The Tab key dispute: How organizational culture clashed between Microsoft and IBM during OS/2 development
By
Raymond Chen
Properly proved. Has structure, has flavour, has a point.
Summary
The article discusses a cultural and organizational mismatch between Microsoft and IBM during their collaboration on OS/2. It highlights how Microsoft viewed IBM as bureaucratic while IBM saw Microsoft as undisciplined. A specific anecdote illustrates this: a dispute arose over which key (likely Tab vs. Enter) should move between fields in dialog boxes, reflecting deeper organizational differences between the two companies.
Key quotes
· 3 pulledI've written in the past about the cultural mismatch between Microsoft and IBM during the collaboration on OS/2, with the Microsofties viewing their IBM colleagues as mired in pointless bureaucracy and the IBM folks viewing Microsofties as undisciplined hackers.
One of many points of mismatch was the organizational structure.
A colleague recalls that while he was assigned to the IBM offices in Boca Raton, Florida, there was a dispute over what key should be used to move from one field to another in dialog boxes.
You might also wanna read
Meta employees report low morale as company prepares to lay off 8,000 workers despite $26.8B quarterly profit
Meta is reportedly preparing to lay off approximately 8,000 workers (10% of its global workforce) on May 20, creating a grim and unhappy env
moneywise.com·1d agoMeta employees report low morale as company prepares to lay off 8,000 workers despite $26.8B quarterly profit
Meta is reportedly preparing to lay off approximately 8,000 workers (10% of its global workforce) on May 20, creating a grim and unhappy env
moneywise.com·1d ago
Disney AI executive faces staff scrutiny over virtual assistant he calls his 'son'
A Disney AI executive, Jason Cox, has created a virtual assistant named "Sam" that he refers to as his "son," sparking internal staff concer
businessinsider.com·4d ago
Meta lays off 1,400 workers as Mark Zuckerberg's yacht arrives in Seattle
On the same day Meta announced nearly 1,400 layoffs in the region, CEO Mark Zuckerberg's 390-foot yacht arrived in Seattle, passing through
AWS Employee Who Restored Deleted Customer Account Is Fired
A blogger recounts how AWS employee Tarus Balog (a 20-year open-source veteran) single-handedly restored his deleted 10-year AWS account aft
seuros.com·5d ago
Meta Plans 10% Workforce Cut Amid Record Profits and Plummeting Employee Morale
Meta is planning to cut approximately 10% of its workforce (nearly 8,000 employees) next week, adding to roughly 25,000 cuts over the past f
wired.com·17d ago