• Welcome to OS2World OLD-STATIC-BACKUP Forum.
 

News:

This is an old OS2World backup forum for reference only. IT IS READ ONLY!!!

If you need help with OS/2 - eComStation visit http://www.os2world.com/forum

Main Menu

The Open Source Petition letter to IBM

Started by rcsteiner, 2007.12.04, 21:12:08

Previous topic - Next topic

rcsteiner

Even a free BINARY-ONLY release of the OS/2 client, or a seriously reduced price to SSI so eCS's licensing costs can be dropped, would be tremendously helpful to eCS and the OS/2 community.

I know many people who seem intrigued by OS/2, but the price point of eCS scares them away.  Given that most alternative operating systems (Solaris, Linux, FreeBSD, BeOS) can be downloaded and used legally for no cost, the price of even an academic eCS license is staggeringly large.  :-(
--
-Rich Steiner >>>---> Mableton, GA USA
The Theorem Theorem: If If, Then Then.

kim

I have to agree that the current price for eCS doesn't make it easier for the users and as well the software subscription isn't always new users are aware of or understand. I've talked to MenSys about the price structure and asked if it wouldn't be better for the business to lower the price to get more users...

I think this is something that Mensys and SSI needs to get the heads together and solve; I would like to see a price range around 50-75 USD. Then there is a possibility of gaining new customers. Then again, if the aim with eCS isn't private individuals and enthusiast but corporate customers that need eCS for legacy apps; well, then I understand the price....

BigWarpGuy

I agree that a lower price for eCS will make it more appealing to more people.  8)


cyberspittle

I would have liked to see a low-cost version based on a fully-patched version of OS/2 Warp version 3. It wouldn't include USB, JFS, or other features to compete with eCS. Would have been nice to have had an OS/2 Warp Gold version. Enough for people to relive the excitement of OS/2 in it's heyday, and most importantly priced low-enough to lure in newbies. Toss in a free compiler (GNU or OpenWatcom), put a candle on it, and celebrate the good times again.  :P

El Vato

Quote from: estherschindler on 2007.12.07, 22:09:25
Perhaps of interest...

http://advice.cio.com/esther_schindler/should_ibms_os_2_be_open_sourced

Wonderful article, Ms. Schindler.  As usual, your writing is of first rate quality.  CIO may have the influence on a key audience that, in turn, might influence IBM to some action towards open sourcing at least some portions of OS/2 code.

Best regards.

kim

Since IBM has primary interest in large corporate we need to get the interest from CIO:s at large corporate. Quite a few might ask them self why they should care about getting OS/2 open sourced; but taking some of the core components and re-use it in for example Linux should matter. Just getting some of the WPS features or a ported WPS to Linux would directly over night kill Gnome and KDE.

So here is my suggestion; since I'm not a developer, I would urge those of you who are developers to help us out with arguments why and from what the Linux (and the OS2 community) community could benefit from getting OS/2 open sourced.

Also as Esther Schindler asked; why should people care?

kim

I've received e-mails from people who wants a petition logo to view on the home pages and blogs; if any one has an idea and can produce couple of small banners that would be highly appreciated. 

BigWarpGuy

On the Monopoly game board, there is a prison with a picture of man behind bars/in prison. Perhaps if there is something similar with the man wearing 'OS/2' on his shirt and 'open source OS/2' on the door?  ???   ;D  Perhaps some stick figures holding signs that says 'free OS/2' with the caption 'open source Warp'?  ??? ;D

estherschindler

Quote from: El Vato on 2007.12.08, 01:11:09
Quote from: estherschindler on 2007.12.07, 22:09:25
Perhaps of interest...

http://advice.cio.com/esther_schindler/should_ibms_os_2_be_open_sourced
Wonderful article, Ms. Schindler.  As usual, your writing is of first rate quality.  CIO may have the influence on a key audience that, in turn, might influence IBM to some action towards open sourcing at least some portions of OS/2 code.

Thanks for the kind words.

My friend volker weber in Germany also posted a link on his blog, which generated an interesting conversation -- largely from a bunch of the folks from the Lotus Notes universe. It's worth reading; these are good folks. (And Bob Balaban and I must have crossed paths ever-so-briefly at Lotus, back when I was a contractor on 1-2-3 for OS/2 back in the 80s. That was OS/2 1.0...)

http://vowe.net/archives/009013.html

kim

#10
Esther, ref to your article, I agree it's fair to ask what it's in for IBM to open-source; maybe nothing or that they actually give the Linux community a fair portion of great code that can poked around in to learn and re-used as well. As said, earlier the Linux GUI isn't that great when one have used OS/2 WPS for so many years.

Another interesting story from inside of IBM is from 1998 when I worked at IBM in Stockholm and had the opportunity of meeting Jeff Smith who at that time had the short and consist titel as Director of OS/2 Business Line and Network Computing Software. Jeff mentioned that there actually had been quite a bit of discussion if IBM should port the OS/2 WPS to Linux environment or not. Problem was that the top management wasn't that convinced about this little project and felt that they already stretched check book enough with the WorkSpace On-Demand. Saddly, as he stated it; it was and still is a great piece of code. Porting it to Linix might well have been a commercial activity for IBM; question if they had done that; I would guess that they would open-sourced that code sooner or later to the Linux community.

BigWarpGuy

http://www.petitiononline.com/OS24FREE/
I came across this petition to open source OS/2 at the ReactOS forum.
It was part of a discussion on an OS/2 subsystem.
http://www.reactos.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=38738#38738
8)

BigWarpGuy

http://i1.dk/ntos2/
Here is a link to open source the OS/2 API emulation for NT.
It was also from the forum at ReactOS.
http://www.reactos.org/forum

kim

Here is a short notice posted by itWorldCanada writen by Rafael Ruffolo.

travelinman

Quote from: BigWarpGuy on 2007.12.10, 20:56:11
On the Monopoly game board, there is a prison with a picture of man behind bars/in prison. Perhaps if there is something similar with the man wearing 'OS/2' on his shirt and 'open source OS/2' on the door?  ???   ;D  Perhaps some stick figures holding signs that says 'free OS/2' with the caption 'open source Warp'?  ??? ;D

"FREE THE OS/2!"