PaulRS wrote:

> However, I find 95% of my time is spent under OS/2 doing all the
> familiar things well and without a glitch. I am still a DOS WordStar
> user and will continue to be an OS/2 user until the standards are
> changed making web, email, network, etc. no longer usable.
> Enjoying OS/2 - even orphaned
> Paul

If you think about it, OS/2 lasted a long time. It was released in 1987,
that makes it 20 years old. Rarely a piece of software is graced of the same
longevity. By the way, I used and still use the Commodore 128, just as you
did :-)

OS/2 is still actively sold under a different name. It's still OS/2. I am
quite sure that, if SSI could have sold it as OS/2 they would have done
that, because it's a company of OS/2 users and all of us are proud of the
name, the system and its history. You can call apple a banana, but a banana
is still a banana :-)

The Amiga community kept living on, despite the liquidation of Commodore and
subsequent liquidations of all companies having acquired the brand name. In
this retrospect, I believe the OS/2 users have been more lucky.

Until an OS/2 product is still sold, and eCS is an OS/2 bundle, things are
going to look good. I am using OS/2 on my notebook and I have Pixel,
Scribus, SmartSuite, scanner support, etc... A lot of stuff that OS/2 was
lacking when it was still supported by IBM.

OS/2 has still a good userbase and companies with business interest in it.
As long as things stay the way they are now, I wouldn't be much worried
about its short term future.

Riccardo

In article
prschmi@Zverizon.net "PaulRS" writes:

> [...]
> However, I find 95% of my time is spent under OS/2 doing all the
> familiar things well and without a glitch. I am still a DOS WordStar
> user and will continue to be an OS/2 user until the standards are
> changed making web, email, network, etc. no longer usable.
> Enjoying OS/2 - even orphaned

My usage of it is very similar to yours, down to writing with the
help of WordStar for DOS (but only version 7c, never having found
a stray copy of 7d -- not that it makes a huge difference, AIUI).

When I buy an Intel-Mac, I plan to continue using OS/2+DOS+Win3.1
with the aid of Parallels; meantime, I am allowing those weird'n'
foreign technologies to mature and become as good as OS/2 is.

FWIW, the latest public release of my WS --> HTML-4.01 converter,
ws2html (DOS app, recently updated), can be obtained by anonymous
FTP:
ftp://ftp.demon.co.uk/pub/ibmpc/dos/...rs/ws2html.zip

HTH.
--
Andrew Stephenson

Hi Paul

PaulRS wrote:
> While many are either abandoning OS/2 or bemoaning its end, I see
> it from another side.


So do I, it is called eComStation :-)


In my profession I do a lot of writing. I
> began my computer life with a Commodor 128 and the CP/M version of
> WordStar 4. I grew to love WordStar and gradually moved to the last
> version for DOS which is 7.0d. It too has been orphaned for several
> years. However, I now know about every command and hot-key. They
> never change and they always do the familiar things they always have
> done.


I guess if you never need to open a current Word.Doc file or other
current "Office" file formats then there is no need to change.


I moved to OS/2 when Windows 3.1 kept going "flatline" on it
> DOS applications. OS/2 emulation of DOS was/is fantastic!


No, Was.

I'm looking at this from the point of view that I only ever use DOS to
play games. Sadly sound drivers such as uniaud, which is required for a
lot of current sound devices, do not have DOS support.

However, there is an alternative for those of use who just want to play
the odd DOS game DOSBox http://dosbox.sourceforge.net/news.php?show_news=1

There is a choice of "fake" soundcards, SB16 and Gravis Ultrasound, for
the DOS games to make noises with :-)


I have not tried installing and running win3.1 in a DOSBox - but, there
again, I do not run any win3 apps and no longer have any need of win3.1


> I now see my version of OS/2 (MCP 4.52 + all upgrades) the very
> same way. It does what I want. I am learning new things about it
> every week - and these will not change. No new bells and whistles are
> yet to come. No chasing fixpaks, upgrades, and reconfigurations. I
> will not have to learn new ways of doing the same everyday things.
> And what about new innovations? Well, I set up VNC (www.realvnc.com)
> over my in-home network for a Windows 2000 computer and a Linux
> computer (my old slower units). I use the VNC client on OS/2 (Hobbes)
> and can have a Windows 2000 window and a SuSE Linux window on my main
> OS/2 box to do all the "new" inovative? stuff. I can even transfer
> clipboards between them. A KVM switch also switches between the three
> boxes if I want direct access.
> However, I find 95% of my time is spent under OS/2 doing all the
> familiar things well and without a glitch. I am still a DOS WordStar
> user and will continue to be an OS/2 user until the standards are
> changed making web, email, network, etc. no longer usable.
> Enjoying OS/2 - even orphaned
> Paul



I am hoping that eComStation, and those inspired to create
software/drivers, will be able to provide the "necessaries" to keep a
variation of OS/2 viable for a few years longer on reasonably current
hardware.

