This video explores the history and architecture of the Pick Operating System, a unique piece of computing history that combines an operating system with an integrated multi-value database. Originating in the 1960s as a US Army project called GIM (Generalized Information Management) developed by Richard "Dick" Pick at TRW, the system was revolutionary for its time. It featured a user-friendly, English-like query language and hardware independence achieved through a virtual machine environment.
The video traces Pick's journey from its initial success on Microdata's REALITY minicomputers to its independent licensing model. It highlights the system's innovative but unconventional database design, which used multivalue fields and stored all data as variable-length ASCII text. In the 1980s, Pick found a significant niche by providing multi-user capabilities on single PCs, a feature lacking in MS-DOS. However, the system's eventual decline is attributed to several factors: a fragmented ecosystem due to white-labeling, the lack of a graphical user interface, and strategic missteps by its stubborn but visionary founder. After Pick's death in 1994, the company lost its direction, and the technology is now maintained as a legacy product by Rocket Software.
Pick OS: The Operating System Built on a Database
0:26 The Army's Database: The Pick system originated in 1965 when the US Army contracted TRW to create a data management system for tracking parts for the Cheyenne attack helicopter. Programmers Don Nelson and Richard Pick were assigned to the project.
1:37 GIM and Early Innovation: The software, eventually named Generalized Information Management (GIM), was ahead of its time. It featured an English-like, prose-style query language using customizable data dictionaries and ran in a virtual software environment, making it hardware-independent.
3:43 Commercial Success and Split: After the Army project was canceled, Richard Pick licensed the code to Microdata Corporation in 1973 for their REALITY minicomputers. After a legal dispute, Pick left in 1976 to license the OS independently.
6:21 A Database-Centric OS: Pick OS's core function is its database. It features a unique, layered file structure where all data is organized into flexible files with items, attributes, and values. This structure is fundamentally different from the table-based relational databases that would later dominate the industry.
7:30 The Flexible (and "Naughty") Database: The system had several unconventional features. It used "Multivalue" fields to store multiple data points (like several phone numbers) in a single field as an ASCII text string. All data, including numbers and dates, was stored as variable-length text, which offered flexibility but required careful programming to ensure data integrity.
9:16 Deep Integration with Pick BASIC: The OS included its own programming language, Pick BASIC, which was deeply integrated with the database. This allowed programmers to easily access and manipulate any data within the system, a powerful feature for business application development.
12:46 The Multi-User PC Advantage: With the rise of the IBM PC, Pick OS found a massive opportunity. While MS-DOS was strictly single-user, Pick OS allowed multiple users to log into and share a single PC, sometimes supporting up to 16 simultaneous users. This made it a popular choice for small businesses.
14:26 Strategic Blunders: Pick Systems made a critical error by keeping its popular PC port exclusive, putting it in direct competition with its own licensees. This, combined with a fragmented ecosystem where the OS was sold under different names (like Mentor or Revelation), damaged community trust and brand recognition.
14:56 Falling Behind the Times: By the 1990s, Pick OS was seen as outdated. It lacked a graphical user interface (GUI) in an era dominated by Macintosh and Windows 3.0, and it failed to gain traction in scientific or engineering fields due to its lack of networking features and floating-point performance.
16:28 The Founder's Paradox: Richard Pick's stubbornness was both the system's greatest asset and its ultimate failing. He resisted taking the company public or allying with larger partners, which limited its growth and led to a lack of clear marketing direction. He also famously dismissed the PC as a "toy," even though it became his company's top-selling product.
18:28 Legacy and Final Fate: Richard Pick passed away in 1994 at age 56. The company lost its vision, eventually merged and was renamed multiple times, and in 2013, the Pick OS assets were sold to Rocket Software, where it remains a legacy product.