From: mg@tyrolia (Michael Golan)
Newsgroups: comp.os.os2.apps
Subject: Re: Why OS/2 **WILL** fail
Date: 29 Sep 92 02:36:32 GMT
Organization: Princeton University, Dept. of Computer Science

I said:
>Example: open drives, and move config.sys to the desktop ... on the next boot,
>you die. I actually did it, by mistake, so I can edit the file.... 

gyan@unixg.ubc.ca (Gyan P. Sinha) writes:

>If you move your config.sys to the desktop, you have in effect moved it
>out of your root directory of the boot drive and into a subdirectory,i.e
>OS2! 2.0 Desktop. If OS/2 can't find the config.sys file, why shouldn't
>it crash on bootup? You may as well have deleted config.sys, for all it's
>concerned.

>Maybe I'm missing something here. If so, can someone shed some light on
>this?

Well, of course your description is correct. But does it make SENSE? Sure,
I figured it out, but the average user? When I booted OS/2 for the first
time *after* RTFMing, I played around ... I moved the information icon into
the OS2 group... that worked fine. So I tried to move the config.sys icon...
bang! 

I agree that the basics of the WPS are fine. My main point was that these
"objects" are of unknown types! IF you move/change them, you never really
know what effects you will have, unless you know exactly the kind of object
you are changing (OS2 wont tell) and the exact nature of the operation on
this object (side effects - OS2 wont tell (e.g. rename original by renaming
a shadow).

I stopped using the WPS because it was too buggy. The mouse sometimes
died, only during a "move". Copies become Moves if you release the Ctrl
key first (it's a feature, I know) And because the mouse is sometimes 
SLOW yet completely buffered, I have actually had cases where I opened 
dir2, and before it showed up, did something in dir1 ... Only that dir2 
came on top of dir1, and "took" the operation. I find the command line 
MUCH SAFER - nothing gets executed before I hit ENTER. And there is at 
least a history of what I have done... (I am not saying novices should
use the CLI. I know its too hard for them an that SIMPLE GUIs like MAC's
are better. But I think they will get into real problems under WPS much
to often).

I love your stories about 4-year olds running OS/2... But can they really
use it? Not just when everything goes well, but when soemthing does get
screwed?  Like when u need to "simply boot from a floopy and run chkdsk/f.
Ya just type ESC in the 2nd screen. No not that screen, I mean the text
screen...gee don't you know this one is graphics and doesnt count? No no
what are you doing? not 'E' 'S' 'C', press the ESC button. geez.".
what a GREAT GUI!! Can you 4 year old do that? hmm. smart girl!

No... OS2 is a complex system which need some "guru" to maintain it (ya,
just like Unix). Fine - so do dos & windows (ini files, anyone?)
So --- please IBM --- at least have two modes, a "guru"
and non-"guru" mode, so in non-guru mode your 4-year old can not just
put your clock in the trash and ... wow, you need to reinstall! 
I wouldn't worry about my kid changing the W-INI files .. too hard...

 Michael
[ I am sorry this thread is in comp.os.os2.app. I'm partially responsible,
since I didnt realize the first poster cross-posted]