which 90's era failed OS is the least POS

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Serious Hardware/Software Crap > YOSPOS > which 90's era failed OS is the least POS

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pram: Jun 10, 2001

NeoHentaiMaster posted:

Wow, its really hard to listen to this Ted Nelson guy talk. I think his existence might require some kind of new Dunning Kruger scale to actually quantify. How do you call yourself a software engineer while never actually making anything anyone has used because you spent almost 5 decades being baffled by people preferring to use simple familiar intuitive interfaces to edit text instead of manually traversing what appears to be some kind thinly veiled simple graph node database implementation.

lol

# ? Jan 12, 2017 03:21

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# ? May 3, 2024 15:48

Chris Knight: Jun 5, 2002; me @ ur posts; Fun Shoe

Notorious b.s.d. posted:

to be fair be, inc was only slightly dumber than next, inc

except next had actual good shipping hardware and software products for a few years

# ? Jan 12, 2017 03:22

eschaton: Mar 7, 2007; Don't you just hate when you wind up in a store with people who are in a socioeconomic class that is pretty obviously about two levels lower than your own?

Notorious b.s.d. posted:

window maker was way better than afterstep

afterstep was just an x11 wm that attempted to cosmetically resemblenextstep. wmaker was actually built on and integrated with GNUstep, the GNU reimplementation of the OPENSTEP API spec.

nope, windowmaker was also just created to cosmetically resemble the NeXT interface, it unfortunately wasn't implemented with GNUStep

it did have some framework integration points though so applications built using GNUStep could get a more seamless experience than with other UIs

what's amusing is that NeXT didn't really have a window manager in the X sense, the window server provided rendering to surfaces, input events to applications, and support for dragging, that's it�everything else was handled in each app by the frameworks themselves

Sun NeWS was actually more advanced by letting the widgets themselves run in the window server

# ? Jan 12, 2017 03:44

Progressive JPEG: Feb 19, 2003

Hed posted:

I'm pretty sure Maxis (of SimCity fame) was doing an OS in the mid '90s. I specifically remember a black and yellow envelope with the tagline "Why open Windows when there's nothing to see?"

I can't find out any more information on this, though.

maybe it was infocom and databases?

# ? Jan 12, 2017 04:24

Last Chance: Dec 31, 2004

Progressive JPEG posted:

also dont forget litestep on windows

two ircs!!

i used this and totally forgot that i did lol

# ? Jan 12, 2017 06:35

Cybernetic Vermin: Apr 18, 2005

how on earth am i first with the obvious answer: palmos

easily the biggest failed opportunity at the very least

beos was some solid engineering but came out around the time when microsoft weirdly managed to migrate kernels into the servicable 95 (making beos advantages relatively incremental), and it was then left entirely without point when microsoft managed to make it across onto nt as well

# ? Jan 12, 2017 15:22

ultravoices: May 10, 2004; You are about to embark on a great journey. Are you ready, my friend?

Chris Knight posted:

except next had actual good shipping hardware and software products for a few years

i thought that once ross perot nope'd on out of next they were kinda hosed

# ? Jan 12, 2017 15:22

r u ready to WALK: Sep 29, 2001

There's two things a remember quite fondly about BeOS, it was easy to pick up programming since it had a bunch of brand new APIs that were really textbook C++ and no legacy to worry about and included just enough of the Codewarrior IDE, and it had the first MP3 player that could play files backwards so you could conveniently listen to satanic messages while programming

# ? Jan 12, 2017 20:00

N.Z.'s Champion: Jun 8, 2003; Yam Slacker

the beos zsnake (the purple line) was interesting for menus

# ? Jan 12, 2017 21:58

jony ive aces: Jun 14, 2012; designer of the lomarf car; Buglord

Optimus_Rhyme posted:

i'm the desktop icon for printer

# ? Jan 12, 2017 23:43

infernal machines: Oct 11, 2012; we monitor many frequencies. we listen always. came a voice, out of the babel of tongues, speaking to us. it played us a mighty dub.

jony ive aces posted:

i'm the desktop icon for printer

a pointless waste of space?

# ? Jan 12, 2017 23:45

jony ive aces: Jun 14, 2012; designer of the lomarf car; Buglord

N.Z.'s Champion posted:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIOuRuvQ10c

jesus christ that is horrifying

like i guess it's a result of his ADD, but watching that makes me feel like i'm the one with ADD instead if I'm to be expected to find that in any way useful

# ? Jan 12, 2017 23:48

jony ive aces: Jun 14, 2012; designer of the lomarf car; Buglord

infernal machines posted:

a pointless waste of space?

yes

# ? Jan 12, 2017 23:48

Endless Mike: Aug 13, 2003

whichever os can fit in my 50" leg opening JNCOs

# ? Jan 13, 2017 00:41

Luigi Thirty: Apr 30, 2006; Emergency confection port.

