The future of OS/2 - Open source or not?

Software

Published: Saturday 24th December, 2005 | Author: Steve Kerrison

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Yesterday saw IBM cease the sale of the OS/2 Operating system. Come the 31st of December, standard support for the OS will end also. However, a significant number of companies and people continue to use it, and they are finding ways for OS/2 to live on.

Back in April of this year, OS/2 website OS2 World started a petition. It's aim was to get IBM to release OS/2 as an open source piece of software, so that existing users could continue to use and develop it, should they wish. In November, after nearly twelve thousand signatures had been collected, the petition was sent to IBM's CEO, Sam Palmisano. As of yet there has been no response from IBM.

However, regardless of whether IBM release OS/2 as open source or not, there are still others working to keep it alive. US based Serenity Systems International have developed an OEM version of OS/2 called eComStation, setting the ball rolling for an OS/2 build of the popular office suite OpenOffice.org. Additional projects for eComStation include new graphics drivers, audio support and wrappers for Windows LAN and wireless drivers. It's clear than that some are still passionate about OS/2 and keeping it going, even if IBM have given up on it.

However, if current OS/2 / eComStation developers could get their hands on the source code for OS/2, it would help them out with current and future developments. OS2 World hopes that at some point they'll be able to talk the issue over with IBM and maybe come to an arrangement. However, for now the ball is in IBM's court, and developers will have to battle on with what they've got.

Long live OS/2?

HEXUS.links

OS2 World - Petition status and update.

HEXUS.community :: your right2reply

Posted by Xaneden - Fri 30th Dec 2005, 1:45pm

Well, it was a joint development, taken on solely by IBM in its latter years. Microsoft originally saw OS/2 as the sequel to Windows and DOS; I think Bill Gates has been quoted saying OS/2 is the OS of the future. ;)

#EDIT#
Beaten to the post quite extensively! :DQuote

Posted by robbiec - Fri 30th Dec 2005, 3:19pm

Must be getting sentimental in my old age. Just put an order in for EcomStation 1.2... Will post a review if anybody is interested.
I will put it on a typical system to see how it gets on.

System Spec:
Athlon 64 2800+ (Running slightly faster @ 2.32Ghz)
DFI Lanparty NF3
Nvidia 6600GT (AGP with 128MB Ram)
1 GB RAM (TwinMOS BH5's 2 * 512MB)
Soundblaster Audigy 4
1 * SATA 80GB Hitachi HD
1 * ATA WD 80GB HD
1 * Lite-On DVD
1 * Lite-On DVDR
Multitech modem (PCI Hardware modem, Lucent Venus chipset)
Lexmark E232 Laserprinter
Epson C84 Photo PrinterQuote

Posted by PD HEXUS - Tue 8th Aug 2006, 9:48pm

hi robbiec

sorry, however i've *_just_* seen your posting... :embarrassed:

Quote: robbiec
Just put an order in for EcomStation 1.2... *Will post a review if anybody is interested.*

er, yes please!

cheers,

PDQuote

Posted by badass - Wed 9th Aug 2006, 11:54am

Quote: robbiec
OS/2 2.00 was released in the spring of 1992. The first true 32 bit operating system for personal computers (and for years the only one),

AmigaOS went 32 bit Circa October 1992.Quote

Re: The future of OS/2 - Open source or not?

Posted by kompukare - Sat 18th Jul 2009, 7:06pm

Quote: badass
AmigaOS went 32 bit Circa October 1992.

I think he meant first 32-bit OS for X86. But anyway, for 'personal' computers surely System7 should precedes all of those. Okay there were lots problems with 24-bit 'dirty' code in old ROMs (the Mac IIci in 1989 was the first MAc with 32-bit clean ROMs) but by around 1991 when Apple bought and gave away Mode32 System7 was fully 32-bit.

BTW, Apple's decision to use the unused eight bits of the address registers for flags must be one of the strangest ideas in the history of OS development.Quote