The not-unexpected passing away of OS/360, in its 21st release, was
announced in every major city of the world on August 2, 1972 by its
guardian, IBM. With the statement of functional stabilization (a
corporate euphemism for euthanasia) OS joined the ranks of IBSYS,
SOS, and IOCS, collateral ancestors of the deceased. Following the
announcement of April 7, 1964 of its impending birth, OS was
conceived in Poughkeepsie on April 8 of the same year. The
gestation was long and difficult, and it was widely reported at the
time that miscarriage was avoided only by the careful attention of
a large medical term. Supporting evidence for this conjecture was
provided by the number of headless bodies observed floating down
the Hudson River during this period.
OS, originally indended to weigh 6K and to be nurtured in a 16K
cradle, displayed all the characteristics of its parent and grew in
an almost uncontrollable fashion, dispite strenuous efforts to
control the birth-weight of the progeny.
The offspring first saw the light of day in December 1965 and the
birth announcement recorded a weight of 64K. It rapidly became
apparent that OS, in spite of its unusual size was more than
normally subject to childhood deseases. For a long period, this
weak and sickly baby hovered close to death despite almost
continuous transformations and major transplants of several vital
organs. Many experts are of the opinion that the huge weight of OS
at birth contributed greatly to its early ill health. At the age
of 3, OS began to show signs of long-term survival and entered a
period of adolescence. During this time, it demonstrated an
unusual capacity for self-reproduction. By a process known
technically as "System Generation" ( a variety of the biological
process known as partheno-genesis, normally found only in certain
insects, such as wasps), OS was able to manifest itself in a
bewildering variety of shapes and sizes. All of these were closely
related and displayed the same genetic deficiencies, such as
excessive size and poor health. Although self-reproduction was
theoretically possible in 6 to 8 hours, most cases took 3 to 6
months to attain reasonable health.
During adolescence, OS became increasingly complex, due mainly to
the very large number of organ transplants. As a result, temporary
incapacity to successfully reproduce often occured. This
complexity led also to obesity of a scale never before encountered,
a condition which is widely believed to have been the major cause
of death. In its prime OSachieved a hiterto unprecedented size
and, like the cowbird, kept growing until it filled its
environment. This is believed to have been a significant factor in
the growth of its corporate parent.
During its mature years, OS was apparently in good health.
However, almost continual repair since birth has taken its toll,
and it became apparent the OS had reached the level of its
incompetence. Indeed, usually reliable sources indicate that it
had already been promoted at least one level above that.
OS is survived by two lineal descendants, OS/VS1 and OS/VS2. It
will be mourned by its many friends and particularly by the over
10,000 system programmers throughout the world who owe their jobs to
Funeral arrangements have not been released by IBM, but OS is
expected to lie in state in a large number of 360's and 370's for
at least two years. Memorial services are being arranged by GUIDE
and SHARE, but details are incomplete at this time.
Final interrment will be in the Smithsonian Institution.
August 9, 1972