Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!csri.toronto.edu!wayne
Newsgroups: comp.os.os2
From: wayne@csri.toronto.edu (Wayne Hayes)
Subject: Re: Difference between OS/2 1.3 and OS/2 2.0
Message-ID: <1991May25.011648.2114@jarvis.csri.toronto.edu>
Organization: CSRI, University of Toronto
References: <1991May22.034926.27646@isc.rit.edu>
Date: 25 May 91 05:16:48 GMT
Lines: 28

For the users:

- CPU-intensive programs written specifically for 2.0 should run about twice
  as fast as the same application written for 1.x (since they run in 32-bit
  mode -- they can do 32-bit arithmetic easily, and also they don't have to
  worry about 64K segment stuff).

- They can run multiple DOS boxes concurrently, whereas 1.x only had one DOS
  box.  Also, the DOS box will nearly always give you a "better DOS than DOS".
  If you use HPFS you'll get disk speadup immediately; you'll nearly always
  have MUCH more memory available in the DOS box under OS/2 2.0 than if you
  were running straight DOS; and you can even concurrently run multiple
  versions of DOS.

- you can run DOS applications in a window and even dynamically switch it
  between a window and a full-screen -- even if it uses graphics.

- a borderline user concern, but since OS/2 2.0 is 32-bit flat address space,
  you may see more and better ports of non-DOS software (read Unix, mostly)
  to OS/2 that was nearly impossible to port to DOS or OS/2 1.x.  (Read
  "GNU" -- gcc? emacs? X-emacs?  Who knows!)  This will increase the OS/2
  software base, which is definitely a plus for the user.

-- 
NOTICE: Due to the complexity of nearly all topics, the opinions expressed
above are in continual process of formation and may be changed without notice.

Wayne Hayes     INTERNET: wayne@csri.utoronto.ca        CompuServe: 72401,3525