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OS/2

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    OS/2

    How I wish Alpha Five would run on OS/2...I'm so sick of windows' feeble attempt to multitask. There probably isn't a Windows 3.1 version of Alpha Five, is there? That would most likely run on OS/2.

    Tom Lyon

    #2
    RE: OS/2

    Only if you want to go back to A5 version 1.

    Comment


      #3
      RE: OS/2

      Tom:

      I wholeheartedly agree with you reference OS/2. I used it for more than a year back around 1995, even six years ago it was far superior to any current version of Windows, including Win 2000 or XP. It was the best and most stable PC operating system period. Unfortunately, IBM totally blew it with horrendous marketing wherein you couldn't purchase OS/2, even if you bought an IBM PC. Is that incredible or what? As a result of that incompetence, an inferior product [Windows 3.1], eventually dominated the market.

      Did you know that Alpha Software sold an OS/2 version of Alpha Four? In fact, I think I still have the disks.

      Robert

      Comment


        #4
        RE: OS/2

        I still have my copy of A4 for DOS and use it everyday, alongside A5 v4.5. It would run fine in OS/2, but I cannot live with that alone as I must have both versions active. I'll never understand how it was possible for the best OS ever made (better than UNIX, IMHO) to bite the dust

        Tom Lyon

        Comment


          #5
          RE: OS/2

          It may have been a good OS but in my case at least, the installation routine was horrible, something no novice could ever be expected to deal with. And IBM obviously had no clue as to how to support OS2. Then there was Bill Gates mucking things up, just as he has done with just about every other competitor. If Alpha ever had great success in the marketplace, I fear what the MS would do to put it out of business.

          Raymond Lyons

          Comment


            #6
            RE: OS/2

            Hello Tom:

            You wrote,
            [I'll never understand how it was possible for the best OS ever made (better than UNIX, IMHO) to bite the dust ]

            Yes OS/2 was indeed the best operating system ever developed for the PC. In fact, it was so rock solid it became the national OS platform for the banking ATM network that required 100% reliability, something they could never get with Windows.

            At the risk of being redundant Tom, let me give you a couple of good reasons why OS/2 failed to be accepted around 1994 or 95 as the OS choice for the PC.

            [1] If you called IBM and ordered one of their PC's, the standard OS was Windows 3.1. OK, not exactly a ringing endorsement of OS/2, but understandable in light of the popularity of Windows 3.1. However, if you then specifically asked for OS/2 as your operating system choice, incredibly you were told OS/2 was NOT an available option.

            It was very hard to believe Tom, but you couldn't order OS/2 as your OS, even if you purchased a PC directly from IBM. Other PC manufacturer's took note of that and asked why should they offer OS/2 as an option if IBM wouldn't do such with their own PC sales?

            I know the above is hard to believe, but it was true!!!

            [2] IBM purchased Lotus Software, which at the time was very hot. Many people were excited at the prospect and hoped IBM would use that opportunity to develop a native OS/2 Lotus Suite version. In fact, many people speculated that was the one of the main reasons IBM bought Lotus. But for reasons unknown to me, IBM never created native OS/2 versions of Lotus 1-2-3, Lotus Organizer, etc. or any of their other Lotus products which they now owned and controlled. They insteas elected to spend all of their development money on Lotus Notes.

            Around the same time, Wordperfect was the number one word processor, and arguably the most important and most influential software application in the PC market. I always believed if IBM had purchased Wordperfect, or at least subsidized development of an OS/2 version of WP, the software world as we know it, would have been very different.

            Despite IBM's bumbling/fumbling, many people still purchased OS/2 but they couldn't purchase any native OS/2 applications such as a word processor, spreadsheet, or datbase application.

            So in the end Tom, it was simply a lack of native OS/2 application availability that stopped OS/2 from being successful. Once again, for reasons unknown to me, IBM management was too stupid to see the obvious and never funneled any significant money into developing native OS/2 versions of either major software suite [Wordperfect or Lotus Suite].

            [3] Ironically, I tried to talk Richard and Selwyn into developing Alpha Five for OS/2 because I believed they could become the dominant database application for OS/2. They already had Alpha Four for OS/2 and I believe they were actually using OS/2 to develop A4 for DOS.

            I thought it was a logical next step and would provide them a platform wherein they could become known nationally and Alpha Five would really take off. It was a good idea, but unforunately, I had no idea that IBM would bundle and fumble away the best opportunity they ever had to beat MS and take over the OS world.

