No-one can believe that IBM Corp’s OS/2 has anything more than a limited future nowadays, but last week IBM outlined its roadmap for further development of the operating system, along with a few new enhancements. A new version of OS/2 Warp Server is due early next year, as the entry-level server platform for running its e- business electronic commerce applications. IBM will also release a new version of its WorkSpace On Demand client operating system, managed from the OS/2 server, which will support a wider range of clients. The new OS/2 release, due to begin beta testing before the end of the year, will include a fast Journaling File System for increased performance, scalability and Web serving capabilities, and will be Year 2000 and Eurocurrency compliant. WorkSpace On Demand, due for general availability before the end of the year, will support an expanded range of hardware, including IBM’s own Network Stations, and more administration tools. It will also include Java 1.1.6, and additional releases as they become available. New features for the existing OS/2, available now, include updated systems management software that supports Windows NT 4.0 clients, and new features such as continuous resource monitoring. There is also a new non-stop backup and recovery feature. IBM is largely supporting its installed base with the new releases, rather than looking for new business. Around 226,000 IBM OS/2 server operating system license shipments were shipped worldwide in 1997, according to IDC Corp figures, representing a 34.5% decline in unit shipments compared to 1996. Novell NetWare shipments were 900,000, representing a 9.4% decline. Unix shipments grew 15.8%, roughly the same rate as the previous year, with total shipments of 717,000 units, while Microsoft’s Windows NT Server grew at 80%, to 1.3 million units. The market as a whole grew at 10.8%, half the growth of the previous year.
