OS/2, eCS & ArcaOS - Technical > Games
Tetris-like game
Doug Bissett:
--- Quote ---For ES/2 I plan to write a replacement PM. It should compile and work with OS/2 with minimal changes. I will be writing several drivers and many of those will likely be portable to OS/2 as well. I think there will be at least 70% of what I write for ES/2 that can be ported to OS/2 with little effort ...
--- End quote ---
ES/2, and drivers, don't exist, until it can be demonstrated that they actually work (even if not perfectly). Meanwhile, we struggle just to keep what we already have, working. It is rumored that USB 3 is close to existing, followed closely by WiFi support, but they don't exist, yet. We needed USB 3, 5 years ago, and we needed WiFi support, 15 years ago. Users are often forced to leave OS/2 because of things like that. Once they are gone, it can be a real struggle to get them back, even when the initial problem has been rectified. We need updated drivers now. Of course, we also need a new kernel now. Many of us can't see OS/2 surviving long enough for you to create a new kernel. A replacement PM is probably one of the last things that we need right now. PM is one of the most stable parts of OS/2, but I can see that you would want a new one, to work with a new kernel.
--- Quote ---but I am hoping people will see value in ES/2 since it's open source, and move over porting their OS/2 apps to ES/2 with minimal changes.
--- End quote ---
Well, there you have a BIG problem. A lot of OS/2 software is obsolete, closed source, and just plain not available to be modified. It will either work, as it is, or it won't. There will be no "minimal changes" to a lot of it. If somebody needs to switch to a new spreadsheet (for instance), they might as well switch to an established operating system (Linux), rather than spend time sorting out problems with a new one (ES/2). It isn't an easy thing, and you are the "new kid on the block". It would probably be easier if you gradually introduced new things, that already work in OS/2, then, eventually, offer a new kernel. to enhance what already exists.
Just my POV.
Martin Iturbide:
Hi Doug
Again in the philosophical discussion, I disagree:
--- Quote from: Doug Bissett on January 18, 2019, 10:42:44 pm ---A replacement PM is probably one of the last things that we need right now. PM is one of the most stable parts of OS/2, but I can see that you would want a new one, to work with a new kernel.
--- End quote ---
If someone does not start creating a kernel or a PM replacement today, in 15 years you (metaphorically speaking) are going to complain that we need and a replacement for those components and that we are very late (just like you refer to the wifi drivers).
Also, software gets improved with time, so the first version of a kernel or PM replacement will necessary suck very bad, until with time get polished by one or several developers (and it will be better if it is open source). So it is important to have developers starting now on that area. I'm not willing to say a developer that wants to create a replacement kernel that is better to develop a driver. Kernel and PM replacement are long term projects, drivers are short term and will became useless on the next hardware update wave.
Anyways, the developer is always free to develop whatever he/she wants, specially if he is doing that as a part of a community and free of charge.
On the other hand, I also share the idea that we need to see accomplishment, beta versions, or at least something more than just good intentions, otherwise is just vaporware.
Regards
Dave Yeo:
The problem is so many OS/2 apps aren't open source and most of those that are, are ports to begin with.
RickCHodgin:
--- Quote from: Dave Yeo on January 19, 2019, 01:01:14 am ---The problem is so many OS/2 apps aren't open source and most of those that are, are ports to begin with.
--- End quote ---
We can rewrite them all. It just takes teamwork.
André Heldoorn:
--- Quote from: Doug Bissett on January 18, 2019, 08:03:07 pm ---They seem to be losing the race
--- End quote ---
Of course they are losing the racing, because the reduced number of available OS languages already has reduced the number of users significantly. Small communities tend to "move on", while leaving most of the community behind. Sometimes with weird excuses, like the frequently used "most of us are using xWorkplace" or targetted non-OS/2 CPUs while claiming to write OS/2 software.
No need to explain why eCS 2.x DE may account for Silvian and eCS 2.x EN for Dave (and a few countries where well over 95% of the people calim to speak English), but there is that language-related link.
A neutral case may still be Object Rexx. We could still be the largest installed base, but were left behind because the happy few wanted to "move on" (and accepted a matching offer).
It's just a conclusion. Translating ArcaOS 7 to e.g. Finnish, Italian and Japanese won't restore the size of the community, and may stretch available resources beyond limits. I could have left the community too, if I wouldn't have bought more than enough old machines about 10-15 years ago. Albeit leaving isn't really an option, due to the software in use and as long as browsing is reasonably possible.
There may be a few strategic errors too, like trying to support more hardware than required. It was hard to keep up with *.*, and it will become even harder to try to keep up with *.*. We may reach the end before 64 bits would kill us.
Back on-topic: the development of games can be used to learning something step-by-step, but I'm not sure how classic 32-bit Windows games will efficiently contribute to climbing a steep 16-bit Win-OS/2 and 64-bit OS/2 learning curve.
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