Maybe Project Voyager will be a way forward although there does not seem
to be a lot on the webpages yet
http://www.netlabs.org/en/site/voyag...e/projects.xml

Regards

Pete

On Sat, 26 May 2007 11:47:01 GMT, Andrew Stephenson wrote:

:>
:> When I buy an Intel-Mac, I plan to continue using OS/2+DOS+Win3.1
:> with the aid of Parallels; meantime, I am allowing those weird'n'
:> foreign technologies to mature and become as good as OS/2 is.

That's what I did, and all I still do on Warp is PMMail, which will go to
Thunderbird on Mac, I supposes, and DeScribe, for which I haven't found a
good replacement, and PlanPerfect DOS, where I have too many macros in my
fingertips to make it easy to move to something else.

But sound, video, photos, etc, all that happens on OSX. Which is what Warp
could have been.

Peter

*/------------------------------------------------------
Peter Wadsack
------------------------------------------------------*/

Peter Wadsack wrote:
> On Sat, 26 May 2007 11:47:01 GMT, Andrew Stephenson wrote:
>
> :>
> :> When I buy an Intel-Mac, I plan to continue using OS/2+DOS+Win3.1
> :> with the aid of Parallels; meantime, I am allowing those weird'n'
> :> foreign technologies to mature and become as good as OS/2 is.
>
> That's what I did, and all I still do on Warp is PMMail, which will go to
> Thunderbird on Mac, I supposes, and DeScribe, for which I haven't found a
> good replacement, and PlanPerfect DOS, where I have too many macros in my
> fingertips to make it easy to move to something else.
>
> But sound, video, photos, etc, all that happens on OSX. Which is what Warp
> could have been.


I said this almost two years ago and never heard the end of personal
attacks and whining. My point wasn't to belittle OS/2 but to grab what
few OS/2 users that were left, by the shoulders, and tell them to accept
the fate of OS/2.

Today I'm heavily invested in OSX: Mac Pro with 8Gig RAM, 3Terabyte hard
disk, 3Ghz Dual Core; 30" Apple HD Cinema display; wireless everything
(keyboard and mouse, Airport Extreme 802.11n); 24" Intel iMac w 3Gig
Ram, 750Gig hard drive; Core 2 Duo BlackBook w 3Gig Ram and 200Gig hard
drive; 80Gig Video iPod and soon the 8Gig iPhone (preordered through
business side of Apple so I don't have to stand in line) w RadTech's
tiniest BlueTooth ear/speaker piece.

Am I a happy OS/2 camper? Absolutely. I do have OS/2 installed in
Parallels and assisted Parallels with bringing the ability to run OS/2
in a Virtual window - but do I use it? Can't remember when I opened it
last. I simply have no reason to do so.

Everything I could need and want and more is available to me through
Apple and OSX. I can't wait for Leopard. WWDC next week and I get to
attend just one day because I'm not a developer and could only wrangle a
day pass.

Today I am "The OS/2 Guy" of the Mac world. Apple gave me the email
address of OS2Guy@Mac.com and I'm proud to wave it. Yes, if luck had
been on our side then OS/2 could have been what OSX is today.

I remember St. John making all kinds of promises, day after day, week
after week and people are still believing him today. I can only shake
my head.

What's odd is that so many OS/2 users who spent countless hours
attacking me for complaining about the lies and misinformation put out
by those with an agenda, mostly greed, are now good Mac friends. We
learn from each other and at this point I'm so proficient with OSX that
most people consider me pretty expert.

If you are sitting there wondering if it is too late to move to OSX
please take my word for it, it is not. The transition is nearly
painless and once you take the step to walk away from OS/2 you begin to
live again. Your love for computing will swell once more and in no time
you'll be a Mac Fanboy.


Tim...

+ User FidoNet address: 1:396/45
Hello all.

regarding Re: Orphaned OS/2 (Another View) >

TO> I said this almost two years ago and never heard the end of
TO> personal attacks and whining. My point wasn't to belittle
TO> OS/2 but to grab what few OS/2 users that were left, by
TO> the shoulders, and tell them to accept the fate of OS/2.

I, for one, have no idea of your history with OS/2 and with the
folks in this newsgroup. (Citing what you said further down in
your message.) I am relatively a "newcomer" to OS/2; it's
principal use in my computing world is to run this vintage BBS
and a usually very stable mail, FTP and BinkP server. I am
fully aware of OS/2's orphan status... But it is just part of
my hobby, which, in spite of some various difficulties, I still
enjoy immensely.

