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1981 - Microsoft bought 86-DOS from the company Seattle Computer Products.
It was shined up a bit, to accommodating the demands IBM had to the Operating System of their first PC.
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1984 - The i286 processor had become the main processor of the PC.
Now IBM decided that DOS was antiquated and needed to be replaced.
In cooperation with Microsoft OS/2 was developed.
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1987 - OS/2 Version 1.0 (CP/DOS) was released.
It was the first Operating System for the
Personal Computer to provide intrinsic multitasking based on hardware
support. It was text mode only and allowed only one program to be on
the screen at a time, even though other programs could be running in
the background.
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1988 - OS/2 Version 1.1 (Trimaran) Standard Edition (SE) was released.
A Graphical User Interface was added, named Presentation Manager (PM). The 1.10 Extended Version (EE) was a SE including Database Manager and Communications Manager.
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1989 - OS/2 Version 1.2 (Sloop) SE and EE was released.
It offered an improved PM.
Included in the EE-version HPFS and very powerful interpretive programming
language REXX was included.
Here the alliance began to creak in the joints. IBM began the developmen
of OS/2 2.0, which would be the first true 32-bit Operating System for
Personal Computers and made for the i386 processor.
Microsoft began to develop OS/2 3.0 which was intended to be a network
server. Also it was intended to be platform indenpendent, due to the
use of a microkernel. This would make it run on Intel, Motorola, SUN,
and DEC processors, with only a change of the microkernel hardware
abstraction layer.
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1991 - Windows was beginning to sell (version 3.0).
By late 1990 IBM took over
all of the development of OS/2. Microsoft took with them OS/2 3.0, which
they soon renamed to Windows NT.
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1991 - OS/2 Version 1.3 (Cutter) SE and EE was released.
It was the first version
which was written entirely by IBM. For a couple of years OS/2 would
still contain Microsoft code, but all of the new code and a good
portion of the existing code for OS/2 1.30 was written by IBM.
This resulted in a version 1.30 that was smaller, faster and more
stable than its predecessors. Also far more drivers where available and
the driver installaion procedure was made a whole lot simpler.
REXX was added to the SE version. Readable fonts where added.
Lazy write added to the HPFS. Enhanced video drivers, supporting
resolutions up to 1024x768, and an improwed swapping algorithm.
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1992 - OS/2 Version 2.0 (Cruiser) was released.
It was the first true 32-bit Operating System for Personal
Computers. It was a better DOS than DOS, and a better Windows than Windows,
which was done through the use of Virtual DOS Machines (VDMs), allowing
OS/2 to run many DOS/Windows programs at the same time.
As far as the DOS programs were concerned, they actually were in separate
computers. Windows programs run on IBM's licensed version of Windows 3.1
called Win-OS/2. Because of the seperation of the programs, one crash did
not effect the other programs. Also the WorkPlase Shell (WPS) was introduced,
it is an Object Oriented User Interface (OOUI) and adds the Object Orientation
to the GUI (Presentation Manager). But it was big and slow and required quite
a computer.
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1993 - OS/2 Version 2.1 (Borg) was released.
The system had been optimized.
A new 32-bit graphics subsystem was introduced. TrueType fonts was supported
in WinOS2 and Multimedia Presentation Manager/2 (MMPM/2) was added.
The Latter provided multimedia capabilities. PCMCIA (PC-Card) support and
Advanced Power Managedment (APM), which enabled power management on
Notebooks, was added. In order to reduce the price of the system
(price of OS/2 plus the price of the Windows 3.1) a version, called OS/2
for Windows (CN: Ferengi) where introduced. The idea was to install it on a computer
already containing a Windows 3.1. Thereby you did not have to pay twice
to the ability to run Windows applications.
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1994 - OS/2 Version 2.11 end 2.11 SMP was released.
OS/2 V2.11 is a bugfix of OS/2 V2.10. Symmetric Multi-Processing (SMP) was
introduced with the server version and can support for up to 16 CPUs.
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1994 - OS/2 Warp 3.0 (Warp) was introduced.
The system was again optimized.
It was designed to run un a computer with only 4Mb of memory.
Additional device drivers was made for the vast majority of peripherals
for Personal Computers. Features was added to the WPS, also it was
optimized. TCP/IP and Internet communications were also added to Warp 3.
