IBM heaps another small shovel of dirt onto OS/2

As major news sites are announcing, IBM has officially announced they are going to stop selling OS/2 in any normal form. Previously, you could buy a subscription to "Software Choice" or "Passport Advantage" and that way get new/updated CDs of OS/2 4.5. In reality most people who didn't already have the right contacts at IBM found it very difficult to buy OS/2 this way from IBM; it has been easier to buy from an eComStation reseller instead. Serenity Systems, the company behind eComStation, effectively consolidates all the small users into one large OEM contract to IBM, and thereby represent enough sales to get such continuing support as IBM is prepared to offer. Serenity can still offer new licenses of "OS/2" this way. Otherwise, you have to beg and plead with IBM to make a special exception and sell to you.

It's a bit sad - again. I got involved with OS/2 by working on a retail business system that used OS/2 - back in the late 80's when it came out, there was no other serious option for a PC OS. Frustrated with the version control tools available, I developed a version control system on top of Intersolv PVCS for OS/2, using a new Delphi-like tool called Sibyl. Later looking for a more graphical challenge I decided to try and replace the OS/2 help system, giving rise to NewView.

There was an upside to working on an obscure OS; an individual could contribute a lot more than on a massively supported OS like Linux or Windows. Still the obvious downside is that in time, the work becomes less and less relevant. I had the minor fun of seeing NewView integrated into eCS, but this was much less of an event than even I expected; I didn't even get any kind of formal request from Serenity Systems, let alone a cheque or support contract. Personally if I was including some code into my own product I would at least check out what the future support would be, but I guess SSI have decided long ago that they must just make do with what they can get.

Anyway, in the last few months, I have ramped back my personal development work. I don't even have a PC running OS/2 anymore, only a Virtual PC image. For one thing, all the software is mostly finished; there are minor enhancements and obscure bug fixes that could be done, but these are usually for single software packages or one or two users. For another, I have a more interesting job, which takes more effort than the old one. Finally, I don't have as much enthusiasm for it as I used to, and have found that it can be healthy to spend some time not at the computer :)

So I uploaded the latest source code to NewView to Hobbes; now I can stop without feeling like people will be stranded for support, even though I know that likely no-one else will ever build it.

It all seems to be part of saying goodbye to a technical interest which used to occupy so much of my time. Thanks for some entertaining times, OS/2. I will always remember late night coding sessions in the office at Keiller Place, music cranking, code flowing from my brain til the wee hours.