Any operating system must provide a user interface that allows the user to make use of the functions of the system, for example to start programs, manage files and so on. This interface is known as its shell, and in some operating systems is no more than a command line and a set of commands; the user has to know the correct commands to start programs, manipulate files, tailor the system, and so on. An example of such a shell is the command line interface of DOS 3.3.
OS/2 1.1 had a shell that used the Presentation Manager interface. This consisted of a collection of utility programs allowing for starting, stopping and switching between programs (the Desktop Manager), manipulating directories and files (the File Manager), altering system settings (the Control Panel), and managing printers, print queues and the spooler (the Print Manager).
This shell provided a degree of consistency for the user through its use of Presentation Manager. However, it was still no more than a collection of separate programs, each working in its own way and having to be learned by the user. Furthermore, it made no attempt to hide from the user the complexities of the operating system, requiring him to understand concepts such as programs, files, and directories. Nevertheless, this shell remained, with only minor changes, through OS/2 Releases 1.2 and 1.3.
OS/2 Version 2.0 introduces a new shell - the Workplace Shell - which takes this development one stage further. It provides a shell that is more consistent, and allows the inexperienced user to remain largely ignorant of the operating system itself. The Workplace Shell implements a type of interface known as an Object-Oriented User Interface because with it the user interacts with icons representing familiar objects, such as documents, printers, shredders, and folders. The user's attention is focused on these objects, rather than on the programs and files that lie behind them, as with most other kinds of user interface.
The Workplace Shell provides all the function of the old OS/2 Version 1.3 shell in a more consistent and easily learned way, while at the same time providing much greater flexibility for the user to organize his work in the way that suits him.