The Internet Access Kit (IAK) provided a complete package to enable Warp
users to log on and surf the net. The Web Explorer allowed users access to
the World Wide Web, although it was neither as feature rich nor as
flexible as the industry leader, NetScape. Text mode and graphical
FTP applications allowed file transfer. Unlike previous versions of OS/2,
Warp shipped with a BonusPak CD-ROM which contained several OS/2 applications.
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1995 - Warp Connect was released.
It was a Warp 3.0 combined with network
connectivity and tools for Peer-to-peer networking, a LAN server and Netware
requester, which allowed access to the most popular network server environments.
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1996 - Warp Server was introduced.
It combined the power and functionality of
Warp 3.0 with the network server capabilities of an enhanced version of
IBM's LAN Server 4.0 product.
Warp Server includes many features which would cost extra with other server
operating systems. OS/2 Warp Server delivers an integrated platform
for the emerging application server environment as well as a complete
set of traditional file and print services. Warp Server provides an
integrated packaging of OS/2 Warp, LAN Server 4.0 (with some enhancements
and fixes), SystemView for OS/2, remote access, advanced backup disaster
and recovery, and a new printing capability that allows, among other
things, printing postscript files on non-postscript printers.
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1996 - Warp 4.0 (Merlin) was released.
The system, codenamed Merlin, introduced a
significant facelift to the GUI. The networking capabilities of Warp
Connect was included. Among the new features was Java, VoiceType
Navigation and Dictation.
It is able to connect to anything anywhere
with a universal network client, which allows simultaneous connectivity
to: LAN Server, Warp Server, Windows NT Server, Novell Netware, Netware
Directory Services, PCLAN Program, IPX-SPX, LANtastic for DOS or
OS/2, Warp Connect, Windows NT Workstation, Windows 95, Windows for
Workgroups, TCP/IP (including DHCP, DDNS, FTP, TFTP, Telnet, SLIP, PPP,
SMTP, and SNMP), SNA, NetBIOS. WarpGuides provide intelligent
self-configurable guidance for common tasks. Ideal for new users or users
new to OS/2. Internet aware desktop allows one-click access to your
favorite web sites. TME 10 Netfinity (SystemView) for exceptional systems
management, including DMI (Desktop Management Interface) support.
Remote Access Services (LAN Distance) for remote access capabilities
which allow you to access your network from home or the road.
Remote Access Services can also allow adhoc WAN configuration for
temporary or emergency use. Mobile Office Services allows the Road
Warrior to keep files synchronized with the office.
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1999 - Warp Server for e-Business (Aurora) was released.
Features:
- Seamless Administration of NT Servers
- Tivoli's Lightweight Client Framework (LCF) Endpoint Agent for OS/2
- Netfinity Manager
- I2O (Input/Output Architecture)
- Java 1.1.6 JDK
- New 32-bit kernel
- SMP support of upto 64 processors (optimal performance with 8)
- JFS (64 bit Journaling File System), optimized for SMP-machines
- LVM (Logical Volume Manager), replaces the old FDisk
- Support of diskspanning and dynamic drive letters
- Netscape Communicator/2
- Optimized TCP/IP, with greater capacity and SMP support.
- Vinca Standby Server support
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2000 - IBM introduced a new kernel to Warp 4, based on the WSeB kernel.
This kernel was shipped with FixPak 13 (and newers).
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2000 - Convenience Pack.
IBM decided to collect the fixpacks and fixes into something called a Convenience Pack. This should minimize the test costs of the business costumers.
The Convenience Package is to found in two sizes. The Server version for WSeB and the client version for OS/2 Warp 4 (Merlin Convenience Package AKA MCP).
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2000 - eComStation (eCS) annunced.
We have a new player on the field. Serenity System, which have a
licence to use the MCP and the "MCP+WSeB SMP kernel" for a new managed
client called eComStation (eCommerce Station).
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2001/2002 - Convenience Pack 2 was released.
This is the last OS/2 version released at this time. Fixes and updates for this version are constantly released from IBM.
Today OS/2 supports the latest hardware like USB 2, latest NVIDIA and Matrox graphics cards and more recent software tecnologies like Java 1.3, UDF and much more.
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