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Messages - danielnez1

#1
I would like to see osFree take off as it does appear to me to have the most potential, plus their intention to try to use Linux drivers would help delegate the need to support the huge variety of devices to a certain degree.

Other "clone" projects like ReactOS and Haiku have come a long way but have taken years to develop to the stage they are now and likewise starting a OS/2 clone from the ground up wold be the most time consuming and resource intensive option.
#2
Would something like dbus be a staring point for a open source version of SOM?
#3
Please correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the OS/4 kernel based off leaked OS/2 source code from IBM? If so then no company would quite rightly touch it with a bargepole. I'm sure IBM would set their Nazguls on them in a heartbeat.
#4
Licensees can be easily open to interpretation. I've been involved in an Academic and produced some software for it, getting the copyright and IP issues clarified has been a nightmare and the current draft licence has been drawn up between two solicitors, the University legal team and ourselves and it's still a long way off being finalised.

One possibility could be to disassemble the OS/2 binaries (which is legal in the EU) but the resulting code would probably need a huge clean up.
#5
Hello,

It's fine to be negative ;)

Licensing the source to property components does happen with some software (i.e. Windows and RISC OS spring to mind) but as you have pointed out it would have to be in IBM's interest in doing it. If the price was right I'm sure something could be done, but the question would be if the (likely huge) cost would be feasible and worthwhile for a 3rd party to pay for.

I'd love to see osFree reach a state where it was ready to carry the platform forward, but if ReactOS is anything to go by, it will be a very long process.
#6
Some interesting points. Regarding Java, I think that it is falling out of favor in the web applet market, despite some shortcomings I think its a nice language and is certainly an asset for the platform.

An important factor these days is the web and the dreaded "cloud" services/apps. In that respect, eCS seems well covered with Firefox.

I know IBM have shot down the possibility of open sourcing various OS/2 components, but has there ever been discussion of licensing the source code to companies like Mensys? Did Stardock attempt something similar?
#7
Hi Martín,

Thank you for the information. Hopefully there will be network drivers at some point, I can live without bluetooth and the webcam.

Cheers,

Dan
#8
Hello,

My Compaq CQ57 sadly gave up the ghost  :-[ (I accidently dropped causing damage to the screen) so I'm on the market for something a little bit more durable and ultimately more compatible with eCS.

I quite like the look of the new Lenovo ThinkPad X131e. It shares the same WiFi chipset (it has a Centrino Wireless N 2230) as the other recent ThinkPad models so hopefully if/when WiFi gets sorted out it will work. Crucially, the BIOS lets users USB 3.0 ports act as USB 2.0 ports as well.

I would like to have 8GB of RAM mainly for the benefit of Linux but I was wondering if this would cause any issues with eCS?

Less importantly, I know that eCS can use up to 4GB only but is there any long-term plan to support PAE?

Cheers,

Dan
#9
Quote from: miturbide on 2012.08.15, 00:10:29
The OS/2 distinctive technology is the WPS constructed over SOM

I like the the idea of the Voyager project, but it's a shame it never seemed to really take off. However I would argue that there is more to the OS/2 user experience than just WPS and SOM, it also includes things like backwards computability and little things like drive letters etc.

I agree with your earlier point about Linux, while its "Good Enough" for a lot of things, I personally find its directory structure and general OS paradigm a mess. While OS X is BSD based, it gives generally good level of abstraction to "shield" the end user from what lies beneath.
#10
Thanks Rob, I knew a little bit about Workplace OS but it's fascinating to hear a bit of the back storey.

I guess the IP was the killer issue, unless IBM were to get something out of it (i.e. more clients etc.), I guess the work required in porting and any auditing required wouldn't be worth it.

That aside, the lack of a client OS does appear to be a gaping hole in their product lineup.

Cheers,

Dan
#11
One more thing, around 2010 there were a few rumours about IBM producing a Linux distro with OS/2 services running on top of it. The rumour seemed to fade after that, but was there any truth to it, or was it just wild speculation?
#12
^^ In a way OS/2 was (and still is) indirectly through Windows NT  ;D

Having tried to install eCS on my new-ish Compaq and reading other people's experiences, it's clear the platform has some major hurdles to overcome, i.e: USB 3.0, WiFi etc. The OS/2 community and companies have done some amazing things with the platform and continue to do so, it does appear to be increasingly difficult to keep up to speed with the latest hardware.
#13
I've posted a ticket.

Dan

Update: dazarewicz pointed out that Hyperthreading was enabled, but there is no option to disable it in the laptops' BIOS
#14
The current version locks up my Compaq Presario CQ57 almost immediately  :-[
#15
It's nice to see new developments for the platform (i.e. ACPI). Once that matures enough and we see some more drivers I'll probably use eCS as my main OS on my new Compaq Presairo CQ57 i3 (WiFi and sound don't currently work with eCS 2.1).

In terms of Linux, that has made some great strides over the past couple of years (bar GNOME 3 and Unity) however there are some aspects that frustrate me, such as the contemporary UNIX system structure and the fact you still need to use the Terminal for some basic tasks. Of course Linux has perhaps found its true home on smartphones/tablets and servers rather then the conventional desktops.

While OS/2 and eCS have their quirks (particularly some aspects of the Workplace shell) IMHO it still supplies a degree of familiarity to Windows users compared to Linux which to me is a good asset to have.