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By Dawn Kawamoto
Posted on ZDNet News: Jul 15, 2005 2:52:00 PM

IBM will stop selling the OS/2 operating system at year's end, marking an end of an era for Big Blue.

IBM, which made the announcement this week, said it will discontinue OS/2 products by Dec. 23 and withdraw standard support for OS/2-related products as of Dec. 31, 2006.

Support for OS/2 will only be available under a service contract after 2006.

"We're making official what has been going on for quite some time," said Steve Eisenstadt, an IBM spokesman. "We haven't released a new version of OS/2 in nine years."

Big Blue is directing its OS/2 customers to switch to the Linux OS.

OS/2, which debuted in April 1987, struggled to gain the wide acceptance that Microsoft's Windows enjoyed. While OS/2 may have been considered technically superior to Microsoft's early versions of Windows, the operating system failed to prosper due to a lack of applications written for it.

Concerns about the future of OS/2 arose at least three years ago.

OS/2, which was the first Intel-based 32-bit multitasking operating system aimed at the PC market, currently has fewer than 80 customers that hold more than 10 licenses, Eisenstadt said.

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  • Most Recent of 55 Talkback(s)
That would require IBM to recommend Apple hardware
Because OS X only runs on Apple hardware. The fact that it's easy to install, highly intuitive, and a delight to work with is simply not enough to convince IBM to endorse its old rival's hardware. <... (Read the rest)
Posted by: vizenos Posted on: 07/27/05 You are currently: a Guest | | Terms of Use
A sad day  WhoIsDaMan | 07/15/05
...but not surprising.  John L. Ries | 07/15/05
That's only part of it  WhoDaMan | 07/15/05
Most people never heard of OS/2. That's IBMs fault.  No_Ax_to_Grind | 07/15/05
That, and the fact that.....  jgmsys@... | 07/15/05
That's was caused by the lack of advertising and price  voska | 07/15/05
Perhaps the lack of apps written was  Update victim | 07/16/05
That "FTP files" should read "FTP download" (NT)  Update victim | 07/16/05
re: failure to advertise  frgough@... | 07/15/05
Hardware support  WhoDaMan | 07/15/05
I don't cry for IBM  Mark Miller | 07/16/05
Don't forget the cost  voska | 07/15/05
I disagree, and the sysstems were maintained  Update victim | 07/16/05
OS/2 2.0 was a $50 upgrade from Win 3.1 or DOS.  rsteiner@... | 07/18/05
You may haven't seen it but it's still everywhere!  Predrag Vasic | 07/15/05
Agreed  Solid Water | 07/15/05
Lame  quietLee | 07/18/05
Agreed  KOS-MOS | 07/15/05
Didn't stick to the plan  WhoDaMan | 07/15/05
Before OS/2, the only way to  Update victim | 07/16/05
Re: A sad day  mtifo@... | 07/15/05
ZDnet: Fix your RSS Links  nucrash | 07/15/05
fix rss links  vinayd@... | 07/15/05
Link to this page  StanB | 07/16/05
This is news?  jgmsys@... | 07/15/05
demise of OS2  steeleweed | 07/15/05
Yes, they didn't push Token Ring like they could have, but....  jgmsys@... | 07/15/05
With time everything drops in price  LaoziSailor | 07/15/05
A parting snarl.  Anton Philidor | 07/15/05
IBM: International BUSINESS Machines  palmwarrior | 07/15/05
but...  DarbyOhara | 07/18/05
Anton...  Linux User 147560 | 07/16/05
Doing without?  rsteiner@... | 07/18/05
IBM to bury OS/2  Loverock Davidson | 07/15/05
Early to bed, early to rise, work like hell and...  Reverend MacFellow | 07/15/05
OS/2's Mission is Accomplished  palmwarrior | 07/15/05
Misdeeds, Misdeeds, Misdeeds  John Zern | 07/15/05
OS/3???? NT and OS/2 were the same  Update victim | 07/16/05
True, but still IBM's fault  John Zern | 07/16/05
I would in part agree on the marketing  Boot_Agnostic | 07/17/05
No, that isn't correct.  rsteiner@... | 07/18/05
I speculate here and say that IBM  michael_t | 07/18/05
Guess the lawsuit money bought an early retirement  Boot_Agnostic | 07/15/05
telling customers to switch to Linux from OS/2  John Zern | 07/15/05
IBM sells Linux machines and services  palmwarrior | 07/15/05
OSX  Boot_Agnostic | 07/15/05
That would require IBM to recommend Apple hardware  vizenos | 07/27/05
Colossal waste  Guy Fawkes | 07/15/05
I don't work for any of them BOB,  Update victim | 07/16/05
Goodby OS/2  mguesto@... | 07/15/05
Duh... OS2 has been dead for years  jpr75_z | 07/15/05
It's still around???  Mark Miller | 07/16/05
IBM ditched consumer support in '97. Seemed pretty dead back then too. IBM  HypnoToad | 07/16/05
!!! Sign the Open Source OS/2 Petition !!!!  evilmind | 07/16/05
IBMSHould open source the os/2 project  xkmail | 07/18/05

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