From: Jeffrey D Grinnell (grinnell_at_acunet.net)
Date: Thu Apr 06 2000 - 23:53:50 EDT
On Thu, 06 Apr 2000 07:04:09 -0400 (EDT), Allan Ballard wrote:
>Funny, but IBM has just released FixPak #13 for
>the supposedly "dead" OS. And it is more
>robust than ever.
Yes, I've read that a few people are experiencing minor problems with
it, but it seems fairly good by most accounts so far. Some have
likened it to more of a version point upgrade than a fixpack, though I
think that may a bit of an overstatement. I'll wait a few weeks before
I give it a try. I may wait until Indelible Blue incorporates FP13
into their next "Warp Up" CD.
>
>I keep hearing rumors that IBM will release a new
>client version to better match its new server version, but
>we will have to wait and see.
I am very much looking forward to this. An upgrade is due, even if it
is just a refresh which rolls all the various fixes/enhancements into
one CD. I run OS/2 Warp 4 on my 770 Thinkpad and love it. About my
only complaint is the lack of an OS/2 driver for the internal ACP modem
that will support V.90. As is the modem is only good for 33.6.
>
>I don't use doze9x except through force, but OS/2 is
>easily compatible with NT, at least for 3.5 and 4.0.
>I have no experience with the newer version of NT.
>Hopefully it is better than the other ones.
I've got 98 on a cheap Presario that I reserve for windows games and
fun with linux. Never would trust it with my real work though.
>
>The free alternatives you mentioned may be cool,
>but mainly they are for nerds. I don't think the mainstream
>is ready to support a linux box that has almost no
>drivers and fewer applications. Cool yes, market ready,
>no, not even for free.
I think the driver situation isn't as bad as you state. I loaded SuSE
6.3 on my Presario and it supported everything OK (except the included
winmodem that I've since replaced). I can only see the availability
of drivers and ease of installation becoming better over time. While
it might not be quite ready for most people's desktops I wouldn't be
surprised to see that situation change in less than 2 years. I wish
IBM would provide linux drivers for my 770. It would be nice if Mwave
sound and the internal modem were supported. If anyone ever ported
OS/2's Work Place Shell to linux it might be enough to let me switch
>from OS/2.
>
>And what non-tech corporation is going to load a "free"
>server OS with NO tech support?
Many linux distributors do provide tech support. That's part of what
you pay for when you buy a distribution versus downloading the raw form
>from the web. Most also have various extended service contracts you
can buy.
>
>And isn't Red Hat in the GUI versilon growing as bloated
>as dose?
Red Hat (and other linux distributions) come with more than one GUI
choice allowing you to use what is best for you. I think Red Hat uses
GNOME by default where as SuSE uses KDE. (OS/2 similarly supports
various shells...WPShell being the default) I don't see where the
linux GUIs are "bloated", especially compared to Windows. There are
some desktops like "Enlightenment" that are much more taxing on the
system, but then they look very cool too.
>
>I guess I am satisfied with OS/2. Don't really care that much
>what happens since it does all I need and much much more
>and almost never even hiccups, much less crash.
I agree, 99% of my work is done on my Thinkpad using OS/2. Very
stable.
>When I first loaded Warp4, it was doing VTD on a pentium83, heh,
>one of those stick-in socket upgrades for a 486 mother board.
Same here. Old 486 with the chip upgrade slapped in. I found VTD too
slow though. The Voice navigation however was pretty snappy.
I do wish IBM supported OS/2 on their Thinkpads better. Items like an
upgraded driver for the modem would be great. Does IBM even ship OS/2
on any of their Thinkpad line anymore?
Jeff
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