From: jurlwin@gandalf.UMCS.Maine.EDU (Jeff Urlwin)
Subject: Re: Why Windows NT will fail -----
Organization: University of Maine, Department of Computer Science
Date: Thu, 17 Dec 1992 03:57:42 GMT

In article <1992Dec15.184840.23083@itsmail1.hamilton.edu> jmalloy@itsmail1.hamilton.edu (Joseph T. Malloy) writes:
>In article <1992Dec15.030525.31852@ns1.cc.lehigh.edu> sjb5@ns1.cc.lehigh.edu (STACY JOHN BEHRENS) writes:
>>In article <1992Dec11.162632.1046@itsmail1.hamilton.edu>, jmalloy@itsmail1.hamil
>>ton.edu (Joseph T. Malloy) writes:
>>>In article <8052@lib.tmc.edu> jmaynard@oac.hsc.uth.tmc.edu (Jay Maynard) writes
>>>>Indeed. WPS is a whole new way of thinking about the user interface. That's
>>>>why folks have a hard time adapting to it from Windows: they have to change
>>>>the way they think.
>>>>--
>>>>jmaynard@oac.hsc.uth.tmc.edu      | adequately be explained by stupidity.
>>>
>>>A paradigm shift is one thing, but the mere fact of a paradigm shift
>>>does not make the shift good.  The WPS is, in my opinion, a fine example
>>>of making a bad thing worse.  If IBM were smart, they'd cajole Symantec
>>>into making a Norton Desktop for OS/2 that looks just like the ND for
>>>Windows.  I might even be tempted to try OS/2 again if that were
>>>available.
>>
>>Why?  NDW looks a *lot* more like the WPS than the WinGUI.  In fact the
>>similarities are pretty frightening in a lot of ways.
>
>The similarites don't frighten me, but the advantages of NDW appeal to
>me.  For one, it's much better documented.  For another, the menu bar
>across the top strikes me (all of this is a matter of taste, ok?) as
>being more logical and easier to use.  For yet another, the app launcher
>that's accessible via the system-menu-control-bar-thingie in the upper
>left hand corner is a snap to configure and helps keep the desktop
>cleaner looking.  True, I have the most frequently used app icons along
>the left hand side of the screen, but I can keep that sort of clutter
>down to a minimum.  Then there's the anti-virus program, backup program,
>batch builder, scheduler etc with which I'm familiar.  It's a
>comfortable enough environment and it would certainly make any
>transition I might consider to OS/2 much easier.
>>
>>That aside, Symantec may be doing just that, they just tend to be quiet about
>>what they are developing.  They released Norton Commander for OS/2 without any
>>hint that they were even working on such a beast.
>
>Well, I hope they do a better job on it than on the Norton Commander for
>OS/2.  PC-Week's review of it by Peter Coffee (whom I gather is not an
>OS/2 basher, so maybe the OS/2 community will believe him) points out
>the missing functions from the OS/2 version available in the DOS
>version, the missing file viewers (there are apparently just two: text
>and hex), and some of the awkward commands or bad error trapping
>problems in it.  Seems like it was perhaps a tad rushed.  I assume
>Symantec will steadily upgrade it, though.  I gather that it doesn't
>replace WPS, unfortunately.

No, it doesn't, but the quick menu is pretty nice.  The lack of file viewers
doesn't kill me as much as the lack of the "extension" edit (i.e. the 
ability to associate .c files with an editor or .mak files with a make
utility, etc.).  I can't just double-click on a file name (.c) and have
it pull up the OS/2 association, either.  For example, if I open up an
OS/2 drive menu (not norton...) and double click on a .c file, it pulls
up the OS/2 Editor (after a good amount of time, by the way).  I like
that type of functionality and I miss it from the NC DOS program.

Other than that, though, I find it easy to work my way through directory
trees and check out files, etc.  Much easier and faster than the WPS
Drives stuff...I like the Commander for OS/2.  I'm sure that since it's
selling pretty well, it should be expanded.  I'm going to enter a few
messages on Compuserve to the support forum there about this stuff.

If people want (gulp) I'll forward messages to Symantec Support for NC
for you...just put it in the subject that it regards NC.  I'll do a weekly
upload to CI$ for this.  Please, I don't want to be the go-between for 
support help.  I'll just pass on suggestions (i.e. I'm not a gateway...).

Jeff
-- 
--------------------------------------
jurlwin@gandalf.umcs.maine.edu

Newsgroups: comp.os.os2.advocacy