THE PC TECH GRAVEYARD

PC history has many dead ends, but buried in that graveyard is an enormous amount of innovation and potential. John Knight examines what we lost along the way, and see what lessons might be able to help predict the future. Let’s start with operating systems.

Microsoft XENIX Although it’s largely forgotten now, there was a time when Microsoft was betting big on Unix, both in business and the home. As the retail computing world moved from 8 to 16-bit, Microsoft analysed the choice of operating systems, and expected Unix to eventually become the dominant platform. Microsoft bought a license from AT&T in 1979, and announced its product for 16-bit microcomputers in August 1980. Dubbed XENIX, the corporate giant had advertised their Unix variant as ‘the Microcomputer Operating System of the Future’. Instead of selling straight to customers, Microsoft used existing software vendors as middlemen, particularly The Santa Cruz Operation, or ‘SCO’, in which Microsoft bought a controlling share. SCO had already been selling, porting, and consulting on Unix products, so it made sense to leave…

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APC (Digital) - 1 Issue, February 2025

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