Progressive JPEG posted:

maybe it was infocom and databases?

lol that thing

quote:

The company overspent its own assets to create its Business Products division. Infocom started as a small, self-financed company operated with great frugality. A $10 million company in 1984, Infocom tried to fund a new business mostly with money out of its own pocket, as it had done before. From 1984 to 1985, the number of employees skyrocketed from 32 to 100. The move to 125 CambridgePark Drive cost over $600,000 per year in rent. Infocom spent $85,000 for an advertisement. Another DECsystem-20 was purchased for development. Such expenses made it difficult to stay profitable, and led to Infocom's posting its first annual loss in 1984.

Third, the company failed to isolate the games and business divisions from each other. The employees in the games business felt resentful because the money that they had made for the company was used for a completely different purpose. The company left the game developers with few resources, precluding them from creating something other than traditional, text-based games. By channeling all of the games profits into the Business Products division, Infocom inextricably tied the fate of both of its divisions together. With little outside capital to weather bad times, the future of the games division rested on Cornerstone.

Infocom's nightmare was realized when Cornerstone failed to turn a profit. Cornerstone sold over 10,000 copies, but that was hardly enough to pay for its expenses. Despite its ease-of-use, Cornerstone lacked the performance and functionality that competitors like dBASE II had. Its slow performance can be attributed to Infocom's efforts to achieve portability by applying the similar byte-code technology used in the Z-machine. While this portability was vital to Infocom's success in the early 1980s, the IBM PC unexpectedly dominated the market by 1984-after work on Cornerstone had already begun. When Cornerstone was released in 1985, portability no longer provided much of an advantage. In fact, the virtual machine used to run Cornerstone made it noticeably slower than competing database products.

# ? Jan 13, 2017 02:58

Pittsburgh Fentanyl Cloud: Apr 7, 2003

Cornerstone literally killed Infocom.

# ? Jan 13, 2017 03:08

Hed: Mar 31, 2004; Fun Shoe

Progressive JPEG posted:

maybe it was infocom and databases?

Now I'm thinking maybe it was Symantec/Norton... coming up blank still. idk what other companies used black and yellow back in the day

# ? Jan 13, 2017 03:21

eschaton: Mar 7, 2007; Don't you just hate when you wind up in a store with people who are in a socioeconomic class that is pretty obviously about two levels lower than your own?

ultravoices posted:

i thought that once ross perot nope'd on out of next they were kinda hosed

they were en route to profitability via EOF and WebObjects at the time of the Apple purchase

WebObjects was a pretty big deal and is still more advanced than most app frameworks today

NeXT Software would likely have been bought by Sun at some point with SJ becoming CEO there instead of Jonathan Schwartz (who came from Sun's acquisition of Lighthouse Design, the NeXT app company)

# ? Jan 13, 2017 03:27

eschaton: Mar 7, 2007; Don't you just hate when you wind up in a store with people who are in a socioeconomic class that is pretty obviously about two levels lower than your own?

N.Z.'s Champion posted:

the beos zsnake (the purple line) was interesting for menus

what build is that?

# ? Jan 13, 2017 03:28

Notorious b.s.d.: Jan 25, 2003; by Reene

eschaton posted:

what build is that?

looks like dano

# ? Jan 13, 2017 05:04

Notorious b.s.d.: Jan 25, 2003; by Reene

eschatology posted:

they were en route to profitability via EOF and WebObjects at the time of the Apple purchase

I'm not broke, I'm "en route" to wealth!

eschatology posted:

WebObjects was a pretty big deal and is still more advanced than most app frameworks today

that must be why next only tried it as their fourth primary product not the first second or third

and also why apple discontinued it

# ? Jan 13, 2017 05:07

carry on then: Jul 10, 2010; by VideoGames
(and can't post for 10 years!)

Endless Mike posted:

whichever os can fit in my 50" leg opening JNCOs

i believe that's system 7, op

# ? Jan 13, 2017 06:21

The Leck: Feb 27, 2001

spankmeister posted:

Did I say looks like beos? I meant looks like beo-rear end

not cool!

# ? Jan 13, 2017 20:08

Pittsburgh Fentanyl Cloud: Apr 7, 2003

spankmeister posted:

Did I say looks like beos? I meant looks like beo-rear end

I think Smythe has a Beo-rear end 350.

