Within the annals of PC historical past, IBM’s OS/2 represents a street not taken. Developed within the waning days of IBM’s partnership with Microsoft—the identical partnership that had given us a decade or so of MS-DOS and PC-DOS—OS/2 was meant to enhance on areas the place DOS was falling quick on fashionable techniques. Higher reminiscence administration, multitasking capabilities, and a usable GUI have been all among the many options launched in model 1.x.
However Microsoft was pissed off with a few of IBM’s objectives and calls for, and the corporate continued to develop an working system known as Home windows by itself. The place IBM wished OS/2 for use primarily to spice up IBM-made PCs and designed it across the limitations of Intel’s 80286 CPU, Home windows was being created with the booming marketplace for PC-compatible clones in thoughts. Home windows 1.x and a pair of.x did not make a lot of a dent, however 1990’s Home windows 3.0 was a success, and it got here preinstalled on many shopper PCs; Microsoft and IBM broke off their partnership shortly afterward, making OS/2 model 1.2 the final one publicly launched and offered with Microsoft’s involvement.
However Microsoft had executed a variety of work on model 2.0 of OS/2 similtaneously it was creating Home windows. It was far sufficient alongside that preview screenshots appeared in PC Journal, and early builds have been shipped to builders who may pay for them, but it surely was by no means formally launched to the general public.
However software program archaeologist Neozeed not too long ago revealed a secure inner preview of Microsoft’s OS/2 2.0 to the Web Archive, together with working digital machine disk photographs for VMware and 86Box. The preview, purchased by Brian Ledbetter on eBay for $650 plus $15.26 in transport, dates to July 1990 and would have price builders who wished it a whopping $2,600. So much to pay for a model of an working system that will by no means see the sunshine of day!
The Microsoft-developed construct of OS/2 2.0 bears solely a passing resemblance to the 32-bit model of OS/2 2.0 that IBM lastly shipped by itself in April 1992. Neozeed has revealed a extra thorough exploration of Microsoft’s model, digging round in its guts and getting some early Home windows software program working (the power to run DOS and Home windows apps was concurrently a promoting level of OS/2 and a purpose for builders to not create OS/2-specific apps, one of many issues that helped to doom OS/2 ultimately). It is a captivating element from a turning level within the historical past of the PC as we all know it immediately, however as a usable desktop working system, it leaves one thing to be desired.
This unreleased Microsoft-developed OS/2 construct isn’t the primary piece of Microsoft-related software program historical past that has been excavated in the previous few months. In January, an Web Archive person found and uploaded an early construct of 86-DOS, the software program that Microsoft purchased and become MS-DOS/PC-DOS for the unique IBM PC 5150. Funnily sufficient, these unreleased previews function bookends for IBM and Microsoft’s often-contentious partnership.
As a part of the “divorce settlement” between Microsoft and IBM, IBM would take over the event and upkeep of OS/2 1.x and a pair of.x whereas Microsoft continued to work on a extra superior far-future model 3.0 of OS/2. This working system was by no means launched as OS/2, however it will finally turn into Home windows NT, Microsoft’s extra secure business-centric model of Home windows. Home windows NT merged with the buyer variations of Home windows within the early 2000s with Home windows 2000 and Home windows XP, and people variations step by step advanced into Home windows as we all know it immediately.
It has been 18 years since IBM formally discontinued its final launch of OS/2, however as so usually occurs in computing, the software program has discovered a strategy to dwell on. ArcaOS is a semi-modernized, intermittently up to date department of OS/2 up to date to run on fashionable {hardware} whereas nonetheless supporting the power to run MS-DOS and 16-bit Home windows apps.