Once valiant challenger to Microsoft Windows loses struggle for life as Big Blue announces plans to discontinue marketing and general support.
“He was a good operating system, though he never really lived up to his full potential.†Such are the words which could be part of a eulogy said for IBM’s OS/2 operating system which News.com mentioned, and an IBM web page confirms, is dead.
The specific dates on IBM’s news item indicate that effective Dec. 23 of this year Big Blue will stop marketing OS/2. As for support, unless you have a “fee-based service offering†(read: contract), you’ll be out of luck as the lights get turned off in the support center Dec. 31, 2006.
IBM also said there are no plans for new versions/releases or functions for any of the OS/2 products. There will also be no new fix packs or component refreshes.
RIP OS/2.
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RSSMaking OS/2 Open Source will benefit all IBM customers that had invested in this OS. Customers that are willing to continue using OS/2 will get the benefits of an open OS that will be continuously developed by individual developers and/or software companies, their ownership fees will decrease and they will have the enhanced security of an OS that will continue to be relevant due to the open-ended nature of open source (following the BSD and Linux examples). Also customers choosing to migrate to other platforms will find it beneficial to have OS/2 open source, as it will be easier to adapt their programs or make an OS/2 interpreter or emulator for the transition.
To take part of this petition, please visit following url:
http://www.os2world.com/petition/
Regards,
Kim Haverblad
OS2 World.Com, Sweden
Can we get some history on OS2..
Really aint been following up on it, but it WAS a great OS. When it came out..
But there was no followup from IBM.. It was dragged out, by the users that LOVED it.
Any news if they will release it to Freeware..