Since a young age, I've always been captivated by computers and the endless possibilities they offer. From the old IBM and Macintosh, my journey through the world of operating systems has been both nostalgic and enlightening. In this article, I invite you to join me on a (biased) exploration from the first computers I used to the more recent ones. We'll delve into some unusual and often forgotten operating systems and their unique interfaces, celebrating their coolness and historical significance.
Old Computers
If you were born in the 80s, you must remember the first computers: bulky, light-vanilla colored machines with their typical green-phosphor screens. The first computer I ever used was the typical
IBM 5150, complete with its famous (clunky) keyboard, large floppy disks, and the sound of a jet engine (long before IMAX). Admire it in all its glory:
All it had was a text editor, a couple of games (something similar to Snake, if I recall), and a version of DOS, with which I would explore the tiny file system and try to get the most out of the machine. It's where I learned BASIC and the power of GOTO to build my quiz games. I spent countless hours with this setup and longed to have my own computer.
I didn't have to wait long, because soon after, my father had the opportunity to get his hands on perhaps the most iconic computer of all time:
The Macintosh, the original one. This was quite a revolution with its graphical interface, mouse, and audio! Plus, the absolutely artistic, slick design:
It was magic, absolute perfection. That machine could write and print documents with fonts, I had spreadsheets, I could listen to classical music, I could customize every window and program—I was at home. I started buying magazines with floppy disks to try. Some had games, some had additional software. I even had a dictionary and an encyclopedia on it (still using the paper versions, but it was cool to have them and read stuff). I learned to type faster and use shortcuts. I felt the future unfolding before me. If you haven't been lucky enough to see one in person, there is a nice
web version (actually, there are also early DOS computers with Wolfenstein 3D, so give it a try).
OS/2
But wait, let's take a step back. Do you know who lost to Microsoft Windows 95? It wasn't directly Apple (whose customers were pretty loyal), and surely it wasn't Linux. It was the operating system created by IBM:
OS/2. OS/2 was a competitor to Windows 3.1, but it was a neat operating system. I recall using it only a couple of times. It was well-designed, responsive, and surely more 'modern' compared to Windows 95, which in some ways was just a good redesign of Windows 3.1 with DOS at its core.
Unfortunately, OS/2 met with a slow (but constant) decline and was discontinued in the early 2000s. However, in 2015, a company named
Arca Noae acquired the rights and still sells it under the name ArcaOS for $139 (if you feel nostalgic).
BeOS and Haiku OS
Not many people know that another great operating system was released in 1995:
BeOS. This was probably the most advanced operating system of its time. It was like a mix between Windows, macOS (the old one), and Linux. Blazing fast, with a sense of smoothness and curated apps, it could do what, for example, even Linux couldn't do at that time. It recognized all my peripherals, including the graphics card and sound system, with no need for complicated configurations. It had a browser, an office suite, and a PDF reader. It was truly great.
BeOS also has historical importance. The founders were ex-Apple engineers, and following its release, Apple was in talks to acquire BeOS and make it their new flagship OS. However, they decided to acquire NeXT, whose founder was Steve Jobs. They got a Unix-based operating system (which, despite the lack of a 'cool' UI at the time, had a solid foundation) and they got their CEO back. In the end, they probably chose the best solution, but BeOS was cool, and it's nice to think 'What if' it had been incorporated in some way.
As you can imagine, BeOS never reached a significant market share, but it still has a strong community. That's why it has been rebuilt into
Haiku, a modern and extremely fast operating system.
Project Looking Glass
This brings me to perhaps my favorite, it was the mid-2000s:
Project Looking Glass. Looking Glass was more of a window manager for Linux Solaris (developed by Sun Microsystems) than an operating system, but it still deserves a mention. It was a 3D graphical interface for doing all your work: windows could slide to the side or be flipped to take notes. It took full advantage of graphics cards and their capabilities to manage 3D objects, scaling, and transparency. Unfortunately, Sun Microsystems never really released it as a stand-alone WM, and Solaris was more of a professional Linux for server-side management, so it didn't take off.
And it seems traces of it are almost completely lost. The only decent video (with terrible resolution) that I could find is when it was presented:
If you want to know more, a while back I wrote a full article about it. It was published in Linux Magazine, but you can
read it here for free.
Conclusions
Reflecting on these unique operating systems and their interfaces, it's clear how each has contributed to the evolution of modern computing. From the simplicity and innovation of the IBM 5150 and the original Macintosh to the advanced capabilities of BeOS and the visionary 3D interface of Looking Glass, these systems have pushed the boundaries of what computers can do. Understanding and appreciating these pioneering technologies is not just a trip down memory lane but a way to inspire future innovations.
