Who Needs Windows?

I have WIN-OS/2 installed but only for my TWAIN Driver. The lack of support is the biggest problem I think that OS/2 has, because if I want somebody to use OS/2 I have to check so many things before he can buy it (is there a driver for everything and the right soft- and hardware) thing I never checked before instaling Win95.

Christoph Vogelbusch

While I answered "Yes, I would like to see support for Windows 95 in future versions of Warp, I rather see support for Windows NT, but if not, support for Win95 is better than nothing.

Bob Batson

I answered this month's questionnaire, but I had to grit my teeth while doing so: I _hate_ saying that I need Win '95 support. Since the questionnaire had no "comments" section, I felt that I had to explain further.

I don't use WinOS2 at home, since there are plenty of communications, financial, word processing, graphics, development,... well you get the picture ... applications available. *BUT* MS Office isn't, and our office -- like many others -- is sliding in that direction. I *must* be able to exchange documents with others, and my ability to do so is eroding. I'm investigating whether Stardock's ODPro will solve my problem (and, if yes, for how long?) but -- if for no other reason -- I need Win '95 support in order to run Microsoft applications (as we've all heard, "It's the apps, stupid).

Greg Hamblin

I think the given possibilities for answers of the reader survey are not detailed enough. I do not know wether I will need any Windows support in OS/2 in the future. That really depends on the programms I will get. There are a few special programs I can get only for a Windows version e.g. a program to create flow-charts. Or things like support for device programmers I can only get for DOS and Windows. As long as this doesn't change I need Windows, even if its less than 5 percent of the time.

Axel Koruschowitz

This Month's Editorial

While I agree with your overall statements, I think you are missing two points, namely:

1. The Pentium Pro is expensive to make since it necessitates making two working chips at the same time so the yield from the manufacturing process is lower than for "single" chip devices -- unsatisfactory in the long term since comptetitors will always compete with Intel on price.

2. Why did Intel change from a conventional ZIF socket to a slot? Could it be that they are trying to force a new design onto the market (that is licensed by Intel unlike the ZIF socket which is freely available to all) in order to stop, or at least delay the inevitable clones from AMD, Cyrix etc.?

Personally, I think this is a major blunder by Intel since AMD's and Cyrix' offerings are on a performance par (or at least close) with the Pentium II, they are cheaper on a per chip basis and don't necessitate the cost of a new motherboard as well. Unless the Pentium II offers substantial performance benefits to justify this cost the aftermarket (rather than new production) will reject it and give market share to Intel's competitors.

Overall, I think we are in for a very interesting "war" on the CPU side of the systems, especially if AMD's new chipsets are available in the market soon and support higher bus speeds such as 75, 83 or even 100MHz. After all, the latest CPU's are now more than ever constrained by the bus speed rather than individual components.

Look for a lively battle.

Paul Muir

I have to disagree with your editorial concerning the diminished value of the Pentium II chip because it is not strictly a 32bit engine. The superiority of the Pentium II chip in running 16 bit software as compared to the Pentium Pro is exactly the reason I decided it was perfect for my OS/2 system. Like many others, I use a combination of OS/2 and 16bit Windows and DOS programs every day. I recently upgraded from a Pentium 166 system to a Pentium II 266 system with virtually the same peripherals and have seen speed improvements of 200-400 on both 16 bit and 32 bit software.

In my opinion, the Pentium II is THE choice chip for OS/2 precisely because it does significantly enhance 16 bit as well as 32 bit software.

Ralph Cohen

Chris' Rant

Now you are really talking sense here.

I'm just going through the process of trying to teach my wife how to use a computer and connect to the internet etc. Most people don't realize how much they know (and put up with) until you take an absolute beginner who knows nothing.

Your comments are absolutely "on the button". Add in the developers who release half finished, bloated and buggy applications with 500 features of which only 50 are used by 95 f users. When was the last time you bought an application that didn't have a fix or patch required to make it work ? I can't remember.

Thanks for a great article.

Paul Muir

Great work. Nicely said; the emotions show...

I share your concerns and fears. I find it inconceiveable that programs should be so full of bugs; how can that be? Is it only so that ISVs may take advantage of the rave on the "new" OS ASAP (and thus benefit from buyers frenzy to get everything updated)?

We *ARE* used to the fact that programs crash; that's indeniable. In fact, the only kind of programs I haven't seen crashing often through regular use are games, as amazing at it may seem; they just don't sell. I guess it's because we value more the time we invest playing than working (that would be somewhat ironic). Or maybe because we are more after bells-and-whistles (as they say) than getting-the-job-done.

But what can we do? Write simpler apps? Simpler OSs? Teach better programming courses???

This is a strange world indeed.

Frederic Genest

Incomplete Answers from e-Zine!

Sir, This month's (June, 1997) issue of E-Zine Answers and tips section had a question about ability of starting FaxWorks Lite in Recieve All mode. Though your answer to the question is right, it is incomplete.

There exists a few third pary freware programs which can add this functionality to FaxWorks Lite. These programs allow one to change the receive modes of FaxWorks Lite from command line or through a batch file. Therefore calling FaxWorks Lite and then the program to set the receive mode through a batch file achieves the same goal.

I use one such program called FWMOD.EXE. It should be available at Hobbbes. Please note that I am just a satisfied user of the program and not in any way related to the author.

Sushenjit Bandyopadhyay

Java, Java, Java

I hope that Mr. Wardell will find the time to write more editorials for OS/2 e-Zine!. He is such an insightful person, I like his style and his comments always make you stop and think, really think on the topic/subject matter.

In this article, though, I believe that Brad is jumping the gun just a little bit. Based on what we know abouty Java now, he is pretty much right. But Java is, after all, just a child. Comparing Java to the other languages used to develop PC, client/server & intra/Inter-net apps, Java has much maturing to do to just catch up. And once it does, I for one think that many of those short-comings he mentions will be addressed.

Will it replace C/C++ as the basis for productivity apps like word processing or spreadsheets? Even after Java 'grows up', I'm not sure it will. There are more important things that need done that Java will create that will bring true productivity enhancements to computer users of the near future. The time is close when you will be considered 'a lower class of employee' if your main tools are one of the current producitivty apps. We are on the verge of creating software tools to make us truly knowledge workers. Drawing data and information from our internal and external data sources, be they files, databases, data marts or warehouses, and turn it all into knowledge to run our businesses more competitively. To do this right, we will have to partner with our suppliers; sharing apps as well as data to drive them. Java, in it matured form, will provide the vehicle for that ability.

That's what I think of Java.

Rick Curry

Hewlett Packard Review

As a member of the Hewlett-Packard OS/2 Workgroup at the European Customer Support Center in Amsterdam, I'm quite delighted to read a report on the performance of the XU 6/200 running Warp 4.0. I will certainly spread this report to the rest of my colleagues.

At last we have this workgroup and I hope it will become a succes. We don't get any training on OS/2 whatsoever, but the idea is to change this and when people can read a report like yours, they will hopefully start looking differently at OS/2. People still have lots of prejudices towards OS/2 and IBM.

Ronald Schoenmakers

- Chris Williams

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