Unreleased preview of Microsoft’s OS/2 2.0 is a glimpse down a highway not taken
Within the annals of PC historical past, IBM’s OS/2 represents a road 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 had 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 needed 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 couple of.x did not make a lot of a dent, however 1990’s Home windows 3.0 was successful, 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 completed a whole lot of work on model 2.0 of OS/2 concurrently it was creating Home windows. It was far sufficient alongside that preview screenshots appeared in PC Journal, and early builds had been shipped to builders who may pay for them, nevertheless it was by no means formally launched to the general public.
However software program archaeologist Neozeed lately published a stable internal preview of Microsoft’s OS/2 2.0 to the Web Archive, together with working digital machine disk photos for VMware and 86Box. The preview, purchased by Brian Ledbetter on eBay for $650 plus $15.26 in shipping, dates to July 1990 and would have value builders who needed it a whopping $2,600. Loads to pay for a model of an working system that may 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 version of OS/2 2.0 that IBM lastly shipped by itself in April 1992. Neozeed has revealed a more thorough exploration of Microsoft’s version, 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 motive for builders to not create OS/2-specific apps, one of many issues that helped to doom OS/2 in the long run). It is an enchanting element from a turning level within the historical past of the PC as we all know it at this time, 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 couple of months. In January, an Web Archive person discovered and uploaded an early build of 86-DOS, the software program that Microsoft purchased and was 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 couple 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 ultimately develop into Windows NT, Microsoft’s extra secure business-centric model of Home windows. Home windows NT merged with the patron variations of Home windows within the early 2000s with Home windows 2000 and Home windows XP, and people variations steadily developed into Home windows as we all know it at this time.
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 method 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.