But for a Community member and Laptop user this is a true Show stopper. That is simple and true.
In fact it is not a show stopper. It is simply inconvenient. Sound, and WiFi, have never worked on my Lenovo ThinkPad L530, but the machine still runs well (especially with ArcaOS). Sound, on that machine, is not too bad under win 10, but the speakers are pretty marginal for actual serious listening. I use an external device for WiFi, when I need it.
But for me this is still the wrong decision. Especially when it will not be possible to install from USB Media.
Right, or wrong, the decision was made based on making the least number of changes possible. Install from USB media is possible (in fact, USB DVD drives are supported, if the BIOS will support booting from one), but there just isn't anybody to do it, or properly test it, for the GA. They still need the DVD installer, for those machines that don't support booting from USB, so it makes sense to go that way, for now. Using DVD can also be a problem, if the machine doesn't have a DVD drive that can be booted, but it is expected that most people have updated by now. Closer to release date, i will probably post a method to use a CD drive. That worked with eCS 2.2b2, but I haven't tried it with ArcaOS, yet.
containing an universal (quite easy: "no Network" Card selected, "no Sound" selected) clone
In fact, that is exactly how it works. ECS does it that way too. The "clone" is loaded into MEMDISK, and then it is configured to run, and booted from MEMDISK, to run the actual installer. The same will happen from a USB stick, eventually.
Very contraproductive in my honest opinion is to Keep a lot of Information about it as some Kind of "mystery" "closed Information" "top secret" instead of spreading the News!
I think you are expecting something that doesn't exist. There are a few new things, that have not, and probably won't be, discussed until release, but they are, in fact, pretty minor, and do not really impact on the big picture. In fact, most of it is available today, if you want it. ArcaOS simply puts it all together in one package. The big thing, IMO are some fixes that have been made to various parts of the OS, and no, I am not going to discuss those.
For this the solution is simple: as an "ordinary" clone does not Need more than 4GB at all you can have one for "legacy" and one for "Modern" Hardware.
One of the problems is that making a "clone" is not part of the license to use the OS/2 base. Apparently, OS/2 must be installed, as it came from IBM, then it can be modified, and that is exactly what is done with eCS, and ArcaOS. Even the installer is pushing the limits.
I think that we are noticing the weight of the "Legacy" of the platform. There are a lot of things on the platform that we no longer use but it will be "taboo" just to think to take it off. I personally think that some of that legacy is a drag that is slowing us down.
I don't think that is a real problem. There is really nothing extra to install DOS/WinOS2 (which I assume is what you mean by "legacy"), other than a meg, or so, of files to add. Personally, I haven't installed that stuff for years. I went looking for a program to run in it, and couldn't find one.
Maybe it can be good to discuss again what are the community favorite OS/2 applications.
Yes, do so. There will not be a lot of actual "applications" in ArcaOS, and those that are included are mostly to support the operating system. Things like Apache Open Office, for instance, will probably not be included, unless it is added as a convenience for the user to install AFTER they install ArcaOS. In fact, that is very unlikely, because it would add a lot to the size of the download. So, applications are already available, if you want them, and you will still need to get what you want, if you don't already have them.
There is most definitely a "roadblock" with printer support if you have a modern Canon inkjet printer.
It is the same old, same old. OS/2 users need to choose their printers (and other things) carefully. There is nothing that can be done about manufacturers who refuse to support their products, other than to choose something from a manufacturer that does support their product. Canon printers, that work today, will work with ArcaOS. If they don't work today, they probably won't work with ArcaOS (although CUPS may eventually catch up). Today, I have an older HP PhotoSmart D110a printer, which works well (and installs perfectly under ArcaOS, using the CUPS that is installed with ArcaOS). I used Canon printers, for a while, and my brother still has one (MP620). Before that, I used Epson printers. To be blunt about it, Canon is better than Epson, and HP is the best that I ever used. HP is also better supported with CUPS (the ONLY modern printer driver, for OS/2) than either Epson, or Canon. In fact, I may never bother with another printer. I use a LOT more ink, and paper, testing CUPS, to see if it works, than I do actually printing anything useful.