Is OS/2 losing? (market share competition between OS/2 and Microsoft Windows) (Special Anniversary Issue)
by Alan R. Bechtold

The race between OS/2 and Microsoft Windows has been running for a long time, but the finish line may now be in sight. Gartner Group, a leading research firm that analyzes trends in the information technology industry, predicts IBM won't succeed in its efforts to encourage a majority of users to migrate to OS/2. According to Gartner, OS/2's market share will be only half that of Windows by 1995. Windows currently holds 12 percent of the market, which Gartner predicts will grow to 41 percent by that time.

The fate of OS/2's Presentation Manager is hotly debated. Gartner believes the operating environment has been dealt a severe, if not fatal, blow by Windows.

Although OS/2 is considered technically superior to Windows, it lacks third-party appeal, according to Jonathan Yarmis, vice president of personal computing at Gartner. "Without that apppeal, it doesn't matter how well OS/2 performs. Users buy applications, not operating systems," Yarmis said.