TO> Today I'm heavily invested in OSX: Mac Pro with 8Gig RAM,
TO> 3Terabyte hard disk, 3Ghz Dual Core; 30" Apple HD Cinema
TO> display;
[snip]

Obviously, with that sort of gear, you are _very_ well funded...
I suspect the majority of us that are hobbyists are not; my
system with 5 machines plus 1 powerful windows laptop wouldn't
even come close to your investment. But I enjoy "tinkering" it
them a great deal - - it is, other than some work related stuff,
a hobby. Whether or not OS/2 is abandonware or orphanware is of
little concern; it has taught and continues to teach me stuff
that carries over into the work area that is literally saturated
with MacroSnuff Windoze - and it proves to be quite valuable at
times.

TO> Am I a happy OS/2 camper? Absolutely.

Non sequitur.

TO> I do have OS/2 installed in Parallels and assisted
TO> Parallels with bringing the ability to run OS/2 in a
TO> Virtual window - but do I use it? Can't remember when I
TO> opened it last. I simply have no reason to do so.

Why then do you continue to carry the moniker of "The OS/2 Guy"
if you no longer utilise it? (Just curious.)

[snip]
TO> If you are sitting there wondering if it is too late to
TO> move to OSX please take my word for it, it is not. The
TO> transition is nearly painless and once you take the step
TO> to walk away from OS/2 you begin to live again. Your love
TO> for computing will swell once more and in no time you'll
TO> be a Mac Fanboy.

OSX may in fact be the "neatest thing since sliced bread", but
for me unaffordable at present. And, I suspect, perhaps as
difficult to learn as *nix, abandoning all the learned
conventions (with some exceptions). Maybe I'm wrong (at least I
hope I'm wrong), but that's the impression I've been given of
Apple and its OS products in the past.

I'm not adverse to learning something new... I have 2 extra
machines here with 2 versions of linux - Ubuntu and Mandrake -
they are, at best, discouraging. Thousands of drivers and
ancillary programs (many of which don't work worth a darn if at
all), and public forums where newbies are, more often than not,
spoken down to or given instructions so convoluted and confusing
that it would take an experienced user to make them work. I
wonder therefore what sort of support would await me with an
Apple system. If it turns out to be the same sort of snobs that
inhabit some of the linux public forums - no thanks.

Best regards,
Marc
-+-timEd/2 1.10.y2k+
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +++++
+ The FidoNet News Gate (Meridian, MS - USA) +
+ The views of this user are strictly his or her own. +
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +++++

In <00077df6@net396.fidonet.org>, on 06/07/2007
at 10:49 PM, "Marc Lewis"
said:

>I, for one, have no idea of your history with OS/2

Google for Tim Martin; he's a troll.

--
Shmuel (Seymour J.) Metz, SysProg and JOAT

Unsolicited bulk E-mail subject to legal action. I reserve the
right to publicly post or ridicule any abusive E-mail. Reply to
domain Patriot dot net user shmuel+news to contact me. Do not
reply to spamtrap@library.lspace.org

On Wed, 07 Jun 2007 22:49:23, Marc Lewis wrote:

:> OSX may in fact be the "neatest thing since sliced bread", but
:> for me unaffordable at present. And, I suspect, perhaps as
:> difficult to learn as *nix, abandoning all the learned
:> conventions (with some exceptions). Maybe I'm wrong (at least I
:> hope I'm wrong), but that's the impression I've been given of
:> Apple and its OS products in the past.


at the GUI level, it is not that difficult, and not that different from
Warp, although irritatingly so when it is different, because you have to
relearn a keystroke sequence. And underneath, at the CLI, it IS *nix, but
you don't have to go there.

Peter

*/------------------------------------------------------
Peter Wadsack
------------------------------------------------------*/

On Thu, 7 Jun 2007 22:49:23 UTC, "Marc Lewis"
wrote:

->
-> Why then do you continue to carry the moniker of "The OS/2 Guy"
-> if you no longer utilise it? (Just curious.)
->


Please don't feed the troll. He's a nutcase anti-OS/2 liar who
pretends to be an OS/2 supporter. He has plagued the c.o.os2 groups
for a decade. It was actually nice that he disappeared for a while
after IBM finally pulled the plug on its OS/2 product. He lied to
trick people into buying IBM's Software Choice subscription when
everyone knew that IBM had stopped OS/2 development, and eComStation
was not only cheaper, but still being supported and enhanced.

