Namely, this is the "Drivers Package"...and for OS/2 users like myself who did not wish to pursue the eCS move but wanted to update the OS to handle the newer hardware this was badly needed. Never understood why the folks behind eCS didn't seriously consider that option, even when inquiries were being sent it regarding it.
Arca Noae, great job you guys...keep up the effort!!!
Thanks, Dariusz!
It has been a truly busy week, and the response to our store opening has been outstanding.
Indeed, our current approach is quite different from releasing an entirely new installable OS. Let's face it, OS/2 is a fairly mature, yet extensible, operating platform. By updating some of the core functionality, it is possible to keep even older installations usable on newer hardware.
Apparently there was nothing added as yet, compared to the Mensys Software Subscription. This release has nothing to do with migration. It's an option to provide experienced users with installable updates. That's surely not for the end user.
Mensys and co-programmers tried a real migration, which bases on the original IBM installation. That's a quite different approach, which can't be compared with the Arca Noae packages. In details you'll find that even the Mensys distributions contain separately installable packages. Most of them are placed in DVD:\CID\SERVER\ECSPKG.
Andreas, I'm not quite sure I follow your point.
Our software subscription is not just for experienced users. In the very near future, our YUM GUI will be available, taking the pain out of package management for even the average user. That's surely better than directing someone to the \CID\SERVER\ECSPKG directory on the CD or DVD and having him or her unzip and manually apply those packages which are not bundled as WPIs.
In addition, our package (as of right now) provides a newer (citing just one example) ACPI than eCS 2.2 beta II, and this package is not available from Mensys or XEU. In short, the Arca Noae offering is separate and apart from Mensys/XEU's software subscription service.
I think it is a good start. But let's see how things move, of course it needs to keep moving.
Well, Martin, things are progressing for us at a good pace. We anticipate offering our updated USB driver package shortly, as well as the YUM GUI. We will also be repackaging some of Paul Smedley's ports for distribution as RPM packages (easily installable from the YUM GUI), and hope soon to also have some of KO Myung-Hun's ports packaged and distributed the same way.
Exactly, this is the problem now, they need an agreement. Surely most of eCS users will not pay for a double subscription, old OS/2 users instead will pay.
This is the situation now:
OS/2 Warp users: Very happy..the final solution now is here..
eCS users: Now we need to buy a piece here and one somewhere else 
...comforting...
Barbara, I understand your concern. eCS users need not buy both subscriptions, though they surely may do so (we do not provide direct defect support for OS/2 or eCS in our subscription, only for the components we provide).
Our subscription service further differs from Mensys/XEU. It applies across operating system versions (OS/2 Warp 4.52, eCS 1.x, eCS 2.x) and where components cross over and are available in Mensys/XEU's product, currently, our components are either at the same level or newer (and our goal is to continue updates). We also include access to components from our other strategic partners, like bww bitwise works GmbH.
We think our subscription offers a good value and can even be used to complement an existing Mensys software subscription, so there's no "either/or" choice to be made.
Finally, we are committed to investing as much of our revenue stream as possible back into further development. As much as we are OS/2-focused, we are community-focused.
Cheers, and thanks everyone for your support, good wishes, and your business!