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[OM] OT: Operating Systems

Subject: [OM] OT: Operating Systems
From: Chuck Norcutt <norcutt@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Sat, 08 Jan 2000 06:34:35 -0500
Olafo said:
Ironically enough, big blue's decision to go with OS/2 is what caused
Microsoft to become big BIG time. For those of you who don't know:
Microsoft
didn't think OS/2 was the right approach to a "new" OS, and then decided
to
copy the Mac OS. So, while big blue and Apple were still busy battling
one
another, they let the really big fish escape. Boy, will they regret
this!
:)))
------------------------------------

Sorry to continue this off-topic thread but I couldn't let this one go
by since I lived through it.  If Microsoft didn't think that OS/2 was
the right approach to a new OS I don't know why they would have spent
nearly five years helping us (IBM) design and build it.  While the
multi-tasking kernel and the underlying graphics engine in OS/2 are IBM
designs, the windowing interface was designed and built by Microsoft. 
It's no surprise that it's very close to Windows (from a programmer's
perspective).

>From Microsoft's standpoint, the problem with OS/2 was not whether its
design was the right approach but the fact that Microsoft didn't own
it.  Since it was a joint design/development exercise Microsoft had to
pay royalties to IBM for every copy of OS/2 that they sold. They
developed Windows to get away from the royalty payments.  In the
process, they abandoned a rock-solid, multi-tasking kernel.

Chuck Norcutt
Woburn, Massachusetts, USA
(former IBM PC-DOS and OS/2 system test manager, 1985-92)

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