What OS/2 applications do exist where you would not find an equivalent under Linux (or Windows)?
And more importantly: what developer would bother with OS/2 development tools?
I got the feeling this is the main question and the main topic keeping the OS/2 architecture alive in the community (apart from the big commercial customers, which have economic interests in keeping their OS/2 installed base up-to-date).
It's the user experience.
I for myself have used OSes starting from the ZX Spectrum, saw and played with the first Mac and Amiga 1000, I still have three Spectrum(s) and a Sinclair QL, a Commodore 64, a 128 and an Amiga, I use Windows on a daily basis starting from Win 3.1, used Linux and still use Linux on the PC placed under the family TV, installed many unix flavors and window managers from fwm to KDE, GNOME, Ubuntu-based, Free BSD, Slackware, OpenSuSE, I even tried Sun Solaris 10 (still have three install DVDs for it).
I always find myself more comfortable with OS/2 GUI and overall with its system, even though I often get annoyed by its shortcomings.
Just an example: our CMD shell is lacking many features, like file and directory completion, a good command history, a complete 32 bit environment (it's still 16 bit IIRC), but nonetheless I feel pretty much at home into it.
So yes, I know I'll somehow keep at least an OS/2 machine at home, virtualized or on a bare metal machine. This, and the big investment I made in all these years, are my reasons.
I can tell you from my own experience that this becomes an increasing problem. One version of Watcom being incompatible with the next and unfortunately picking the "official" version does not help because it is the one that is buggy.
And this is a typical user community problem. We are shrinking, there's no doubt about it... Sadly I don't have real answers here.
Mentore