Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!wuarchive!gem.mps.ohio-state.edu!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!snorkelwacker!mit-eddie!interlan!deem
From: deem@interlan.UUCP (Mike Deem)
Newsgroups: comp.misc
Subject: Re: Low Productivity of Knowledge Workers
Keywords: pc dos os2 unix ps2
Message-ID: <635@interlan.UUCP>
Date: 27 Oct 89 17:28:01 GMT
References: <9676@venera.isi.edu> <189@crucible.UUCP> <291@voa3.UUCP> <7971@microsoft.UUCP> <6441@ficc.uu.net> <9605@attctc.Dallas.TX.US> <3326@ur-cc.UUCP> <9716@attctc.Dallas.TX.US> <20471@hpftc.UUCP> <164@tcnz2.tcnz.co.nz>
Reply-To: deem@interlan.UUCP (Mike Deem)
Organization: Interlan, Inc., Boxborough, MA (1-800-LAN-TALK)
Lines: 40

In article <164@tcnz2.tcnz.co.nz> greg@tcnz2.UUCP (super) writes:
>
>My question is - does dos/os2 have enough of the important and useful unix
>tools such as make, sccs, grep, awk, sh, etc, for people to work productively
>under ?
>

DOS and UNIX don't compare, however I will answer this question concerning
OS/2 and UNIX.  Your question could be asked in two parts: "Is OS/2 pro-
ductive for users?" and "Is OS/2 productive for developers?" because we
(the developers) really use computers very differently then them (user).

For the user, OS/2 is a preferable environment over UNIX for a rather 
simple reason: it was designed to be easy to use.  UNIX on the otherhand
was designed to be easy to develop under.  As a developer, you find it
easy to get things done under UNIX, however do your (novice) users find it
as easy to use your UNIX based systems?

As a developer, I find OS/2 to be as good as UNIX.  I must admit though
that I havn't done much work in UNIX.  I moved from DOS to OS/2.  There
are tools available that make OS/2 _VERY_ UNIX like.  True, they don't
come with the OS/2, but why should users pay for a bunch of stuff used
only by programmers.  I use the C Shell for OS/2 from Hamiliton Laboratories
along with a number of other utilites I have picked up here and there and
find that I can get as much programming, debugging and testing done on
OS/2 as anyone on UNIX can.

Because OS/2 is a new operating system, it still lacks some things the 
UNIX world takes for granted.  One major area is wide area networking.
I still log into a UNIX machine to read my news for example.  Local area
networking on the other hand is comming along nicly.  I use CC:Mail on
OS/2 to send and receive mail from DOS, UNIX and MAC users.

Mike Deem
Racal InterLan
deem@interlan.interlan.com
sun!interlan!deem

The above opinions are my own and do not necessarly reflect those of
Racal InterLan.