The best of all worlds (Was Re: OS/2 2.0 is here! READ THIS...)

[Steve Daukas]

Note:  Followup-To has been changed...
       Also, the following group was deleted as it was not recognized
       by my mailer: "comp.os.ms.dos.misc"

In article <1991Apr26.211100.7830 at thyme.jpl.nasa.gov> kaleb at thyme.jpl.nasa.gov (Kaleb Keithley) writes:
>
>Now, I'm not trying to compare UNIX to OS/2, or PM/Windows to X Window
>System.  But if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, is it a duck?.  
>From ten feet back, they all kinda look the same.  And with UNIX, you can 
>have more than one user.  Try that on OS/2, or DOS.

Most who have a PC don't need to support more than one user (at a time),
but rather want to support many applications at one time.  Its for this
reason (IMO) that people are interested in OS/2.  (Unix has a PR problem
- perception is reality when it comes to marketing and sales!  Besides,
If you arn't going to use Unix for Unix, why would the great unwashed masses
buy it?)

Windows begins to address this issue, but not fully.  I have been using
Windows 3.0 for a while now, and it is not the same as multiple X sessions
(sigh).  OS/2 2.0 is supposedly more like true multitasking with windowed
sessions.  I am actually thinking of getting a copy to see if it does what
I want (without crashing every 20 minutes).

Unix is great (I use it at work and have various knock-offs for my PC),
but it doesn't run DOS applications.  So what you ask?  The *vast* majority
of small system owners rely on DOS applications for things like reports,
spreadsheets, et. al..  If you had a Unix-based OS that could run DOS 
applications in a MOTIF/X11R4 window, great - I'll buy one.  The point is, 
not many would.

>From what little I know of OS/2 2.0, you do have a multitasking OS which can
run DOS applications in a window (even different versions of DOS itself).
This appeals to my DOS side.  The only question I have is - is it still easy
to bootstrap a Unix from another partition with OS/2 like I can with DOS?
Is it possible to run one of the Unix knock-offs in a window (not MKS)?

The other question is what does OS/2 get me?  I mean aside from doing what 
windows 3.0 can't do - multitask (or for that matter run for more than 30
minutes before crashing)?  What runs on OS/2?  What would I do with it other
that treat it as an environment for running windows et. al.?

Life would be simpler if there was a Unix that could run DOS applications under
a (any duck) window environment (X11R4, MOTIF, Windows, Program Manager, etc.).
Then again, I'd be happy with a real multitasking windowed environment that
would allow me to run DOS apps - so long as I can still boot Unix from another
partition (or, do I dare dream, run Unix in yet another window).

So, whats your idea of a perfect combination of parts from Unix, DOS, OS/2, ...?

Steve
-- 
.-------------------..-------------------------.
| Stephen C. Daukas ||  sdaukas at csd.harris.com |
| (617) 221-1834    || uunet!hcx1!misg!sdaukas |
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-- 
.-------------------..-------------------------.
| Stephen C. Daukas ||  sdaukas at csd.harris.com |
| (617) 221-1834    || uunet!hcx1!misg!sdaukas |
`-------------------'`-------------------------'