I Miss OS/2 and REXX

[Conmee]

Hello all,

I thought I'd take the opportunity to post first in the OS/2 forum. I remember when 2.1 came out, and the credit union I worked for based their voice-response system on a PS/2 with OS/2 in 1992. I was still an undergrad, and enjoyed working with the OS... I can still recall all the marketing battles between MS and IBM in those days, and the race to see who could build a 32-bit multitasking OS that would run in 4MB of RAM (when RAM was premium priced)...

Of course, the PS/2 can't compare to my TI-99/4a and Commodore 64 in terms of sheer prepubescent computer fun (pre-girlfriend days, lol), but that's another thread for another forum... lol

Daniel

[BillMorrow]

well, ok..
i wish ibm had given OS/2 away, with word perfect and lotus in 1995 and we all would probably be wondering what happened to M$..

<sigh>

thanks for your first comment..
i hope there will be more..

FWIW, a lawyer i know still uses his VERY old TRS-80, aka trash-80..
and that is a VERY old bit of hardware commensurate with your commodore 64..

[snappy]

Yes, makes us wonder how history of computing would have changed huh?
Then now we will all be running OS/XP? hehe ... ... and everyone will be poking at BigBlue ... not that people are not right now ... just harder perhaps.

And maybe MS will be the underdog, alongside Linux come to think of it, MS *was* the underdog back then. It offered the alternative to the minicomputers. And I recall how there are so much cool "toys" (Read: free) you can get or download to improve your PC's performance.

MS products like Word started off as the underdog (recall WordStar on a 360k floppy!, WordPerfect). Excel vs 123 (Lotus Symphony, Lotus 123) (and to a certain extent FormTools!) ... PowerPoint vs Harvard Graphics, ... ultimately IE vs Netscape (aka browser wars).

Then the New Republic turned into the Evil Empire!!

Sorry, got carried away ...

[BigWarpGuy]

OS/2 Warp is still around but it goes by a different name; eComStation.
http://www.ecomstation.com
REXX is also still around. eCS still has support for REXX.

http://www.rexxla.org
IBM open sourced Object REXX and it is at the REXX Language Association.
(IIRC).

[Guest]

OS/2 Warp is still around but it goes by a different name; eComStation.
http://www.ecomstation.com
REXX is also still around. eCS still has support for REXX.

http://www.rexxla.org
IBM open sourced Object REXX and it is at the REXX Language Association.
(IIRC).

Actually your claim isn't true "BigWarpGuy". eComStation is a minor third party vendor's proprietary product that 'just happens' to use OS/2 as a base operating system. It can only be purchased out of "The Netherlands" where U.S. consumer laws do not apply. The cost of eComStation is excessively high and the product itself is known to be difficult to install and problematic once installed. To the OS/2 community, eComStation is the equivalent to "Lindows" to the Linux community.

Tech Support for eCS is not supplied by the individual who makes it and the user is completely dependent upon other eCS consumers for problem solving. The eCS consumer cannot turn to IBM for help or assistance. The eCS consumer cannot turn to the maker of eCS because the maker has no physcial storefront unlike IBM. Seeking a refund for the product must be done out of "The Netherlands" and as you know, BigWarpGuy, there are many complaints from eCS consumers who are unable to gain satisfaction from the distributor.

IBM does not allow the eCS product to be branded or marketed as eComStation for OS/2, eComStation/2, eCS for OS/2 or eCS/2. eCS salesmen and investors like to claim eCS is the successor of IBM's OS/2 but it is not, that is just marketing spiel and an attempt to overtake the OS/2 nich market. The maker of "Lindows" likes to claim "Lindows" is the successor of Linux but that is as ridiculous as eCS being the success of OS/2. It is not.

IBM continues to sell, update, support and refresh OS/2 through their PassPort Advantage service for as little as $65 dollars. Anyone can purchase it directly from IBM and have it delivered to their home via two-day Airborne Express. The OS/2 Warp 4.52 package consists of Warp 4.51, 4.52 and the recently released refresh of 4.52 along with nine other CDs of the past year's updates, new software, new drivers, and any released fixpacks. IBM also includes a tri-set of installation floppies just in case they are needed. OS/2 Warp comes with an Installation CD and will install within 20 minutes on any OS/2 supported Thinkpad, including the new T42 Thinkpad.

I highly recommend IBM's OS/2 Warp 4.52. I *do not* recommend the new OS/2 user fall prey to eComStation.

[Guest]

Oh geez, not here too!

It's true, the guys who make eComStation are a minor third party company when compared to Microsoft and IBM. However, there is nothing illegal about eComStation. They do have a proper contract with IBM. There's nothing particularly strange with eCS. It is a "distro" (in Linux speak) of OS/2.

I run OS/2 (4.53) on my Thinkpad T40p, and it was super-easy to install. That being said, I also have eCS, and that always installs on my system without any troubles. It's just my preference to run plain OS/2 on my Thinkpad right now.

Whether you choose OS/2 or eCS, that is (in my opinion), more personal preference. However, it seems that certain people, particularly in Usenet groups have VERY STRONG personal preferences and tend to, umm..., shall we say, be a bit skewed in the way they present the other option.

Some of them have made it (unfortunately) to this group, so be careful and take all extreme comments with a grain of salt.

[Batuta]

...

[BigWarpGuy]

I bought my eCS 1.1 from BMTMicro. It is easy to install; just like OS/2 Warp ver 3 and ver 4.

I have found some REXX sites.
http://oorexx.sourceforge.net
Object REXX has been open sourced by IBM (IIRC).
http://www.devsource.ziffdavis.com/arti ... 098,00.asp

www-306.ibm.com/software/awdtools/rexx/



Definitly check out http://www.rexxla.org - the REXX Language Association. They have an OS/2 section.