The component of the operating system which is responsible for interaction with the end user is known as the user shell. The PM Shell in OS/2 V1.3 has been replaced in OS/2 Version 2.0 by an enhanced, object-oriented user shell known as the Workplace Shell, which implements the 1991 CUA Workplace Environment.
The Workplace Shell allows users to become more task-oriented by simplifying the user interface and reducing the amount of system-specific knowledge required to perform work tasks. The high degree of consistency in the operating system also reduces the amount of user education needed to operate the system.
The shell has been redesigned for OS/2 Version 2.0 to give the user a single interface to manage multiple types of objects, including devices (printer and drives), files, and programs. Each defined printer or attached drive is a separate icon. These objects are arranged at will on the desktop or in specific shell windows. The user interacts with the objects using a well-defined drag and drop environment and is able to manipulate files without needing to be concerned about the file directory hierarchy. However, if the user wishes, multiple directory trees are accessible simultaneously. Views, selection techniques, and actions are consistent throughout the shell.
This chapter reviews the changes to Presentation Manager. Some of the information has been abstracted from articles written by the developers in the IBM Personal System Developer, Winter 1992.