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Messages - Fahrvenugen

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61
Lewis,

I seem to recall that one of Serenity System's early products was a product that could easily push configurations and applications from a central server out to multiple workstations.  Unfortunately i can't recall the name of that product, but I do seem to recall it worked fairly well.  Any idea what happened to that software (and did you happen to get the rights to it as a part of this announcement)? 

Just curious.


62
Applications / Re: No word from Mensys/XEU - Alternatives?
« on: January 13, 2015, 04:54:18 am »
The evidence was wrong. JFS 0.0.1 included the reference source which is full of OS2isms (actually it looks like plain old OS/2 code that should compile with Visual Age ), things like jfs_os2.h and randomly looking, in fs/jfs/ref/jfs_ea.c code like
Code: [Select]
#define INCL_DOSERRORS
#define INCL_NOPMAPI
#define INCL_DOSPROCESS

#define _cdecl __cdecl

#include <os2.h>

I found the source at http://ftp.cc.uoc.gr/system/jfs-0.0.1.tar.gz
I also have a vague memory about the LVM code also being open sourced but have never seen it.

Okay, I am corrected, it is entirely possible that I am incorrect about the part of them removing OS/2 code.  However it was entered into evidence that it was the OS/2 version of JFS that was open-sourced for Linux.  There was no evidence presented to contradict this (and SCO was looking for such evidence).  I admit that I have not looked at the GPL'd JFS code, but based on the above, it does appear that this was in fact the OS/2 version that was ported to Linux.

Anyways, within the realm of this discussion, JFS is one of those components of OS/2 which has been open sourced and thus could be used within any OS it gets ported to.

63
Applications / Re: No word from Mensys/XEU - Alternatives?
« on: January 12, 2015, 09:01:23 pm »
I just updated JFS, the license is definitely not open source and instead looks like a standard closed source license. If people and/or companies are taking GPL source and closing it to sell then it reflects really badly on the community. I was always under the impression that the updating work was done with the OS/2 branch of JFS rather then the Linux branch.
Unluckily with the GPL, it is an all or nothing thing.

Hi,

Actually what came out in evidence at the SCO versus IBM trial is that the open source / GPL version of JFS which IBM released was the OS/2 version from WSeB minus the OS/2 stuff. (for those who didn't follow the SCO vs IBM trial, at one point SCO tried to claim that IBM had improperly open sourced the AIX JFS code, to which IBM was able to prove that it used its own code developed for WSeB)

http://www.groklaw.net/articlebasic.php?story=20090406235022736




64
Applications / Re: No word from Mensys/XEU - Alternatives?
« on: January 11, 2015, 08:31:36 pm »
But I still think that we should have another alternative.

Plan B: Create an community OS/2 distro that requires original OS/2 ISO (or even from eCS) and license to be build.


Forgive me if I am misunderstanding, but isn't that what UpdCD currently does?  I can take an IBM ISO for Warp 3, Warp 4, or eCS and run it through UpdCD - which will add in newer device drivers, fixpaks, community-built device drivers, additional software (both GPL and non-GPL but still freely available), and end up with an updated ISO that I can install containing the latest IBM provided code for that particular release plus the various community-based additions/updates that I chose to add.

I'm not sure how that differs from what you're suggesting.

Thanks

65
Applications / Re: No word from Mensys/XEU - Alternatives?
« on: January 10, 2015, 10:16:04 pm »
As I remember, Microsoft was getting a cut for Winos2 before Warp V4 which is why there were red and blue box versions of OS/2 with different price points (redbox V3 was being sold at the drugstore for $50CDN at one point) and didn't have to pay royalties on Warp V4 and newer. They also got paid for HPFS386 which was part of the reason for JFS.

Yup!  One of the Warp 3 (red) boxes that I have on the shelf still has the original price stickers on it - $49.95.  I actually found that copy in a bargin-bin in the end of 1996 when it was marked down to $14.99 not long after Warp 4 was released (seems the store wanted to purge the old product).  I'd mainly bought it to have an additional spare OS/2 license for V3.

Interestingly enough - a year later I set up a Warp 3 box for a customized task that just needed to work, and for that box I used that red-box license that I bought for $14.99.  Although all the hardware with the exception of the case has been replaced (new motherboard, hard drive, sound card, memory, power supply, etc), there is still a system running that same task on V3 with that same license.

