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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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IBM OS/2, IBM Corp., operating system, Microsoft Corp., Microsoft Windows







- The Funny Thing About This IBM's Position On OS/2 Is!
- by July 18, 2005 7:35 AM PDT
- >>>"Fee-based service offerings will continue to be available. These offerings will provide support beyond December 31, 2006, via a services contract.>>>". Questions, Questions, Questions for IBM -- How can a product be "buried" and yet in its after-life offer services for it -- isn't that really funny! OS/2; in future OS/3 (Warp 5) is a an "IDEA" supported by mind-share (brain power)... it was not OS/2 that sold the PC Business to Lenovo -- it was IBM. Lest we forget the evolving Sarbanes-Oxley Act with regards to technical compliance?<br /><br />If anything, those who are in a dream world to see an OS/2 "Funeral" should mind there "economics". Since neither the Windows/Office nor the Lamp Stack can at this time deliver on the coversion of Internal Rate of Return (IRR) to Economic Rate of Return (ERR) functionalities when conducting an international project evaluation. Have we heard from the (OS/2 Loving) Russians as yet -- they were the 2nd and 3rd place winners in the not so long ago held international inter-collegiate computer competition!<br /><br />Companies may fade away but "IDEAS" and "PHILOSOPHIES" live on for ever.<br /><br />We Have Only Just Begun: Long live OS/2 -- Enter OS/3 (Warp 5)(Third Generation) and IBM Workplace with ERR (Killer) Functionalities.<br /><br />;-)
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- Oh, Oh - Oops!
- by July 18, 2005 7:40 AM PDT
- Oh, Oh! Sorry about that typo: "Their" instead of "there" <br /><br />;-)
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