Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!wuarchive!gem.mps.ohio-state.edu!usc!snorkelwacker!spdcc!ima!esegue!johnl
From: johnl@esegue.segue.boston.ma.us (John R. Levine)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: OS/2 machines
Keywords: OS/2
Message-ID: <1989Oct26.160428.761@esegue.segue.boston.ma.us>
Date: 26 Oct 89 16:04:28 GMT
References: <44825@ccicpg.UUCP>
Reply-To: johnl@esegue.segue.boston.ma.us (John R. Levine)
Organization: Segue Software, Cambridge MA
Lines: 32

In article <44825@ccicpg.UUCP> swonk@ccicpg.UUCP (Glen Swonk) writes:
>I am trying to get a copy of OS/2 v1.1 for a 386 clone. ...

>	Why can't I get a copy of OS2 at Egghead
>	like I can get a copy of MS-DOS?

DOS uses I/O interfaces built into the BIOS ROM on PC compatibles.  IBM's
OS/2 uses the new ABIOS, others' OS/2 talk directly to the devices.  Since
different PC designs have somewhat different peripherals, and there isn't a
BIOS layer to mask the differences, each vendor's OS/2 has to be tailored to
the specific hardware.

>	What are the problems associated with using
>	special disk drivers with OS2?

You need an OS/2 driver for the disk.  If the only disk you have is a
nonstandard one, you may run into chicken-and-egg problems as you need to
install OS/2 to create a copy of OS/2 with the driver for the special disk
so you can boot.

>	How much memory is the minimum necessary to run OS/2?

It depends on what you plan to run.  Anywhere from two meg to 10 or more.

>	What is necessary to run PC-NFS on an OS2 machine?

A wait of several years, as far as I can tell.  The design of OS/2 apparently
makes it unexpectedly difficult to interface to NFS.
-- 
John R. Levine, Segue Software, POB 349, Cambridge MA 02238, +1 617 864 9650
johnl@esegue.segue.boston.ma.us, {ima|lotus|spdcc}!esegue!johnl
Massachusetts has over 100,000 unlicensed drivers.  -The Globe