IBM Japan Ltd is trying to very hard to make new friends in the personal computer world, but IBM’s reputation as a spoiler isn’t making it easy. More than a few eyebrows have been raised since IBM Japan announced last December that it will supply the latest operating system for its personal computers on an original equipment manufacturing basis. MS-DOS J4.0/V was released in October and unlike previous operating systems, enables IBM personal computers to run both Japanese and English software. According to Nippon Keizai Shimbun, an IBM spokesman claims that the intention is to promote standardisation of the personal computer market in Japan, where NEC Corp dominates overwhelmingly, and IBM holds only around an 8% share. The company is also heading an organisation called the Open Architecture Developers Group which is to be composed of companies that support the operating system and more importantly, create hardware that runs under MS-DOS J4.0/V. There are benefits to being a group member, not least of which is the certainty that IBM software will run on their personal computers rather than depending on educated guesswork. The Japanese market resembles the US and European markets back before everyone twigged that runs MS-DOS didn’t mean compatible with the IBM Personal Computer. All the major manufacturers use MS-DOS as their main operating system, but each has a proprietary BIOS, so software is not portable between them, and developers write first for NEC’s PC-9801 because NEC has 50% of the market. Machines from Toshiba Corp, IBM and members of the AX Conference industry association all use different operating systems for Japanese software. The AX Conference has welcomed the IBM Japan initiative, and Hitachi Ltd, Canon Inc and Mitsubishi Electric Corp are considering joining the Developers Group. There are also rumours that Seiko Epson Corp, one of a tiny handful of companies making a NEC-compatible machine, is thinking of joining the Group because of potential opportunities. If the Group is successful, NEC’s dominance could be challenged, and a number of other companies, including Compaq Computer Corp, might make inroads into what has been a difficult market. However, even companies that have expressed an interest are still shy of committing themselves to the Developers Group. There is a general wariness of IBM and its desire for user-dominance, and many believe that IBM will attempt to further its own interests at the expense of fellow members. Consequently, the Group has still to get off the ground and observers are uncertain when that will happen or in what particular form. IBM Japan is particularly keen that the various manufacturers create hardware running under MS-DOS J4.0/V, but others worry about the control that would give IBM. The company is prepared to share some of its technology, but a new IBM-dominated standard would mean that IBM could time new releases to suit its own ends, rather than the Group as a whole. Even if IBM’s new operating system is adopted, members will have to support existing customers. This does mean that they won’t be wholly dependant on IBM, but they will face a dilemma in deciding which system to recommend.
