The Weird OS Built Around a Database

Summary

Pick OS, a pioneering database software and operating system created by Richard 'Dick' Pick in the 1960s, combined innovative features like English-like query language and hardware independence. Originally developed for the U.S. Army, it evolved into a powerful business tool, with unique data management and flexible database structures. Despite its early success, internal conflicts, lack of direction, and the rise of competitors like UNIX and MS-DOS led to its decline. Today, Pick OS remains a niche legacy system, with a devoted community, but has largely been replaced by NoSQL solutions.

Takeaways

• 😀 Pick OS was a unique combination of database software and operating system, created by Richard Pick and Don Nelson in the 1960s for the U.S. Army.
• 🛠️ The software was originally designed to manage spare parts inventory for the U.S. Army's Cheyenne helicopter project during the Vietnam War.
• 📚 The first iteration of the database system was named GIRLS, later renamed GIM, and featured an English-like query language for non-programmers.
• 💡 GIM's key innovation was its flexible database structure, using data dictionaries that allowed users to customize queries and expand the database without disrupting existing data.
• 🖥️ Pick OS featured a virtual machine design, making it hardware-independent and adaptable to different systems.
• 💼 After the U.S. Army's helicopter project was canceled, Richard Pick turned GIM into a business, licensing it to Microdata Corporation for use in their REALITY minicomputers.
• ⚖️ Pick and Microdata had a legal dispute in the late 1970s, eventually leading to a settlement where Microdata kept the REALITY brand, and Pick retained rights to Pick OS.
• 📊 Pick OS was praised for its unique file management system, using an English-like language for data retrieval, a precursor to modern NoSQL systems like MongoDB.
• 🛠️ The OS used a unique file structure that grouped data in layers and offered a flexible method for handling multivalue fields and storing data as ASCII text strings.
• 💻 Pick OS also included a programming language called Pick BASIC, which was deeply integrated with its database and allowed for the creation of small business applications.
• 📉 Despite its success in the 1980s, Pick OS struggled to gain broader market traction and eventually faded out, partly due to poor marketing strategies and internal conflicts within Pick Systems.

Q & A

What is Pick OS and how is it different from other software systems?

Pick OS is a unique combination of database software and an operating system. Unlike other systems that focus on either one or the other, Pick OS offers an integrated solution with a highly flexible database structure, user-friendly query language, and an operating system that supports multiple user log-ins and hardware independence.

How did Pick OS come into existence?

Pick OS was born in 1965 when the U.S. Army needed a data management system for tracking spare parts during the Vietnam War. It was developed by Don Nelson and Richard 'Dick' Pick under the original name GIM (Generalized Information Management), which evolved into Pick OS after the software was licensed to Microdata Corporation and later developed further.

Why was the development of Pick OS significant for its time?

Pick OS was ahead of its time due to its use of English-like query language, allowing non-programmers to interact with the system. It also had flexible data structures, like multivalue fields and the ability to store various types of data in one field, providing a high degree of customization for users.

What makes Pick OS different from SQL-based relational databases?

Unlike SQL-based databases that organize data into separate tables and use keys to link them, Pick OS organizes data in layers, which include master dictionaries, data dictionaries, and Pick Files. This unique approach allowed for flexible data management without needing to adjust existing data when new items or attributes were added.

What was the role of Microdata Corporation in the development of Pick OS?

Microdata Corporation licensed the Pick OS in the early 1970s, incorporating it into their REALITY minicomputers. They made Pick OS widely used in business and accounting applications, particularly due to its powerful file management software, ENGLISH, which used the same database system as Pick OS.

Why did Richard Pick leave Microdata Corporation?

Richard Pick left Microdata Corporation in 1976 due to a conflict over the exclusive control of the operating system. Pick wanted to port the software to other hardware platforms, which led to legal battles between him and Microdata over the ownership and use of the software.

How did Pick OS evolve after its departure from Microdata?

After leaving Microdata, Pick focused on licensing Pick OS to other hardware makers, such as Honeywell, which helped expand the OS's reach. Pick OS gained popularity in the 1980s due to its ease of porting across hardware platforms and its ability to run on both mainframes and minicomputers.

What were the strengths and weaknesses of Pick OS?

Pick OS's strengths included its flexible database structure, user-friendly query language, and ability to run on diverse hardware systems. However, its lack of a graphical user interface (GUI) and the challenge of dealing with a fragmented ecosystem of distributors and licensees were significant weaknesses.

Why did Pick OS fail to gain wider adoption despite its technical advantages?

Pick OS failed to gain widespread adoption due to its fragmented ecosystem, where many licensees white-labeled the system and offered customized versions under different names, creating confusion in the market. Additionally, Pick's reluctance to embrace the growing PC market and competition from UNIX and MS-DOS contributed to its decline.

What was the eventual fate of Pick OS?

After Richard Pick's death in 1994 and the failure of the company to regain momentum, Pick OS's assets were eventually sold to Rocket Software in 2013 after a series of mergers. While Pick OS still has some remaining installations, it was largely replaced by newer NoSQL systems as technology advanced.