OS/2
In 1987, IBM and Microsoft forged an unlikely alliance to create OS/2, the operating system designed to run on IBM's new PS/2 computers. This collaboration between two giants stemmed from a simple observation: DOS was showing its limitations against Intel 80286 processors. They needed to do better, to be more modern. The idea looked attractive on paper, but it already concealed latent tensions between two diametrically opposed visions of computing's future.
OS/2 delivered what users of the time were missing: a proper graphical interface and features previously reserved for mainframe systems. It shared certain traits with Windows, UNIX, or Xenix, but its ambitions exceeded those of its competitors. This first iteration gave no hint of the resounding divorce that would shake the industry.
The two partners were looking in opposite directions. Microsoft was eyeing Windows, which it considered the future. IBM wanted to continue with OS/2. This growing opposition finally exploded in 1992, causing what observers called a "divorce." Microsoft took its marbles and part of the code, which it recycled into Windows NT and Windows 95. IBM found itself alone with its system.
To bounce back, IBM turned to Commodore Business Machines and drew inspiration from AmigaOS. OS/2 version 2.0, launched in March 1992, introduced the Workplace Shell, a transformation in the user interface. This innovation marked the entry of object-oriented programming into the mainstream world of operating systems. A first that didn't go unnoticed.
The Workplace Shell shook up established habits. Dragging and dropping icons into folders, accessing menus through right-clicks, triggering printing by simply moving an icon: so many gestures that changed human-machine interaction. The catch came from hardware limitations, as computers lacked RAM, forcing users into costly upgrades to fully exploit these innovations.
1994 saw the birth of OS/2 Warp, the version that would mark the system's peak. This release appealed through its ease of use and 32-bit architecture, while maintaining DOS compatibility. A significant technical asset against the Windows versions of the time, mired in their 16-bit DOS base. Yet despite these undeniable qualities, OS/2 couldn't break through in the consumer market.
The system found refuge in specialized niches, particularly bank ATMs where its stability and reliability worked wonders. Microsoft, meanwhile, deployed an aggressive commercial strategy to impose Windows, relegating OS/2 to these technical niches. A frustrating situation for IBM, which saw its system confined to specialized uses.
IBM finally threw in the towel in 2005, stopping OS/2 production, followed by support in 2006. Die-hard fans of the system demanded its release under a free license, but this approach ran up against Microsoft's intellectual property rights on certain parts of the code.
The story of OS/2 doesn't end there. In 2001, Serenity Systems obtained a license from IBM and marketed the system under the name eComStation. Later, in 2015, Arca Noae picked up the torch with ArcaOS.
OS/2 introduced innovations that are part of our digital daily life. Its rigorous design and pursuit of stability established new benchmarks. Yet its commercial failure reminds us that technical qualities aren't enough: commercial strategies, industrial alliances, and the ability to build an ecosystem largely determine a technology's success.