From the day we migrated from OS/2 to Windows, every new version of Windows meant Microsoft was going to lift some ideas for the next version of the OS from Object Desktop. And we would have to adapt.
Think I exaggerate?
Look at Object Desktop for OS/2 (which was developed prior to Windows 95) with its ZIP files that worked as folders, DesktopX with its widgets and gadgets, Control Center with its side bar of “gadgets”, GUI Skins (where uxtheme.dll so blatantly borrowed from that it until Windows 7, it had bugs that were carried over from an early version of WindowBlinds in how it did hooks), Smart File Dialog which allows users to add short-cuts and favorites to their file dialog, Enhanced Folders which added an address line to what we today call Explorer windows, and on and on and on. And that doesn’t begin to touch what they borrowed from MacOS.
Don’t get me wrong, we’re not complaining. When you make successful OS enhancements, it’s natural that some of them will wind up in the next version of the OS. As some OS/2 users may recall, Stardock designed the OS/2 Warp 4 desktop for IBM even though we knew we’d have to release a new version of Object Desktop since were were obsoleting ourselves.
Based on Windows 8, which no one can doubt is very much pure Microsoft innovation, we’re going to really miss the days of embrace and extend.
Screenshots
Object Desktop for OS/2, first beta release – 1993 and Object Desktop 2.0 in 1996
Microsoft Windows in 1993 and Windows 95 in 1996.
Windows 8 Preview: It’s certainly…original