# ? Jan 13, 2017 20:09

Farmer Crack-Ass: Jan 2, 2001; this is me posting irl

what's the one Nedry was using for the security grid in Jurassic Park

# ? Jan 14, 2017 04:43

There Will Be Penalty: May 18, 2002; Makes a great pet!

irix

# ? Jan 14, 2017 04:43

Notorious b.s.d.: Jan 25, 2003; by Reene

irix sounds like a disease, but it's so much more!

# ? Jan 14, 2017 05:03

Pittsburgh Fentanyl Cloud: Apr 7, 2003

Farmer Crack-rear end posted:

what's the one Nedry was using for the security grid in Jurassic Park

I forgot that it was so common back then to smoke that no one thought that scene was unusual. lol

# ? Jan 14, 2017 05:22

Chris Knight: Jun 5, 2002; me @ ur posts; Fun Shoe

hold on 2 yo butts

# ? Jan 14, 2017 05:47

pram: Jun 10, 2001

eschaton posted:

they were en route to profitability via EOF and WebObjects at the time of the Apple purchase

WebObjects was a pretty big deal and is still more advanced than most app frameworks today

NeXT Software would likely have been bought by Sun at some point with SJ becoming CEO there instead of Jonathan Schwartz (who came from Sun's acquisition of Lighthouse Design, the NeXT app company)

this is cool because larry and steve were friends so he would be running oracle right now as well. wed have the most tasteful enterprise software imaginable (still overpriced)

# ? Jan 14, 2017 09:30

Smythe: Oct 12, 2003

carry on then posted:

i believe that's system 7, op

lmfao

# ? Jan 14, 2017 20:38

Luigi Thirty: Apr 30, 2006; Emergency confection port.

# ? Jan 15, 2017 00:44

Endless Mike: Aug 13, 2003

Luigi Thirty posted:

pictured: a vicious murdered and a jabronie mark fan

# ? Jan 15, 2017 01:37

Breakfast All Day: Oct 21, 2004

carry on then posted:

i believe that's system 7, op

playing with proportions

# ? Jan 15, 2017 02:56

eschaton: Mar 7, 2007; Don't you just hate when you wind up in a store with people who are in a socioeconomic class that is pretty obviously about two levels lower than your own?

I prefer this one

you can tell Rollins totally wants to be there

e: we had various of these framed on the wall in the hallways when I was in the PowerBook group at Apple in the 90s, that's where I first saw this one

eschaton fucked around with this message at 03:22 on Jan 15, 2017

# ? Jan 15, 2017 03:18

The_Franz: Aug 8, 2003

carry on then posted:

i believe that's system 7, op

i remember seeing that way back when as a kid and not thinking anything about that guy's clothes

90s fashion was really the worst. 70s was p bad too, but at least everyone didn't look like a kid wearing their parents' clothes

# ? Jan 15, 2017 03:28

carry on then: Jul 10, 2010; by VideoGames
(and can't post for 10 years!)

eschaton posted:

I prefer this one

you can tell Rollins totally wants to be there

e: we had various of these framed on the wall in the hallways when I was in the PowerBook group at Apple in the 90s, that's where I first saw this one

neat! always interesting what old computer companies choose to hang on their walls

for instance, we have a bunch of posters about blue gene and one diss on weblogic

# ? Jan 15, 2017 03:32

eschaton: Mar 7, 2007; Don't you just hate when you wind up in a store with people who are in a socioeconomic class that is pretty obviously about two levels lower than your own?

carry on then posted:

neat! always interesting what old computer companies choose to hang on their walls

for instance, we have a bunch of posters about blue gene and one diss on weblogic

oh, nowadays we have all these slick giant fabric prints (don't know what else to call them) of our current products

when I had an office looking out at the Infinite Loop main atrium, I got to watch in the evenings every few weeks when the giant banner with whatever was new was changed, that was exciting

# ? Jan 15, 2017 03:33

Pittsburgh Fentanyl Cloud: Apr 7, 2003

The_Franz posted:

i remember seeing that way back when as a kid and not thinking anything about that guy's clothes

90s fashion was really the worst. 70s was p bad too, but at least everyone didn't look like a kid wearing their parents' clothes

That's late 80s poo poo. The nineties officially started with grunge.

# ? Jan 15, 2017 03:52

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# ? May 3, 2024 15:48

The_Franz: Aug 8, 2003

Citizen Tayne posted:

That's late 80s poo poo. The nineties officially started with grunge.

that ad is from 1994. "the baggy 90s" was the decade of wearing sack-like clothes several sizes too big

clothes which are now snug because the 90s is also the decade when everyone started becoming fat

# ? Jan 15, 2017 04:05

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Serious Hardware/Software Crap > YOSPOS > which 90's era failed OS is the least POS

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