As far as the abandonware discussion goes, I do not consider OS/2 to be abandonware, and I find there are a lot of difficulties and assumptions with the wikipedia definition.  I've got some industry-specific code that I wrote years ago and have not done updates for in years.  It still works and does exactly what it was designed to do.  I admit that I don't actively enforce copyright on it, however I continue to hold copyright on all my code.  Just because I have not done anything with my code in years does not mean I consider it to be abandoned - if someone came to me with additional requirements and a proposal that made sense to me, I'd consider the possibility of a change / update.




66
Applications / Re: No word from Mensys/XEU - Alternatives?
« on: January 08, 2015, 01:45:15 am »
Ivan,

Warp 4 with FP 6 is even older.  The latest public fixpak for Warp 4 is FP15 and DDPak 2 (Device Driver fixpak).  There were additional FP's released for Warp 4 for those with  a SWC or other type of paid subscription.

Warp 4 + FP15 + DDPak 2 brings you up to Warp 4.50 (legally), but the non-CP version (the CP version was the SWC version / update, which essentially was a client version of WSeB - the base OS without the extra "server" stuff)

The big changes with the CP version of Warp 4 (what we know as 4.52) is the addition of LVM and JFS.  There were a number of other things (bug fixes, device driver updates, updated installer so it wouldn't crap out on AMD and then Intel 64-bit processors, etc).  It also came with the full 32 bit TCP/IP stack (although that can be added to Warp 4).

As for eCS, the big updates are a new installer, device drivers to make installation easier, with version 2 - bootable JFS, and additonal software to make the overall experience an easier one.

As far as I am aware, Mensys does not have direct access to OS/2 source code, other then code which IBM has themselves made available (such as code in the Device Driver  / Development Tools, etc).  Some code IBM has released to open source (JFS for example).  As a result bugs which require direct access to OS/2 source code to fix still go unfixed.  However things which can be fixed by hooking into existing code or replacing existing code with alternate code (such as device drivers, the work that has been done to get ACPI working, etc) - that's seen attention.


67
Applications / Re: No word from Mensys/XEU - Alternatives?
« on: January 07, 2015, 04:44:53 pm »
Hi,

I'd just point out, in addition to the fact that Lewis has already stated that Arca Noae isn't looking to do a full client - is that right now the only way to (easily) get V4.52 is via eCS or to have an IBM license already to which you paid IBM for (or to negotiate directly with IBM).  It isn't something you're able to find copies of on the used market.

Unlike V4 (which was released in a box / shrink-wrap version), IBM only released V4.52 as a part of Software Choice (and I believe also for a while it was in the Developer and educational software collections), for those who had paid IBM for a SWC subscription.  From what I recall (and someone feel free to correct me if I am incorrect) the SWC subscriptions were not transferable.  I think (and again, I'm going from memory here - it was a long time ago) the version of 4.52 which is part of eCS - technically is a different IBM part number then the SWC version  - even though the code is identical.  The part number licensed to Serenity / Mensys came with a licensing setup allowing for eCS to be developed / distributed by Serenity / Mensys.

As a result, my understanding is that it is okay to sell a boxed V4 copy used (ebay or where ever), just as I believe it is okay to sell a used copy of eCS (I could be incorrect on this part).  However I don't believe it is legal to sell a "used" copy of IBM OS/2 V4.52 due to the way SWC was set up / licensed.


68
Hardware / Re: Compaq Armada 1750 [Laptop]
« on: October 30, 2014, 07:29:30 am »
I just pulled out my Armada.  I've got the 7400 model, maxed out with memory (256 MB)  and a P2  - 366, 14" screen and DVD rom, looks like I found a 20 GB hard disk for it too.

I recall initially I ran it with Warp 3 for years, but I see that I now have Warp 4 on it and (yes) amouse.

Sound card is one of the onboard ESS-chipset cards which worked with the Uniaud driver.  This unit has no Ethernet card - but I managed to get the PCMCIA slot working with a PCMCIA Linksys ethernet card.  It also has one of those onboard Lucent-chipset based winmodems, I never did get that working under OS/2 (although it does show up working on my Win98 partition that I have on this thing... Dialup anyone?)

For Video, I've got SNAP running on this, but I seem to recall that Compaq actually provided an OS/2 video driver for this which I ran under Warp 3. 


69
Hardware / Re: Compaq Armada 1750 [Laptop]
« on: October 29, 2014, 11:26:58 pm »
Hi,

I've actually got an old compaq Armada - it isn't the same model, but from the same time frame.

