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From: tholen@uhccux.uhcc.Hawaii.Edu (David Tholen)
Newsgroups: comp.os.os2.misc
Subject: Re: OS/2 benefits.
Message-ID: <12913@uhccux.uhcc.Hawaii.Edu>
Date: 8 May 91 02:33:51 GMT
Organization: University of Hawaii
Lines: 22

duggan@ecs.umass.edu writes:

> Would a Compaq work
> well under OS/2? Or is this operating system mainly PS/2 based?

I believe Compaq sells a version of OS/2 optimized for their hardware,
presumably based on Microsoft's version 1.21.

> Also, is there any other system that can take advantage of the 
> 32-bit processors? Does IBM PS/2 fully take advantage of them? 

32-bit UNIX is available for 386 and 486 machines.   Those PS/2s with 386 and
486 processors do have 32-bit data paths, so they do take advantage of the
32-bit processors.  The question is a little vague, however.

> How compatible/expensive are the peripherals for the PS/2? I attempted to
> buy a mouse for a system owned by a friend and was told that only the high
> priced mouses were available.

What do you consider "high priced"?  You can get a Microsoft Mouse for $85
mail order that plugs right into the PS/2 mouse port.  The IBM mouse, with
educational discount, runs about $60, as I recall.