A good example for recent published software related to OS/2 that is for me as an end user "free of charge" is the QSLoader. Even if it is not "open sourced" it is software highly appriciated.
The same goes with the Webcam/Stylus/Touch Software and Drivers from Wim Brul, the USB Drivers from Lars Erdmann, the latest and then free release of Emperoar TV and so on.
Xworkplace is well known developed be Ullrich Möller. It is under GPL so far. If Serenity did pay something or not is not important (As fas as I know Ullrich Möller did get no money for this - but the only reliable answer could come from himself) - it is open sourced.
In my opinion:
- Open source clones of OS/2 parts is a good idea, may be the only long shot strategy for OS/2 - but it seems to me a mountain to high to climb. It would need reverse engineering - and the well known problems to WPS Programming
- More realisitc allways seemd to me to be a way to clone the WPS on top of a Linux system, a "OS/2 distribution" - I would guess this would need less work than reprogramming OS/2 but one would get rid of the most driver problems and concentrate on fewer tasks
- ecs.ru want to attract new users what is obvious impossible, other than those having 6 or 7 years old Laptops. And even if it runs on modern hardware - as it works on some - there is not that bunch of application that is needed. I.e. no "Skype" or something like this, no possibility to sync with Phones, Onlinebanking and so on and so on. Sadly it goes the other way round - only a few users are still using OS/2, and even fewer are using it as their daily working system. There is no "new market" for OS/2, it is a fortune that some industrial clients are still there. The most important "SHOWSTOPPER" is the price: as it is not opensource like Linux and because of the licening model it need to cost something. And this is to much. I need just to take a look at my three son:
- today - besides the industry maybe - most or the "usual" customers are not interested in what kind of operating system runs their hardware - it just has to run and has to be as invisible as possible. The applications are more important. If the application is not availiable for this Operating System (something Windows Mobile/Windows Phone has to learn for years now) it can be lightyears better than any other - but the users still switch to the other (Apple, Android - vise versa). And for sure my son would not pay money for an operating system - even if it would make sense in case of stability and so on - when they can get everything for free (even if the pay for it with the Hardware or phone). A good example is STEAM - that is being ported to Linux in the last years.
- the best what could have happen to the OS/2 community was (the best before was switching APCI and so on away from ecs.ru to D. Azariewicz etc. in 2010) the upcoming of Lewis Rosenthals new company working together with bitwise and the developers. That gives me the hope and impression that my OS/2 systems may survive for another five years or so.
Meanwhile I try to build my on DVD - with QSLoader, OS/4 kernel and some more stuff. I will give ACPI from eCS a shot with this combination as well (as well as the one from OS/4), just to see what will happen. It is based on Warp 4.52 and will not contain any eco runtimes or dlls.
I am looking forward to our user meeting in Cologne to discuss with other users in a gentle, realistic and calm way.
So - I stay cool and see in wich way the new companies will surprise me
I am wondering how long one can ride the dead horse...