Why was IBM's 1964 operating system so important to the way computers are made today?Gary TibbalsFountainhead College of TechnologyAt an April 7, 1964 press release, Thomas J. Watson Jr, Chairman of the Board of Directors of IBM. announced that it was the most important product in the company's history. (unknown, IBM, 1964). IBM knew it was a special system because of the way the system was supported across a wide range of applications and that it was the first operating system to require peripherals from direct access storage. (Hosch, 2014) The system was so successful that other manufacturers began trying to replicate a similar machine. The impact of this operating system was of course a turning point in the history of operating systems, but what made it so different that everyone wanted to copy it? Let's look at some of the main achievements of the 360 ​​system and some of its pitfalls. IBM had taken the newly invented integrated chip by Jack Kilby and Robert Noyce in 1958 and used it in the 360 ​​system. (Unknown, The Third Generation: 1964 to 1970, 2009) This allowed them to support a wide range of applications, both scientific and commercial. (Unknown, Third Generation: 1964 to 1970, 2009) This allowed the 360 ​​system to be modular, allowing customers to purchase a smaller system knowing it could be upgraded to meet their needs . (Unknown, The Third Generation: 1964 to 1970, 2009). The name 360 ​​was given to this system because of the meaning of 360 degrees, which means that this system had 360 degrees of modularity and versatility of applications. What IBM wanted to convey was that this was the single system capable of supporting a full range of machines, across three versions of existing operating systems. IBM had created...... middle of paper ...... retrieved from Britannica: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1461036/IBM-OS360unknown. (1964, April 7). IBM. Retrieved from IBM: http://www-03.ibm.com/ibm/history/exhibits/mainframe/mainframe_PR360.htmlUnknown. (2001, October 26). Beagle-Ears.com. Retrieved from Beagle-Ears.com: http://www.beagle-ears.com/lars/engineer/comphist/ibm360.htmUnknown. (August 12, 2009). The Third Generation: 1964 to 1970. Retrieved from CCI Technology Department: http://www.cci-compeng.com/Unit_5_PC_Architecture/5205_3rd_Generation.htmunknown. (February 24, 2014). Operating Systems - History of the Operating System [Article] - 1960s – IBM's disappointing efforts to develop OS/360. From PS review: http://www.psexam.com/Notes-for-Computer-Science/operating-systems-history-of-operating-system-article/1960s-%E2%80%93-Disappointing- IBM-efforts-for-Develop-OS/360.html