Well, get at it. It seems that you know how to do these things. I don't, and most users don't. As I said before, there are not enough programers to go around, and there are still only 24 hours in a day. If the OS can't even print, we will lose the corporate world, and they are the ones who are keeping OS/2 alive, at the moment.
My hands are a bit full at the moment with GL/2 & a few other things that I'm not ready to announce yet. As for the corporate world, that's all well & good for now, but eventually, that well is going to run dry. The basis of what I'm saying is that we have to take the future of OS/2 into our own hands. The corporate world is only going to keep OS/2 around as long as there's something in it for them. What do you supposed is going to happen when they can't use OS/2 anymore after one of their hardware upgrades? Not all of my work is based on gaming. Some of my work is more serious. But, like you said, there's only 24hrs a day & I'm a full time soldier. There's only so much that I can do.
They aren't going to stay with it if it doesn't have those things. Joysticks are usable with games, There is no way that enough games will ever get ported to OS/2 to make a joystick really useful. Anybody who wants to play games is going to use windows. That is the one thing that windows is good for, and that seems to be where the most development money goes. We can never hope to even scratch the surface on that front.
Yes, joysticks are good for games. But there're also good for other things. Consider the other areas that it would be great to get OS/2, eCS, or a future version to get integrated into. Perhaps even robotics, you never know unless you try.
No, but they surely won't switch to, or stay with, an OS that can't even print.
I use "printing" as one example of many things that OS/2 is lacking.
Well, if OS/2 can't print & if there aren't enough developers to help out in that goal, then perhaps it's time for new developers to be created. The source is out there & the development tools are free. Learning resources are freely available online & can be found anywhere. So, how bad do you want printing support???
And, it was DirectX that unseated OS/2 too (with more than a little help from IBM). The only way to combat that, is to write our own DirectX, but that would probably result in huge, very expensive, lawsuits, even if it was possible. OS/2 has it's own niche market. and games are not a part of that market. To take even a very small part of that would take a horrendous amount of very hard work, by more people than are available to do it, and you still need to do the basics (printing, JAVA), or it is all for nothing.
We don't have to have DirectX specifically, but we need something. Sure, IBM was holding the hammers & nails for OS/2's coffin, just like everyone else, but that doesn't mean that we have to get into the coffin. Niche markets are fine, but they don't last forever. As far as the hard work, all it takes is people who're willing to meet in the middle. I'll bring the sandwiches, you bring the drinks, & someone else brings the music, now we have a party.
OS/2 has always been acknowledged as a solid OS that people use to get work done. It never was a gaming system, and I expect that it never will be (Linux isn't either). Sure some games do work with it, but they are not the serious (dare I use that term?) games that are written for windows.Then again, if Odin (or one of it's like) could be expanded to cover all of the required parts, it may actually be possible to run some of the games, and then the joystick support might be useful. Odin seems to be close to a dead end (to few interested developers), so I don't expect that to happen. Not only is it unlikely to happen, but anyone who wastes their time trying to make it happen, takes away one more programer that is vitally needed to make things like printers work.
The OS graveyard is full of solid OS's, so being solid doesn't mean a whole lot. Afterall, look at the situation that OS/2 is in now. We can't afford to lay blame & point fingers, we also don't have the time. Even if Odin was usable, we'd still need a joystick API to hook it into. As for one more programmer being taken away, take personal responsibility for adding one more programmer.
It's all a matter of priorities. Make the fluff work, or make the basics work. Take your pick. Without the basics, the fluff doesn't matter.
The thing about most pieces of fluff is that it's usually simple & only has to be done once, then it's done. As for priorities, my priority is for it ALL to work. There's no picking & choosing. Just because you can live without your ears, doesn't mean that your ears are not important.
BTW, by "joystick" I assume you really mean one of those game controllers, with 15 buttons, and a couple of sticks. I am not even sure if an old style joystick is still available, and I am even less sure what it would be good for.
These days, we don't have to worry about the old-school joysticks. Most modern devices will be connected by USB & will have way more functionality than their predecessors.