From: dic5340@hertz.njit.edu (David Charlap)
Newsgroups: comp.os.os2.advocacy
Subject: Re: Interesting tidbit from September 7, 1992 PC Week
Date: 14 Sep 92 16:10:48 GMT
Organization: New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, N.J.

In article <1992Sep12.040230.6425@fcom.cc.utah.edu> brian@jaguar.cs.utah.edu (Brian Sturgill) writes:
>When NT ships having over 1,000 apps from day one... this group
>will  get to see a long line of OS/2 users that have been putting
>off buying OS/2 native apps, using their OS/2 2.0 as a cheap way
>to get NT.  The point is this, if you actually need a high-end
>system, why not get a full featured one that has ISV support?

Like Sun-OS, NextStep, or even Vax/VMS?  Most workstations are
designed around some high-end OS that's meant for them.  The new SGI
workstation being the only one (so far) that's shipping with NT.  How
many workstation owners are going to THROW AWAY a useful operating
system in order to run NT on the box?

No PC is a high-end anything.

>They have never said when
>NT will release but that they are targeting (internally) the end
>of the year.
>I've been following this VERY closely for about 4 months.  They
>have never said anything other than this in that time period.
>It is nearly 100% certain that the beta will ship before COMDEX and
>that NT will ship before June 1993.

That sounds like an anouncement to me.  And the anouncements that were
going around a few monts ago said December '92.  I guess they're just
slipping the date, and trying to cover it up now, before people notice
and complain.

Remember this when I state (a few paragraphs down, at the end of my
reply) that NT has no release date, and that everything is a rumor.
You're saying so here, so don't flame me for repeating you in a
different context.

>It is quite possible that the beta will come out in October and NT ship
>in the 1Q93.  This is perfectly in line with what Microsoft has been saying
>for months, and if you would listen, you would have heard it.

OK, you're giving me some rumors, I'm commenting on the rumors you
gave me a few months ago.  How's about some official document that
states whether or not there even is a planned release date.
Otherwise, I'll resume the "vapor" argument, and stop even thinking
about NT.

>People keep claiming that OS/2 has vendor support.  From whom?
>What vendor has announced for OS/2 that hasn't announced for NT?
>Why did the NT developers conference have 4,600 and IBM is hoping
>for only 800 at their October conference?

How many was MS predicting for their conference?  IBM has always been
conservative with their estimates.  Let's see how many actually show,
when the conference runs, OK?  This comparison is completely devoid of
useful information, and it'd do us all a lot of good if people would
stop repeating it.

>Why is half my e-mail from this group requests from people on how to
>get NT?  If OS/2 is not having ISV trouble, then why is Zachmann
>complaining about all those vendors "following Microsoft down the
>garden path"?

Because if it happens to take off, someday, these users want the free
GA release that they'll get for buying the $69 SDK CD.  You can be
certain that NT's GA will cost lots more than $69.

>I know you're all giddy about OS/2, and fine... I have no problem
>with that, but to ignore the lack of ISV support and IBM's poor
>bug fix record to date (Where is that _June_ CSD?  Why is Windows 3.1
>support going to be even later?) is (hmmmm... I'm having trouble
>finding a polite adjective.).

What poor bug fix record.  MS has never fixed a bug in any of their
programs, to date.  They just tell you to buy the next release.  And
don't tell me anything about WinWord 2.0a - I still can't get further
than a busy signal when I call them about getting it.

As for the CSD that you keep on insisting was supposed to ship in
June, it was never supposed to ship any time then.  You always
complain when I quote rumors from MS that turn out to be untrue
(remember when NT was supposed to GA in time to compete with OS/2
2.0's GA?), but you love quoting IBM-rumors and then flame IBM when
they turn out to be untrue.

Let's face it, NT has no scheduled release date (you just said so,
yourself up there^^^), and IBM's CSD will ship in the Fall, which
means September 20 until December 20.  Anything else you hear is just
a rumor, and should be safely ignored.
-- 
   |)  David Charlap           "LECTURER, n.  One with his hand in your pocket,
  /|_  dic5340@hertz.njit.edu   his tongue in your ear, and his faith in your
 ((|,)                          patience."
  ~|~                              --- Ambrose Bierce, The Devil's Dictionary
Newsgroups: comp.os.os2.advocacy