Hi Rick,
...I had some difficulty installing Visual Age C++ because I had to reboot after various stages. I haven't done that in an OS for a while and it threw me for a loop. :-)
Once I got it installed I was stunned. Visual Age C++ is amazing considering its age...
Which version of VAC did you install?
I am asking b/c I have the fully blown 4.0 here (with various fixpacks) and as you said, even though the product is aged now it is still extremely impressive. Considering that it was always resource hungry, now with the faster machines and better hardware capability it really zips along quite nice.
Part of that install, in my case, was the option to select the standard C/C++, which I did, thus installing the 3.6.5 release (or maybe it was a separate install altogether??? lol, it's been a while...).
What I have always wondered about is the choice between the two? Which one is best suited for what types of apps?
It was Visual Age for C++ Version 4.0. I had not had anything previously installed on this machine. It was a brand new Arca OS installation, and I was going through the install.exe on the CD image I created.
What was confusing me was I had to reboot after a few stages. I also wonder whether Navigator 4.0 was required since I have newer programs that could support HTML frames.
I am flatly amazed by Visual Age 4. And I must say, I am also continually impressed by every piece of software I come across by IBM. I worked at Toyota for three years and when I was given my orientation I was asking them why they used IBM's DB2? They said it was simple, they deal with 1000s of transactions per second on their manufacturing lines, and they setup the database and did a test. They had DB2, SQL Server, and several others. While it was in the middle of the simulation testing environment, the technicians went behind the machines and pulled out the power cord. They then booted up to see how much damage there was. The test software had been written to log which writes were identified as "successful" on the server, as was given by a valid return code to the issuing machine used in the test.
IBM's DB2 was the only one that came back up with a 100% retention of data, such that everything that was deemed to be written successful from the application's point of view, was actually in the database with a valid timestamp, etc.
They have used IBM DB2 since that time, and have never had a single problem. In fact, when I was there, it was the most tolerant part of our entire networking infrastructure.
I give full props and credit to IBM. Everything I've ever used from them has been grade A++. From my 1984 IBM PCjr (I got one after the chiclet keyboard, so my experience was a more normal keyboard), to IBM Writing Assistant that came in cartridge form with that computer, through every other piece of software I've used through Warp 4 back in the mid-90s. And I should add that I mean that in the sense that here in 2017 still looking at the capabilities of that software, its design, etc ... still amazing.
It's an amazing legacy for a company. And I only wish IBM would've continued development on OS/2 and its follow-ons. We would all be using either OS/2 today (or some derivative), or we would've all had a much better, much more capable Windows.
In either case, IBM's contribution to our general software world was cut off too soon. They should've persisted and shown the world what a company bent on doing things correctly in design and implementation was capable of. They would've notably changed the world and our 2000s would be different because of it.
Thank you,
Rick C. Hodgin