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When PCs first became available the majority of software was of commercial nature that you purchased a license for in a shrink-wrapped box. But soon programmers began experimenting with a new idea, made possible by Bulletin Board Systems (BBSes), that let people download and try out software for free - paying for it only if they really found it useful. Later still, Richard M. Stallman championed the cause of free software - the kind that you could not only download, but were not expected to pay for, and could even obtain the source code for.

In last issue's survey we sought to find out what kind of software you wanted to see more of, as well as what you anticipated would really be the case. Each have their benefits and disadvantages, but what matters to you the most? Commercial software has historically been of higher quality, depth and polish thanks to the money that can be poured into development by the parent company, plus it usually comes with a printed manual and telephone support. Shareware offers instant gratification, a fair trial period, and occasionally a few gems that reach the same level of polish and depth as their commercial counterparts. While Free or Open source software can't be beat for price, appeals to some for idealistic reasons, and benefits from the power of peer-review to stamp out bugs and deliver a rock-solid program.

For our September 16th survey we had 645 valid responses. For a vote to be considered valid it must be accompanied by an e-mail address, not be a duplicate, and have answered all of the questions. Votes were accepted between September 16th and 29th.

What kind of software would you like to see more of for OS/2?

Wishful thinking or not, most of our readers (58.3%) wanted to see more commercial software developed and released for OS/2. This could have been due to a combination of factors. One being that people just prefer the qualities of commercial software, and another being the image of OS/2 as a viable and lively platform that each release of a commercially sold application creates.

Following far behind commercial, but each close together, was Free/Open Source software (21.7%) and Shareware (19.7%). As an experiment, we also asked if you'd be interested in seeing some "Meterware" made available - software that you don't buy, but rent by the hour. This is an idea that's being experimented with by several companies and may bear fruit one day. Imagine being able to use Lotus SmartSuite, which retails for $495, for only 50 cents each hour that you actually use it. Only one lonely reader voted for this alternative, however, so perhaps the idea isn't so appealing after all.

What was the last piece of major software you installed on your machine?

To put things into perspective we also asked what kind of software was the last major application that you installed. Not meant to suggest anyone wasn't practicing what they were preaching, but it ought to be interesting to see how the results from last month will compare to the same survey question asked in a year from now. The majority (53.6%) said that they had last installed a commercial piece of software.

Have you tried Win32-OS/2?

It's possible that in the future, the team working on the Win32-OS/2 binary converter project (a utility that will convert a Windows 95 program into a native OS/2 program without requiring the source code) will complete a version that's able to translate the vast majority of software written for Windows 95 and Windows NT. This would open up the floodgates to a never-ending surge of software that can run on OS/2. With that in mind, it was worth asking to see how many of our readers had already tried it in its early state, as there are a number of desirable Windows 95 applications (such as QuakeII) that can now be converted with it. A healthy number of you (39.4%) did, but it looks as if most have yet to get around to it.

In the future, how much of your software do you anticipate being Windows 95 applications converted with Win32-OS/2?

Yet this lack of trying did not stop many of you from speculating on just how much of your day-to-day software would be Windows 95 programs converted with the utility. 37.1% of our readers guessed that at least 10% or less of their software would come from this avenue. This should certainly give OS/2 developers some hope, as only 6 people went so far as to guess 100% of their software would be converted Windows apps.

How much do you anticipate being Commercial OS/2 Software / Shareware / Free or Open Source Software?

For the remaining three questions, the majority said they expected under 50% of their software to be made up of these groups. Very few thought they would be using 100% of anything, but for what it's worth, more readers (14) thought they'd be using a 100% Free or Open Source based system than any other.

Complete September 16th Survey Results

What kind of software would you like to see more of for OS/2?

Category	Count	Percentage
Shareware	127	19.7%
Commercial/Shrinkwrap software	376	58.3%
Free/Open-source Software	140	21.7%
Meterware (pay per hour software)	1	0.2%
I do not understand the question	1	0.2%
TOTAL	645	100.1%

What was the last piece of major software you installed on your machine?

Category	Count	Percentage
A shareware application	177	27.4%
A commercial/shrinkwrap OS/2 application	346	53.6%
A Free/Open-source application	117	18.1%
A Windows 95 application converted with Win32-OS/2	4	0.6%
I do not understand the question	1	0.2%
TOTAL	645	99.9%

Have you tried Win32-OS/2?

Category	Count	Percentage
Yes	254	39.4%
No	389	60.3%
I do not understand the question	2	0.3%
TOTAL	645	100.0%

In the future, how much of your software do you anticipate being Windows 95 applications converted with Win32-OS/2?

Category	Count	Percentage
100%	6	0.9%
Between 50% and 100%	57	8.8%
Under 50%	143	22.2%
Under 10%	239	37.1%
None	90	14.0%
I told you, I haven't tried it	109	16.9%
I do not understand the question	1	0.2%
TOTAL	645	100.1%

How much do you anticipate being commercial/shrinkwrap OS/2 applications?

Category	Count	Percentage
100%	10	1.6%
Between 50% and 100%	174	27.0%
Under 50%	257	39.8%
Under 10%	170	26.4%
None	24	3.7%
I do not understand the question	10	1.6%
TOTAL	645	100.1%

How much do you anticipate being Shareware?

Category	Count	Percentage
100%	5	0.8%
Between 50% and 100%	262	40.6%
Under 50%	313	48.5%
Under 10%	48	7.4%
None	10	1.6%
I do not understand the question	7	1.1%
TOTAL	645	100.0%

How much do you anticipate being Free/Open-source applications?

Category	Count	Percentage
100%	14	2.2%
Between 50% and 100%	130	20.2%
Under 50%	288	44.7%
Under 10%	190	29.5%
None	13	2.0%
I do not understand the question	10	1.6%
TOTAL	645	100.2%