly understand how to bring a problem to light and make it important.

    A lot more people must read this and understand this side of the story.

    I was surprised that you’re not more popular given that you certainly have the gift.

  13. Great post. I used to be checking constantly this weblog and I’m inspired! Very helpful information specially the remaining section 🙂 I deal with such information a lot. I used to be looking for this particular information for a long time. Thanks and good luck.

  14. Hi! I know this is kind of off-topic however I needed to ask.
    Does managing a well-established website like yours require a large amount of work?
    I am completely new to running a blog but I do write in my journal everyday.
    I’d like to start a blog so I can easily share my own experience and thoughts online.
    Please let me know if you have any kind of recommendations or tips for brand new aspiring bloggers.
    Thankyou!

  15. Almanya Berlin en iyi medyumu halu hoca ile sizlerde çalışınız. İletişim: +49 157 59456087 Aşık Etme Büyüsü, Bağlama Büyüsü gibi çalışmaları sizlerde yaptırabilirsiniz.

  16. Поведение и деятельность. Тест по обществу социальная сущность человека 10 класс. https://bit.ly/freyd-zigmund-freyd На 5 тесте 2 полоски песня. Тест обществознание 8 класс что делает человека человеком ответы. Связь психодиагностики с другими науками. Mbti test english.

  17. Hamburg’da Gerçek bir sonuç veren en iyi medyumu halu hoca ile sizlerde çalışınız. İletişim: +49 157 59456087 Aşık Etme Büyüsü, Bağlama Büyüsü gibi çalışmaları sizlerde yaptırabilirsiniz.

  18. Great post. I used to be checking constantly this blog and I am inspired! Very helpful info specially the final section 🙂 I take care of such info a lot. I used to be seeking this particular information for a very lengthy time. Thank you and best of luck.

  19. What i don’t realize is if truth be told how you’re not really a lot more well-favored than you might
    be now. You’re so intelligent. You realize therefore considerably when it comes to this matter,
    made me personally believe it from so many varied angles.
    Its like men and women are not interested until it is one thing
    to accomplish with Lady gaga! Your personal stuffs excellent.
    At all times take care of it up!

  20. Another thing I have noticed is always that for many people, less-than-perfect credit is the reaction to circumstances past their control. As an example they may be actually saddled by having an illness so they really have substantial bills going to collections. It may be due to a employment loss or perhaps the inability to work. Sometimes divorce proceedings can really send the budget in the undesired direction. Many thanks for sharing your ideas on this blog.

  21. What an informative and meticulously-researched article! The author’s attention to detail and aptitude to present complex ideas in a digestible manner is truly praiseworthy. I’m totally enthralled by the depth of knowledge showcased in this piece. Thank you, author, for offering your expertise with us. This article has been a game-changer!

  22. Кто такие психопаты и стоит ли с ними жить? https://bit.ly/triada-narcicizm-makiavellizm-psihopatiya Нарциссизм — что это, признаки нарциссов и причины нарциссического расстройства личности человека. ПСИХОЛОГИЯ ЗЛА: ТЕМНАЯ ТРИАДА ЛИЧНОСТИ. Темная триада: 3 признака самых опасных людей, от которых стоит держаться подальше.

  23. One more issue is that video games are normally serious as the name indicated with the primary focus on finding out rather than enjoyment. Although, we have an entertainment feature to keep your sons or daughters engaged, just about every game is usually designed to develop a specific experience or curriculum, such as numbers or research. Thanks for your publication.

  24. I take pleasure in, lead to I discovered just what I used to be taking a look for. You have ended my four day lengthy hunt! God Bless you man. Have a nice day. Bye

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *