Path: utzoo!dciem!nrcaer!scs!spl1!laidbak!att!chinet!fmsrl7!mibte!uisc1!root
From: root@uisc1.UUCP (Super user)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: OS/2 Anyone?
Message-ID: <36@uisc1.UUCP>
Date: 3 Jun 88 11:35:52 GMT
Article-I.D.: uisc1.36
References: <1866@ncsuvx.ncsu.edu>
Organization: Unicorn Information Systems Corp, Detroit, MI, USA
Lines: 48
Summary: PS2 & OS2

In article <1866@ncsuvx.ncsu.edu>, sam@ncsuvx.UUCP writes:
> I just got back from the announcement of the Model 70 and Model 50Z PS/2s
> given by IBM. They told us that OS/2 was quickly becoming THE OS standard

Yes, I've heard that too.

The funny thing is that the only people whom I hear this from seem to be
working for IBM or want to sell OS2/PS2 machines. I am a DP consultant and
(from my grad school days) have many friend in Computer Science R&D. Almost
all of them seem to have a wait & see attitude.

> I have OS/2 running, but the only application I have is a port of MicroEmacs
> that I did myself. I have talked with a handfull of other people that are
> in about the same position as I am.

Some time ago a guy named Dvorak (sp?) who writes for one of the PC mags
wrote a column in which he voiced what almost everybody (or everybody I
know anyway) is thinking, and that is that the only reason IBM released
OS2 on the 286 was because the 286/OS2 combination forces customers to
buy their software all over again. In other words, it was a scam. A rip
off.

I don't deal with companies that try to rip me off. I installed SCO Xenix
at my home and recommended it for our business location where we are using
'286 based AT's. So far, short of a few minor problems with SCO was on the
whole very willing to solve, we have not regretted this action. From an
applications point of view, we have Foxbase (dBASE III+ clone), Pro (Lotus
clone, identical in everything I have seen), and full accounting written
in dBASE III+ by SBT.

> Is anyone doing any OS/2 development? 

Although a lot of people seem to be making noises about it (SPSS Corp
decided to go with OS2 over UNIX/Xenix for 286/386 machines for instance),
I haven't seen much actually released. Not anywhere near as much as is
being released for UNIX/Xenix anyway. :-)

> I am willing to setup an FTPable library of public OS/2 software if there
> is a need. But is there?

I dunno if there is a need. If I understand your earlier question, it seems
to me that there's no software to put into a library. :-)

> Otherwise I may just trash it and load unix on my PS/2.

Frankly, that's what I did and that's what I would do if I were you.

Have a nice day.