Newsgroups: bit.listserv.games-l
Date:         Wed, 6 Jan 1993 10:08:10 NFT
Reply-To:     Turgut Kalfaoglu <TURGUT@FRORS12.BITNET>
From:         Turgut Kalfaoglu <TURGUT@FRORS12.BITNET>
Subject:      Re: OS/2 2.0 GRIPES

On Tue, 5 Jan 93 10:33:20 -0500 you said:
>  I guess I'm the odd man out, for I'm pretty disappointed with OS/2 2.0.

When you need help, just ask. OS2-L@FRORS12.BITNET list tackes such
questions daily. Send a SUB command to LISTSERV@FRORS12.BITNET.

>Except for the multiple sessions, there's not really much that it offers
>over Windows;

Ever tried multitasking? Ever tried Rexx? very-long filenames under HPFS?

>  The same clean drag-and-drop desktop of OS/2 is supplied with Norton

PM desktop is only an application running on OS/2. In fact, you can
make it imitate Windows interface, if you wanted to - see the supplied
documentation. You can disable PM altogther too.

>  The multiple sessions are not as concurrent as IBM says they are, for the
>foreground session still gets the lion's share of system resources, just like

If you want 'fair' concurrency, where each tasks gets equal share, then
tell this to OS/2. Either by setting the priority of that task, or
globally to the system, by putting a:

SET PRIORITY=ABSOLUTE

in your \CONFIG.SYS file. Otherwise the foreground task gets more of the
CPU, provided you are running something that needs a lot of CPU, in the
foreground. Any program determined to be "wasting" CPU time, like
polling the keyboard in an infinite loop, get their priorities reduced
immediately.

>  There are VERY few OS/2 programs on the market, and what few there are
>are usually prohibitively expensive.  This forces the user to use DOS
>and Windows programs.  Well, why not just use the Windows they're designed
>for?

Type this:  ftp  ftp-os2.nmsu.edu
you'll have over 1700 shareware programs at your hands.
(for those without internet access, try sending an INDEX OS2  command to
LISTSERV@BLEKUL11.BITNET)

Since OS/2 runs Windows applications too well, application writers still
code for the lowest denominator.  I hear most of them use OS/2 to write
their Windows apps, since they can't crash the machine with buggy apps.

>  Windows programs are designed to work hand-in-hand with each other (Excel
>routing cell calculations to Word documents, etc).  Do existing OS/2 programs
>have this flexibility?

Of course. plus, you can cut and paste between ANY application - be it DOS,
Windows or OS/2.

>  OS/2 has this ANNOYING habit of loading up the last thing you were using
>the previous time.  If this program just happens to make your system crash,
>resetting the computer will only cause OS/2 to load up that program and cause

Put this in your CONFIG.SYS to tell OS/2 not to restart the applications that
were active last time you turned off the machine:

SET RESTARTOBJECTS=StartupFolderOnly

>  The documentation for OS/2 is pathetic; the printed material is close
>to nonexistant.  However, all docs are stored on disk, which forces you to 1)

So you prefer cutting trees instead, by having all of it printed?
I have the printed docs for ALL of OS/2, including the programming manuals,
all by IBM, and it takes up about a shelf of 3-feet in length! I feel
pretty guilty about it.

>  OS/2 is compatible with SOME monitors, but not ALL monitors (namely, Super
>VGA monitors like MINE).  I'm told the new graphic engine will correct this,

OS/2 2.1beta supports virtually all Super VGA cards. Further, it correctly
finds what yours is, and I am using my Trident at 1024x800 resolution now.

>but I have no intention of shelling out $25.00 or whatever for what is
>essentially a bug fix.

You get: ENHANCED MODE WINDOWS 3.1  support, with many applets.
         MULTIMEDIA/2 package (with Video and Sound support)
         PROGRAMMER'S TOOLKIT (libraries, docs)
         PCMIA SUPPORT + Laptop Power Management Support
         SVGA SUPPORT FOR MOST CARDS
$25 It's the cost of shipping. Oh yeah, they also have bug fixes in the same
package :)

>  For compatibility, the only DOS program that I really had any problem running
>are resource hungry games like Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe, which refused
>to load, but I suspect that it is merely a matter of not enough RAM.  Has
>anyone
>ever run this game under OS/2?

I only run the demo version of that game under OS/2. I don't have the
real thing. Try setting 'DOS HIGH' in 'Open->Settings' and increasing
the EMS memory available to that session.

>colors, but I just had to give an opposing viewpoint to round out this
>discussion, don't ya know...

IBM sure needs to do more for advertising OS/2's features and capabilities.
Most people don't even know that a 32-bit IBM C compiler exists, or that
a C++ IBM compiler is in the works. How about the excellent TCP/IP package?
It is only now getting to be known.

PS: Everything I mentioned in this letter about CONFIG.SYS is available
via the online help.

DISCLAIMER: I don't work for IBM or Microsoft, or any other big company.

-turgut


-----------------------------------------------------------
Nice people should not suffer Windows
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