Mine only had the trackpoint / pointer option (no touch pad), but I found the trackpoint was flaky under the OS/2 mouse driver.  I found that the amouse driver worked well though.

Not sure where amouse lives these days, it used to be on Hobbes but I'm not finding it there right now.  Maybe if you google for it you'll find it.


70
Applications / Re: About eComStation Pricing
« on: October 10, 2014, 01:14:14 am »
> eCS Home/Student gives you the right to be installed on 5 PCs

it's wrong

* 1 license = 1 computer

* if you need 1, 2, 3 or 4 eCS licenses  then you should buy Home/Student.

* if you need >= 5, .. 10, 20, .. licenses then you should buy Business

Hi,

As I seem to recall the above is *almost* correct.

The last version of the eCS license that I actually took the time to read through, the license gives you the right to install it on 2 computers - 1 desktop and 1 laptop - as long as the laptop and desktop are not both in use at the same time.

Of course that may have changed with more recent versions of the license.


71
Applications / Re: Regina REXX vs. OS/2 REXX
« on: October 01, 2014, 03:05:12 am »
I do lots of stuff in classic REXX.  Admittedly on OS/2 I use the built-in REXX support, it just plain works.

I've used Regina quite a bit on both Linux and Windows.  I've found that in general all the REXX stuff that I've developed on OS/2 works fine on Regina in either Linux or Windows (sometimes with very minor modifications).  The only things which don't work are times when I've tied into some specific part of OS/2 or if I've done a quick hard-code of a drive folder / path into the code itself (I generally try and avoid this, but sometimes just to quickly get something up and running to test a concept out I'll do this).  I admit I'm not doing anything hugely complex, usually the projects I put together are either things that I just need to be done for some particular purpose and / or the "commercial software" which will do the same thing costs lots of money.  Sure, I could do any of the same projects in something like Python or PHP, but I've found that I can usually achieve the same end result a lot quicker in REXX.

What I like about REXX is that while it may not be considered the most modern language, for many projects I find it to be one of the quickest languages (at least for me) to go from a concept or idea to having actual working proof of concept code.  And then it is equally quick to take that code, finish development of the project, easily debug, put into production, and run the same code unmodified on multiple platforms (Linux and / or Windows) - even if it was developed on OS/2.

The one thing that I have found - when I talk to other people in the IT world that I know, I'm one of the only ones who knows much of anything about REXX - regardless of whether it is Classic or Object REXX.  I know lots of developers who will turn to Python or PHP to do do things that I would normally do in REXX. 

Keep in mind that one of the original design goals for REXX was to be a  common language that could be used across the varying range of incompatible models of mainframe computers that IBM had on the market.  That design goal led to REXX code being extremely portable while being able to handle both simple and more complex tasks.

As for something like Python - I have no problem with having Python on OS/2, however I'd point out that Python is ported to OS/2.  There's a couple of older versions on Hobbes. Paul Smedley has also ported Python (along with his port of PHP) available on his site too.

Regina on OS/2 - I admit I've never actually tried it.  When I'm working on OS/2 I just use the built-in REXX support. 

72
Setup & Installation / Re: Finished setting up Warp 4?
« on: July 25, 2014, 06:52:31 am »
If you're running Warp 4 with FP15, add in the SMP kernel and loader, SMP doscall and the PSD driver it should be possible to get SMP running on a Warp 4 system... But...

The PSD driver talked about in the link is using the older SMP setup where you have multiple physical CPU's in the system (I had an old Proliant 1600r with dual P3's and wseb smp - the thing could run circles around the 'latest and greatest' p-4 stuff that came out just a few years later!).  I've mostly seen this on servers.  Most of the new systems (the multi-core CPU systems, etc) are using ACPI.  For that you'll need the newer ACPI driver developed for eCS (and the only way to legally get it is a license for eCS). 

As for issues with items such as SNAP and TCP/IP, from what I understand the newest version of SNAP had sorted out the SMP issues.  TCP/IP issues are solved if you install the TCP/IP fixpak, the 32 bit MPTS update and the newstack.zip update from Hobbes. 


73
Setup & Installation / Re: Finished setting up Warp 4?
« on: July 21, 2014, 04:10:14 am »
Hi,

The last public FP available for Warp 4 (without a SWC subscription to bring you up to 4.52) is FP15.  I think there was a FP16 and 17 for folks who had paid support.

