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Chris' Rant- by Chris Wenham
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What YOU Like About/2

Last month I attempted to explain why I liked OS/2 and was still sticking with it after all this time, even though I've worried and fretted as much as anyone. I also asked you, the reader, to tell me what your reasons were.

The majority of you who responded (and keep in mind, this is hardly a scientific survey) joined OS/2 in the early days of 2.x - 3.0 because, like a good dose of Mylanta, it cured the pain of DOS and Windows without forcing you to give up your favorite apps. I noticed a distinct lack of 'killer apps' mentioned, except for perhaps the Workplace Shell, but the idea of OS/2 being fun was definitely echoed. Take for example David Graser:

"Why do I use OS/2? Because it is fun to use. My first computer came with Windows 3.1. Every time I turned around I was getting a "general protection fault". Windows 3.1 just wasn't fun to use. I found myself sinking an ungodly amount of money into software trying to get the system to run the way I wanted it to.

Then I saw an ad for OS/2 2.1 with Windows 3.1 support. The price was right, so I decided to give it a try. It didn't take me long to realize the power of OS/2. It made computing fun. OS/2 is still my primary operating system because I have fun using it. I have added a few shareware and freeware Desktop enhancements to enhance the power of the OS/2 Desktop. I have especially enjoyed Warp 4."

Some were bemused spectators, like Alex Etzensberger:

"...OS2 is doing almost everything I need it to do and I enjoy watching the frenzy that has enveloped the Windows world over what to do and where to go from here."

This is something I was almost about to write about last month myself (goodness knows why I didn't). I wouldn't be the first one to liken the Windows scene with a Circus either. Anyone know what DDE/OLE/ActiveX is supposed to be called this week? ;-)

One of the most interesting stories came from someone who simply signed himself as Eric and who talked about his early experiences with computers like the Tandy CoCo (Color Computer), Commodore 64 and Amiga, from the times where he sold machines like these, then moved into publishing micro-controller programming, and eventually an Internet Access business. Eric had dealings with Windows 3.0 and Desqview, passed OS/2 1.3 but stopped when 2.0 caught his attention...

"As I worked with it, I discovered that it has a really flexible architecture. The pretty pictures have a smart brain to back them up. Documents, files... objects, can have types, and programs and tools can declare what types of things they work with, so I could choose to hit a file with an editing tool or perhaps a compiler or assembler tool if that was appropriate, or I could print it. I could write programs in C or C++, and they would automatically appear on the menus of the types of files that they handle. I could use Rexx to write "batch files on steroids". I could write batch files that ran in my text editor! I could create icons for anything and put them anywhere I pleased."

While most were satisfied with what they've got, others took the chance to express their disappointments and what they want to see. If there's some developer out there reading this, pay attention to what the likes of Bill Olson would pay for 3rd party Win95 support:

"...the newest versions of Quake (II which is to be out before Christmas) and Links (LS '98) are Win '95 native and won't run under OS/2 (yet?). Since I want to play these, I have no choice but to dual (duel?) boot between OS/2 and Win '95/'98/NT until someone, if ever, comes out with a cost effective (~$99) add on to OS/2 to run Win 32 bit apps."

A number of you directly expressed desires for Windows 95 support or for IBM to, "get off their lazy [rear-ends] and market to the home user." Even those who didn't put it in so many words still gave me the feeling that it was an important issue with them. I was happy to see that a few were using the Internet to discover new uses and software to run on their OS/2 systems, with e-Zine! helping them reach that goal (thanks for fluffing our feathers there :-). I was disappointed that, as pointed out earlier, hardly anyone said they switched to OS/2 because of a great OS/2-only application that they wanted to run. Most found their darlings after switching, and now praise their copies of Galactic Civilizations and FM/2.

Maybe I should look on the bright side of this, OS/2 is so great it literally stands on its own merits rather than needing third party support to provide the attraction. But my feelings are still ambivalent, because despite my brain telling me cross-platform is the way to go, my heart still wishes for a real Crown Jewel to call our own.

The most disturbing trend was the lack of "fresh blood", or people joining in the year since Warp 4 was released. I suppose I should have been expecting this and when you look at the state of the platform today it shouldn't be surprising. I've always been an optimist though.

One last quote before I go, this one comes from Mike Rivard

"Why I stick with OS/2 today is its fantastic customer service, the wonderful cult-like community of loyal users and its Internet stability... I am still learning new things about OS/2 after 2 years of heavy use."

Lets keep sticking together.

* * *

Chris Wenham is a freelance web designer, writer and Englishman who now lives in Endicott, NY. In the past he has written comedy, sci-fi, Pascal, Rexx, HTML and Gibberish. He has been using OS/2 exclusively for the past 2 years.


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