IBM Announces New Operating System For Personal ComputersIBM Announces New 
Operating System For Personal Computers 
Dow Jones News Service
January 12, 1984
RYE BROOK NY -DJ- INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORP. ANNOUNCED A NEW 
OPERATING SYSTEM FOR THE IBM PERSONAL COMPUTER THAT IS DERIVED FROM THE UNIX 
TIME SHARING SYSTEM, A COMPUTER OPERATING SYSTEM DEVELOPED BY AMERICAN TELEPHONE 
& TELEGRAPH CO.'S BELL LABORATORIES. 
THE FACT THAT IBM INTRODUCED A UNIX-LOOK-ALIKE PRODUCT IS A BOW FROM THE 
COMPUTER GIANT TO THE POTENTIAL POWER OF UNIX IN THE OFFICE-AUTOMATION 
MARKETPLACE, A TURF OVER WHICH BOTH IBM AND AT&T ARE SEEKING DOMINANCE. 
THE SYSTEM CALLED PERSONAL COMPUTER INTERACTIVE EXECUTIVE -PC-IX- CAN BE USED 
FOR PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT TEXT PROCESSING OR RUNNING A WIDE VARIETY OF EXISTING 
UNIX SYSTEM APPLICATION PROGRAMS. 
IBM SAID PROFESSIONALS COULD USE THEIR PERSONAL COMPUTERS TO PROCESS SEVERAL 
TASKS SIMULTANEOUSLY WITH PC-IX. 
WITH A ONE-TIME LICENSE CHARGE OF $900 PC-IX WILL BE AVAILABLE IN APRIL 1984 
THROUGH IBM'S NATIONAL ACCOUNTS AND NATIONAL MARKETING DIVISIONS THE COMPANY 
SAID. 
PC-IX OFFERS A NEW FULL-SCREEN EDITOR IN ADDITION TO COMMON UNIX SYSTEM 
FEATURES. IT WAS WAS DEVELOPED FOR IBM BY INTERACTIVE SYSTEMS CORP. AND IS A 
RECOMPILED SET OF UNIX SYSTEM SOURCE STATEMENTS WITH A REDESIGN OF THE ESSENTIAL 
PORTIONS OF CODE TO IMPROVE PERFORMANCE AND RELIABILITY IBM SAID. 
PC-IX MAY RESIDE WITH OTHER OPERATING SYSTEMS CONCURRENTLY ON FIXED DISK SO THAT 
MORE THAN ONE OPERATING SYSTEM CAN BE AVAILABLE TO THE USER AT DIFFERENT TIMES. 
IT ALSO PROVIDES PROGRAMS FOR FILE TRANSFER TO AND FROM THE PERSONAL COMPUTER'S 
DISK OPERATING SYSTEM 2.0 IBM SAID. 
THE PC-IX SYSTEM RUNS ON BOTH THE IBM PERSONAL COMPUTER WITH FIXED DISK 
EXPANSION AND THE IBM PC XT. 
ALL CONFIGURATIONS REQUIRE AT LEAST 256 KILOBYTES OF MEMORY ONE DUAL-SIDED 
DISKETTE DRIVE AND ONE 10 MEGABYTE FIXED DISK DRIVE IBM SAID.
 
Copyright (c) 1984, Dow Jones & Co., Inc.