From: mlevis@ringer.cs.utsa.edu (Mike Levis) (OS/2)
Subject: Re: OS/2 Crashproof? NOT!
Organization: University of Texas at San Antonio
Date: Mon, 16 Nov 1992 03:40:53 GMT

In article <1992Nov15.184700.6364@gw.wmich.edu> 925wardell@gw.wmich.edu writes:
>
>	You are not alone.  I don't run my machine nearly as long as you
>do and I get trap problems and just hanging.  Example:  Load TE/2,
>logon to the INternet, and for some reason when I will control escape,
>it will just hang.
>	Sometimes with windows apps running in seamless mode the thing
>will just hang.
>	Sometimes when I puta graphics DOS app into a window I will
>get a Trap.
>	Sometimes I get a Trap for no apparent reason when switching away.
>
>	POST Service Pack also.
>
>	I mean, sure Windows and my Amiga crashed more but they never
>tried to claim "ROCK SOLID! MISSION CRITICAL..." OS/2 is not all that
>stable.  At least with Windows it would crash when it was doing something
>strabnge.  OS/2 will crash randomly and it is not a hardware problem.
>
>							-Brad
>

I have an SVGA video chip.  I tried to install an 8514 driver just to
see what would happen.  When I booted my computer, OS/2 2.0 would not
load.  (The 8514 driver is not compatible with an SVGA chip).

A few days ago I installed an 800x600x16 generic driver.  When I
booted my computer, OS/2 2.0 would not load.  (I forgot to turn SVGA
ON when I installed the driver).

Other than this, I never had OS/2 2.0 crash on me.  Never.  I have had
sessions crash, which I can easily close, but OS/2 never crashed.  I
am talking about OS/2 2.0 GA.  And OS/2 2.0 GA + SP.

My OS/2 computer runs for 8-10 hours a day.  Sometimes longer than
that.  I use emx/gcc for OS/2 2.0 .  I use Borland C++ 2.0 and Turbo
Assembler for DOS.  I've had plenty of sessions crash which would
have killed plain DOS, but they didn't kill OS/2.

No, I'm not saying OS/2 2.0 is crash-proof.  I have not heard even
IBM saying it.  A poorly written driver (or a badly installed driver,
as in my two cases) is an Achille's Heel with probably any OS.  OS/2 is
not immune from this.  But so far, while a crash under DOS made me
frustrated from hard booting a lot, a session crash under OS/2 has made
me laugh because I don't have to be frustrated with a hard boot.

When I'm at home, I'm glad that a session crash does not take down
another session that is downloading.  I'm happy with OS/2 2.0 when I'm
using it.  When I'm *not* at home, I'm glad that my batch sessions are
not disturbed.  I'm even happy with OS/2 2.0 when I'm *not* using it.

P.S.  Just to be clear, emx/gcc and BC++ and TASM themselves don't crash
      on me, but sometimes the DOS programs I write will crash.  I'm
      just learning to use emx/gcc, so I haven't yet had the chance to
      write enough OS/2 programs yet.

      Also, I'm not using a PS/2.  I have a cheap clone.  (CompuAdd
      Express 425CX with a Cyrix 486SLC and C&T BIOS).

-- 
==== Mike Levis   mlevis@ringer.cs.utsa.edu ====
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