Author Topic: Adding an extra thing to the ArcaOS strategy ?  (Read 1290 times)

Martin Iturbide

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Adding an extra thing to the ArcaOS strategy ?
« on: February 09, 2026, 04:30:47 pm »
Hello

Today I feel like brainstorming, so I'm sorry, and please don't get mad if the idea is not good.

I want to talk to Lewis about adding an additional thing to the ArcaOS strategy. The idea is to start replacing (when possible) IBM OS/2 close source components (binaries, .exe) with open-source alternatives as part of their strategy.

The idea is to embrace, when possible, every little replacement for OS/2’s EXE, DLLs, and even MSG files, etc. in favor of open-source alternatives that does the same, and possible the user will not even notice the difference.  This will be following the idea of Lynn Maxson (ex SCOUG OS/2 member) trying to get each component replaced little by little instead of big changes in architecture.

Yes, Arca Noae are already doing it, they replaced view.exe with newview for exampre, but it is not part of their strategy. The idea will be that if someone comes with a replacement of “bldlevel.exe”, Arca Noae can took the time to evaluate the technical and legal aspects, and if it is approved to be included in ArcaOS.

"Don't fix what it is not broken". The advice is good, but we are still having the dependency on close source that can not be improved. They idea will be to have fully tested replacements so the user doesn’t notice the change, or even get new features.

I think that as a community we can provide suggestions of what to replace, testing of the software and even creating documentation. While some other with higher technical level can even create the little replacements.
 
Please notice that the idea is to add this extra thing to the Arca Noa strategy, I don’t mean it is the only thing to do, it is just to add something else to what they are already doing. 

What do you think? Should we try it?

Regards

Martin Iturbide
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David Kiley

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Re: Adding an extra thing to the ArcaOS strategy ?
« Reply #1 on: March 15, 2026, 11:50:43 am »
ArcaOS could embrace the apple strategy when they created OS/X of using an open source base system (in their case Darwin) with thier own commercial propriety system on top of it (keeping the OS/2 UI for example like the workplace shell/WPS). And, they had created the "classic" mode to allow old os 9 apps to still work.
Would require them embracing a totally new direction though.

Sounds kind of complicated to just replace single parts with open source technology - so at some point it makes more sense to fundamentally change the rules of the game like Apple did I think.
I mean, I know it takes less resources to just keep going with what they have.
But at the same time, at some point it makes more sense to jump onto a whole new ship if the old barge is starting to rust and getting holes and taking on water, as much as I love the 90s OS/2 :).

If ArcaOS embraced a base system like Darwin or some of unix, programming a browser would be simple.
I know a lot of users woud prefer ReactOS or something Dos based since it's closer to the Os/2 Core. Yet ReacOS has struggled themselves for a decade to get beyond beta and don't have a functional browser themselves.
So it might be time to embrace reality and create something new based on what is, if ArcaOS has the guts to do so.

I mean, do I need yet another version of os/2 warp that works on a 2026 motherboard? Not at all.
Do I need a functional browser? Yes.
They are already spending a ton of resources but just in the wrong direction.

I think it's time to relegate the old IBM license to a virtualized session inside a totally new OS, while keeping WPS on top of it, which is where the user has always spent 99% of their time anyways.
My 2 cents.
« Last Edit: March 16, 2026, 01:18:45 am by David Kiley »