            It was truly ironic that Windows 3.1, a horrible kludge of 16-bit DOS with a primitive 32 bit graphical interface, beat out a stellar, native 32 bit application like OS/2 which was rock solid and years ahead of the competition. But those were the days when IBM was still in the dark ages as they simply didn't get it.

            Another couple of years elapsed before IBM finally transitioned into a world class provider as they finally figured out how to market their stellar products. But by 1997 or 98, the world of PC software had changed radically, Windows developed nearly 100% dominance of the PC market, and it was too late, OS/2 was dead in the water.

            Robert

            Comment


              #7
              RE: OS/2

              All true, and yes, I understand and have heard it before. Still, I am amazed. And terribly disappointed.

              I wonder what it would cost to buy the OS/2 source code and pay a team of developers to modify it to run win32 applications? I'm just about disgusted enough with the current OS environment to fork over some of my nest egg towards such a project. Nuts idea, eh?

              Tom Lyon

              Comment


                #8
                RE: OS/2

                I don't want to cause unnecessary excitement, but take a look at http://odin.netlabs.org/

                Tom Lyon

                Comment


                  #9
                  RE: OS/2

                  That is a very interesting project Tom. However,I wish IBM would revist their decision and decide to support/expand OS/2 with the vast weight and power of the company. That could turn into a very interesting option.

                  But alas, I think IBM is now dedicated to Java and Linux as Windows alternatives, I think it's a done deal, OS/2 is history.

                  Robert

                  Comment


                    #10
                    RE: OS/2

                    For those that might be interested, there is indeed a new, updated "version" of OS/2, called eComStation. The address is: www.ecomstation.com

                    The company that is publishing eComStation has acquired the rights to the OS/2 Warp code and is apparently working to correct and update some of those things that IBM ignored. Although it can't yet run Win32 programs, I think that they are working to include that functionality.

                    Comment


                      #11
                      RE: OS/2

                      Tom:

                      Just saw this come across the Net:

                      The New York's OS/2 User Group made an announcement last week that falls into the "had to happen" category, so consider it a public service announcement.

                      On Dec. 13, the group will meet one final time at 6:30
                      p.m. EST at 590 Madison Ave. "to celebrate the
                      greatness that WAS OS/2."

                      It seems this user group has finally run out of steam
                      for the venerable operating system -- a sign of the
                      times perhaps? Of course, plenty of people are happy
                      to see the back of OS/2, but if you're a fan in the
                      New York area, drop by for some bubbly and a chat
                      about the "good old days."

                      Comment


                        #12
                        RE: OS/2

                        Look guys, OS/2 was good but Linux is just as good as OS/2 but with excellent open source support and IBM's endorsment and support. Now, if Alpha5 was written for Linux, what do you think would happen??? No Windoze apps to compete with etc. Also, the software would not have to be free.

                        I am running Alpha5 Ver.4 on Win95/98 workstations on a Samba server running RedHat 6.2. No crashes (except the Win workstations), and server uptimes over 250 days, down only for hardware updates!

                        Ask Selwyn to write Alpha5 for Linux and do us all a favor.

                        George

                        Comment


                          #13
                          RE: OS/2

                          Look guys, OS/2 was good but Linux is just as good as OS/2 but with excellent open source support and IBM's endorsment and support. Now, if Alpha5 was written for Linux, what do you think would happen??? No Windoze apps to compete with etc. Also, the software would not have to be free.

                          I am running Alpha5 Ver.4 on Win95/98 workstations on a Samba server running RedHat 6.2. No crashes (except the Win workstations), and server uptimes over 250 days, down only for hardware updates!

                          Ask Selwyn to write Alpha5 for Linux and do us all a favor.

                          George

                          Comment


                            #14
                            RE: OS/2

                            What are the implications?
                            A5v5 is being written to get away from the MFC (they are buggy) I fact I think most of it where possible will be written in C and Xbasic. Could this possibly be an easy port to Linux?
                            That would be a killer app. As far as I can tell there is nothing resembing A5 for linux.
                            (Sorry if I'm way off base on this, but it is intriguing)
                            Really the only thing keeping me from switching to Linux is lack of A5 for Linux and lack of experience. (I plan to work on the latter when I get the time.)

                            Russ

                            Comment


                              #15
                              RE: OS/2

                              Heck ya, I'd go for a Linux version. A5 is the only reason I need Windows anyway. Gee, it might even multitask then :)

                              Tom Lyon

                              Comment

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