From: dwl@watson.ibm.com (David W. Levine)
Newsgroups: comp.windows.ms
Subject: Re: Pause before you consider OS/2 (was Re: Win 3.1 not THAT great.)
Date: 10 Apr 92 21:08:20 GMT
Reply-To: dwl@watson.ibm.com
Organization: IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center
Disclaimer: This posting represents the poster's views, not necessarily those of IBM

In article <DEMILLO.92Apr10140113@egeus.juliet.ll.mit.edu>,
demillo@juliet.ll.mit.edu ( Robert DeMillo ) writes:
|> In article <1992Apr8.204645.15482@cis.ohio-state.edu>
chawdry@cis.ohio-state.edu (rehan nisar chawdry) writes:
|> >
|> > On a 386, you have to be all but blind not to consider (read CONSIDER)
|> > OS/2 2.0.  I'm no fan of IBM and have never bought an IBM product,
but for $49
|> > I couldn't resist.  Plus, even if I don't want it, Windows 3.1 and
its apps
|> > will be able to run on the same screen as OS/2 (by June 92, update
is free).
|> > My all-time favorite program Ami Pro will be converted into a
multithreaded,
|> > multitasking monster word processing app.  Stacker will be
available soon, and
|> > so will a 32-bit SVGA graphic engine.  I just hope OS/2 is closer to my
|> > expectations than Windows 3.1 was.
|> 
|> > -- Rehan --
|> 
|> Well...before you consider...
|> 
|> According to InfoWorld:
|> 
|> OS/2 2.0 will *not* be compatable with Windows 3.1

IBM had demonstrated OS/2 2.0 running Windows 3.1 seamlessly on the
desktop at Comdex. This will be included as a free update in the
near future

|> OS/2 2.0 will *not* support SVGA or XGA graphics modes. (The
|> 	 above poster's comments about OS/2 supporting a 32-bit 
|> 	 SVGA engine, notwithstanding.)

OS/2 2.0 fully supports XGA. It also supports a number of SVGA display
boards today, and more will be available in the near future. OS/2 2.0
does not support seamless windows on the desktop on XGA or 8514/A today,
the same update that will provide 3.1 support should include this support.

|> OS/2 2.0 Windows emulation will support only one Windows application
|>          per Window, and they are several orders of magnitude slower
|> 	 than just running in Windows. You can switch OS/2 2.0 to
|> 	 full screen Windows mode, and your Windows performance
|> 	 goes way up.

This is simply untrue. You can have multiple seamless windows on the
desktop in VGA today, some SVGA boards and Trident boards. You can
run one or more full screen Windows sessions with one or more applications
in each of them. You can have multiple applications in one seamless session
or run multiple windows sessions seamless with a single application in each.



|> OS/2 2.0 will not support full-blown pre-emptive multitasking for
|>          another 12-18 months. (Not sure what they meant by this,
|> 	 but it didn't smell right.) At that time, Windows NT
|> 	 will be on the scene.
|> 

OS/2 2.0 fully supports pre-emptive multitasking. I supspetc this
was either an incorrect discussion of multi-processing or a mis-reading
of support for multi-processing. OS/2 2.0 fully multi-tasks OS/2, DOS
and Windows programs now. pre-emptively.

|> Moral: If you are buying OS/2 for OS/2...great. Do it..multithreading
|>        is a good thing, and OS/2 has it. If you are buying OS/2 
|>        'cuz you want to run mostly Windows applications in OS/2's
|>        PM...you might want to rethink that.
|> 
|> 
|> 
|> 
|> 
|> --
|>  - Rob DeMillo			| Internet: 	 demillo@juliet.ll.mit.edu
|>    MIT Lincoln Lab 		| Also Internet: rjd@brown.cs.edu
|>    Weather Sensing - Group 43	| Reality: 617-981-2105 (office)
|> 
|> "Operation Goofy now in effect!"
|> 	--- Tom Servo, "Gamera vs. Gaos," Mystery Science Theater 3000

Moral: Get your facts right. If you want to run DOS and Windows applications
together, with real multi-tasking and be able to do things like format
diskettes while running your spreadsheet or communciations software, OS/2
2.0 will do that now. Today. 


David W. Levine      -- IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center
dwl@watson.ibm.com   -- (914) 784-7427 

My Opinions, IBM's hardware. --