From: Randal Whittle (whittle_at_chaph.usc.edu)
Date: Tue Jan 03 1995 - 13:25:00 EST
> It's true that the number of OS/2 native apps is disappointing. However,
> the picture is perhaps not **quite** as bleak as you paint it. There are
> any number of excellent terminal programs native to OS/2, for example.
> And there are two very good wordprocessors: Ami Pro and DeScribe (I use
> and recommend the latter).
As a very long-time Ami Pro user (and Ami Pro is not on
the Mac), I would have to agree with you on this point.
Nevertheless, *neither* of these are considered "mainstream"
word processors.
> Lotus is committed to 123-for-OS/2, so an
> excellent spreadsheet is also available.
Personally, I haven't found 1-2-3 to be worth using. I far prefer
Excel--and Excel has largely supplanted the 1-2-3 strangehold on the
market. Of course, you'll never see another OS/2-based Excel...
If I'm not mistaken, Excel has outsold the 1-2-3 juggernaut for
about 2 years now. It is clearly the new spreadsheet standard (and with
good reason, IMO--it's *very* good).
> I find that I rarely use
> Windows apps any more due to the foregoing; about the only ones I use are
> the Lotus Organizer and a legal program which is only available in a
> Windows version (Lexus for Windows.)
Perhaps that tells the entire story right there--you mention a
particular program that is "only available in a windows version". The
real story out there is that nearly *everything* is available in a
Windows (or even Windows-only) version, while OS/2-native stuff gets stuck
sucking the hind teat--if any teat at all.
Excepting Lotus, I don't see much of *any* "major" software player
on the OS/2 platform--in fact, I see most of them have jumped off (by the
way--is Corel still releasing DRAW! for native OS/2? Its at version 5.0
now--do that have an OS/2-native at that version?), whether it is
Microsoft (of course, we know why...), WordPerfect, Aldus...it seems
the major players--even the ones who developed for OS/2 early on--have
abandoned it. This simply speaks *doom* for OS/2's market viability.
It will either disappear (and that's a shame) or forever remain a narrow
niche-player for people with highly-specialized needs (namely the programmer
who finds its multi-tasking and cross-operating-system capability very
useful).
----- ________________________________
Randy Whittle whittle_at_usc.edu | Y'know, Tuna just |
USC School of Business (Fight on, 'SC Trojans!)| doesn't taste the same |
(My opinions are mine, but since I'm | since they took the |
right, they should be yours too.) | Dolphin out! |
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