From: scott@asd.com (Scott Barman)
Subject: Re: Job in UNIX vs OS/2 world.
Organization: American Software Development Corp., West Babylon, NY
Date: Thu, 3 Sep 1992 14:01:28 GMT

In article <1992Aug31.123823.25049@hemlock.cray.com> bgm@cray.com (Bert Moshier) writes:
>In article <x-hn5gm.mesm@netcom.com> mesm@netcom.com (Mary E. S. Morris) writes:
>>ajit@csgrad.cs.vt.edu (Ajit Naidu) writes:
>>: 
>>: Hi Everybody,
>>: 
>>: 
>>: 2) I don't mean to offend the OS/2 fans out there, but does OS/2
>>:    have a lot of future, especially since IBM is working with Apple
>>:    on "PINK" the new OS which will run across various IBM platforms.
>>:    - Is getting into OS/2 world a mistake since he has reasonable
>>:      experience under UNIX and X/Motif ?
>>: 
>>I can't say what OS/2 has for a future, but Unix is growing
>>faster than any other OS, has been for last 3 years, and probably
>>will be until 1995 (Market share growth).
>
>Not to raise a flame, but how are your measuring marketshare growth.  I know
>that OS/2 sold 1,000,000 copies in its first four months and did another
>300,000 copies in the last ten business days.  This is a 100% growth in four
>or five months.

I've been speaking with an IBM rep about RS/6000s and we got into a
discussion on OS/2.  He admitted to me that the numbers on OS/2 are
exaggerated.  Oh, they distributed 1 million copies, but not all of them
were paid for.  Approximately 250,000 were given away free at various
show and another 100,000 were given away to "selected clients."  The
other numbers are skewed in that many new PS/2s sold today will come
with a copy of OS/2 AND DOS but, he admits, most people use just DOS.
The last study I saw was in ComputerWorld that said only 5-8% of the
companies surveyed have started or have plans to move to OS/2.  It also
said another 20% are considering it but have made no commitment.

>Windows (which Microsoft claims is an operating system - I disagree) claims a 
>rate of 1,000,000 copies a month.  I don't know what marketshare growth this
>is but it is significant.

This is also another "gotcha" number.  These "sales" include machines
sold with Windows bundled with the system.  So if you go out to (for
example) Dell to buy a machine, and they load DOS 5 and Windows on it
for you, eventhough you don't want Windows and only use it to play games
(so far the only reason *I* found for having it), it still counts as a
unit of Windows sold.  The last study I saw was in (I think)
ComputerWorld that said only 20-30% of the companies who consider the PC
their primary platform have or have near future plans to move to
Windows.  Those left out of the survey are those who have multi-platform
"solutions" (Unix shops, mainframes, minis, etc.) with only a few PCs.


As far as the original question, your friend is probably better off
staying in Unix and X/Motif.  In my previous job, a co-worker changed
positions.  We were a Unix group who only dabbled in PCs when necessary.
The group he went to were locked into PS/2s and OS/2.  While he did
adjust he would tell me how he missed the freedom of Unix and how Motif
was a lot easier to deal with than Presentation Manager.  Now that the
project is finished, I he's out looking for a Unix job and never wants
to see another Intel-based machine again.  This is the experience of one
person, your mileage may vary!
-- 
scott barman			| <This space intentionally left blank>
scott@asd.com			|
 (I can barely speak for myself, you expect me to speak for my employer??)