The object-oriented approach of the OS/2 2.0 Workplace Shell(*) enables users to manage many types of objects (program, data-file, printer, network-server, and drive) from a single graphical interface called the desktop. Users can directly manipulate objects so, for example, printing becomes as simple as dragging and dropping an icon (picture) that represents a letter onto an icon that represents a printer.
The Workplace Shell not only works the way users do, it can look the way users want it to look. Because OS/2 2.0 is more flexible than previous OS/2 versions, users can customize their desktops, including colors, fonts, object locations, and many other aspects of appearance. Desktops can be tailored to suit an organization or an individual.
The Workplace Shell represents the culmination of earlier technologies, evolving over time from the command line to graphical icons, to the current object-oriented interface technology. The interface implements the workplace model defined by Common User Access(*) (CUA(*)) 91.