There is a public device driver fixpak 2 that can be installed (they'd separated the drivers out by the time of FP15), but honestly - if it is working then you probably don't need it.  If you do want it, you can get it here:

ftp://service.boulder.ibm.com/ps/products/os2/fixes/ddpak/xr_d002/

For those with paid support there is also a Device Driver FP3.

The newstack.zip file mentioned will fix some TCP/IP bugs / crashes which could happen with mpts 08621.  It makes the TCP/IP networking more stable, but if you're not experiencing any crashes then you might not want to bother installing it.  To find out what TCP/IP stack you're running, type:

inetver

and it'll tell you.  I can't recall what newstack.zip brings it up to off the top of my head and right now I'm not at my Warp4 machine. 

If you're running Peer, there is a Peer fixpak at:

ftp://service.boulder.ibm.com/ps/products/lan/fixes/ibm.peer/english-us/ip08414/

Of course there are the other standard "must haves" for OS/2 that I put on just about every install, items including:

-DANIS506.ADD driver (get rid of the ibm1s506.add driver)
-EMX Runtime
-info-zip and unzip
-The various libc / gcc runtimes (for running the later builds of Firefox)
-Warpin
-re-activate the launchpad
-Watchcat (along with the following)
  -xf86sup.sys (from xfree os/2 - allows the death process killer for watchcat to work)
  -death9.zip (there are times when a process hangs that only this can kill it)
-Dossleep  (I can't tell you how many times this has come in handy in CMD files)
-Uniaud (although I don't  know if this would have any use on Virtualbox)
-Various USB drivers (but you've mentioned you don't really care about USB)
-Fat32 ifs driver (useful for all those flash drives formatted with fat32, but if you don't care about USB, then this may be pointless too)

Back in the day I used to also install the win32s 1.25a windows 3.1 update and the Windows media player / multimedia update add-on, but now days not so much.


74
Setup & Installation / Re: driver trouble with Warp 3
« on: May 19, 2014, 05:22:32 am »
Just to toss in $0.02, for me it all depends on what I want to run.  I do keep some copies of Warp 3 around, I also have Warp 4 and eCS.

If I'm looking to run the more up to date stuff that is available for OS/2 then no doubt I'll use my eCS desktop.

However for some stuff, I find that Warp 3 does quite well. 

As an example, I have a machine set up as a print / file / web / ftp / MySQL / time / plus a few other things server.  All of that stuff runs fine under Warp 3, the computer I have it running on runs fine on Warp 3, and since I  have  6 Warp 3 licenses kicking around I didn't really see a need to purchase an eCS license for that computer.

Another Warp 3 box I have running is mainly being used for its DOS support.  Its got a custom hardware card in it which came out around 15 or so years ago and only has DOS software to make it work (its actually at a radio station I do support for).  Originally the software was never written to be TCP/IP aware (although it will take commands via a serial port) I found that by using the DOS support in OS/2 and writing a few REXX scripts,  I can control the system over the internet.  While I'm sure I could make it work on Warp 4 or eCS, it runs just as well on Warp 3's dos support.  Note that I probably could have achieved the same result under Linux, although it likely would have taken a little more work and troubleshooting to get working.

I've also got an older Compaq laptop (a P2, about 15 years old) that I've used as a demo of what it was like using laptops / computers 15 years ago.  Its got Warp 3 and Win98 on a dual-boot (boot manager!) basis.

Even though it is old, Warp 3 can still have a place.  Although I agree that some of the memory limitations it has do limit what newer apps can be made to run on it.

And just for full disclosure, I also use Linux and Windows (XP and 7) on a regular basis.




75
Setup & Installation / Re: driver trouble with Warp 3
« on: May 08, 2014, 02:27:50 am »
Hi,

It is true that Warp 3 (stock) doesn't normally see memory over 512MB, although you can run it on a machine with more memory, it just won't see the extra memory.

Although, I do have 1 Warp 3 machine which I must have applied some type of hack to, it is seeing 768MB Ram (it has a 512MB and a 256MB memory sticks in it).  I can't recall what the hack I did to it was, I'll have to see if I can find it one of these days.

Of course if you want to go for a really retro browser, you can always install the last released version of WebEX (IBM's browser) at:

ftp://service.boulder.ibm.com/ps/products/webexplorer/webxv11h/

It won't be much use on current websites, but interesting to see what the tools were like circa 1994

A lot of the older OS/2 apps do run on Warp 3.  The ones with difficulty are the more recent ports which use API's from Warp 4 (or eCS), or the KEE stuff in the newer kernel.


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