January 2003

What could have saved OS-9? posted by admin

January 23, 2003 10:35:01 AM -- Two weeks ago, Radisys announced more layoffs. It seems there may only be a handful of OS-9 engineers left at the former Microware building in Des Moines. Let's take a quick moment and look back to what could have been a fantastic future for Microware in 1995.

The technology was called DAVID (Digital Audio Video Interactive Decoder). It was "SmartTV" back then -- a settop box that could do digital video (on demand), games, and other types of interactive programming. It worked. It was exciting. And, it was featured on this December 1995 episode of Computer Chronicles.

http://archive.org/movies/details-db.php?collection=computerchronicles&collectionid=1314

Take a look. After the first segment (about a cable delivery system for computer programs which apparently never got off the ground), there are clips from a tradeshow which featured a brief interview with former Microware guy Eric Miller. After this we go back to the studio for a demo of an actual DAVID system with another Microware guy (long gone).

Of interest: After this segment, watch the "competitor" show off their product and listen to how they try to downplay the fact that, basically, they were light years behind what the Microware OS-9 based gadget did.

Fascinating.

If only...