I am an OS/2 user, and I enjoy that very much, thank you. What I can't stand is the idea that OS/2 is a dead platform. It's not that OS/2 is or isn't dead, but that the idea will certainly kill it.

You've heard of the phrase "Self fulfilling prophecy"? It means a prophecy that comes true simply because enough people believe it will come true. Hey, if we're all convinced that the world will end on the year 2000 then chances are it will end - effectively - for us. People will go crazy and panic in the streets, the slightest earthquake (the type that happen naturally every day) will be immediately interpreted as a sign of armageddon/The Undoing of Creation/or whatever. General chaos, etc., etc., etc.

The same scenario is rapidly happening for OS/2 and it's breaking my heart as well as pissing me off. The platform is not dead, as proof of this I show you these pages - they were all created with OS/2 and a majority of native OS/2 software. You can do things with OS/2, it works, and does many things better than other operating systems designed for the same hardware platform.

I like to say that things are "effectively" this, or "effectively" that. Sure anyone could still use OS/2, same as you can still use CP/M, but is anyone really developing for it any more? One of the reasons that I use a computer is not just to make web pages or type letters to my dear Aunt Eileen, but to find out what new and interesting things I can do with a computer. I can't do that if there isn't any new and interesting software being written for it. That would mean the OS is rendered "effectively" dead.

When I switched to OS/2 I got pretty much all I wanted. Except now I wanted to start using native OS/2 applications and ran into a snag - there aren't that many.

Not in comparison anyway. Sure, look at Hobbes - oodles and oodles of great OS/2 applications, utilities and games. Great shareware applications. But what about major commercial applications?

• There's Lotus Smartsuite - An outdated and buggy port of the Windows version.
• Corel Draw for OS/2 - Discontinued. Only two or three of the Corel graphics suite applications were ported to OS/2, the rest were Windows apps with a few tools that helped integrate them with their OS/2 counterparts.
• WordPerfect for OS/2 - Discontinued. Buggy, slow, outdated.

See what I mean? For those major Windows applications that have been ported they're either incomplete ports, buggy, discontinued, or all three.

There are a few gems from companies that develop primarily for OS/2 though. Stardock Systems is an excellent example. Their Galactic Civilizations and Object Desktop are marvels of engineering and design. Partition Magic is a utility that should have been thought of years ago, and ColorWorks is a full fledged graphics application with more raw power than PhotoShop.

But they're limited by a limited market. Users just aren't switching to OS/2 fast enough.

Everything could change if we (or at least a big enough chunk of us) were to switch to OS/2 which is positioned for future hardware. This is a turning point in computing history, and if we're not careful or lucky it just may be that the side with the prettier scenery along the way will lead us to Monopolyville.

As more people start using OS/2, more applications, more good applications, will be developed and sold. Then instead of being in a monopolistic grip we'll have just a little bit more freedom to play with and do things.

Summary:

So... I'd appreciate it if people would stop saying OS/2 is dead. It isn't, but all the naysaying is doing a good job of getting it there.

And lastly - ask your local Warp user to give you a guided tour sometime.

End of rant.

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