He now is back as a Mac evangelist, but still an arrogant, vindictive
know-nothing who can't be reasoned with. People have unfortunately
gotten use to not using the subject prefix ([FUD4]) we came up with to
deal with him and his sockpuppets. See http://www.mr2ice.com/TMFaq/
Just ignore the twit. Its a shame that trash like him destroy these
groups.


Mark


--
From the eComStation of Mark Dodel

http://www.os2voice.org
Warpstock 2006, Windsor, Ontario, Canada, Oct 12-15, 2006 -
http://www.warpstock.org

"Marc Lewis" said:

>But I enjoy "tinkering" it them a great deal - - it is, other than
>some work related stuff, a hobby. Whether or not OS/2 is abandonware
>or orphanware is of little concern;

This is exactly why, after many years of use (back to well before Warp), I
have relegated OS/2 to emergency use in the event that my newly acquired
XP laptop goes down (it hasn't yet, in about a year, which is FAR better
than I can say for OS/2).

As I see it now, OS/2 in whatever form is only for very simple systems
that need virtually no system, or power user systems owned by people who
would rather fritz, fiddle and fight with a computer than eat. Every time
I look at OS/2 newsgroups I read about some new attempt to tack on what XP
had years ago and how people have so VERY much fun battling it out.

I despise willy gates and all he stands for, and I can't afford Mac but I
just got sick of the unending battle with OS/2 that diehards seem to live
for.

JimL

--

Bush us always wrong, especially when he's right.

On Fri, 8 Jun 2007 12:17:57 -0400, Peter Wadsack wrote
(in article ):

> On Wed, 07 Jun 2007 22:49:23, Marc Lewis wrote:
>
>>> OSX may in fact be the "neatest thing since sliced bread", but
>>> for me unaffordable at present. And, I suspect, perhaps as
>>> difficult to learn as *nix, abandoning all the learned
>>> conventions (with some exceptions). Maybe I'm wrong (at least I
>>> hope I'm wrong), but that's the impression I've been given of
>>> Apple and its OS products in the past.
>
> at the GUI level, it is not that difficult, and not that different from
> Warp, although irritatingly so when it is different, because you have to
> relearn a keystroke sequence.

I find it particularly irritating that a window can only be resized by
dragging the bottom right corner.

And underneath, at the CLI, it IS *nix, but
> you don't have to go there.

It is nice to have the full set of BASH commands available when needed, and I
have needed a couple of them. Familiarity with OS/2 (or any other) command
line and a Unix (or Linux) handbook are all you need.

--
John Varela
Trade NEW lamps for OLD for email.

In article <46699b2e$1$vaxyrchg$mr2ice@news.isp.com>, inkleput@isp.com wrote:
>
>I despise willy gates and all he stands for, and I can't afford Mac but I
>just got sick of the unending battle with OS/2 that diehards seem to live
>for.

I'll accept that you had problems, but they were / are by no means universal.
I continue to use OS/2 because, for me, it "just runs". I don't have to
fiddle with it, patch it, run cycle-sapping AV, or worry about being rooted.
I just turn it on and use it. It's an appliance.

--
Don Hills (dmhills at attglobaldotnet) Wellington, New Zealand
"New interface closely resembles Presentation Manager,
preparing you for the wonders of OS/2!"
-- Advertisement on the box for Microsoft Windows 2.11 for 286

On Jun 8, 1:47 pm, inkle...@isp.com wrote:


> I despise willy gates and all he stands for, and I can't afford Mac but I
> just got sick of the unending battle with OS/2 that diehards seem to live
> for.
>
> JimL
>
> --
>
> Bush us always wrong, especially when he's right.

congratulations for enjoying your laptop, Jim, and if XP can withstand
you, hats off to said Willy, too, because he's made it truly idiot-
proof.

+ User FidoNet address: 1:396/45
Hello all.

inkleput@isp.com wrote a message to All
regarding re: Orphaned OS/2 (Another View) >

> Whether or not OS/2 is abandonware or orphanware is of little
> concern [to me].

[SNIP] ii> I despise willy gates and all he stands for, and I
can't afford Mac ii> but I just got sick of the unending battle
with OS/2 that diehards ii> seem to live for.

Sir, if you're so sick of OS/2, why even subscribe to this
newsgroup? And why cast aspersions on the folks that utilise
it, for whatever reason they choose to do so? windows has its
place as does OS/2, which serves some people quite well, doing
the job they want and expect of it.

Best regards,
Marc
-+-timEd/2 1.10.y2k+
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +++++
+ The FidoNet News Gate (Meridian, MS - USA) +
+ The views of this user are strictly his or her own. +
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +++++

On Fri, 8 Jun 2007 17:47:43 UTC, inkleput@isp.com opined:

I need to respond to your posting.

> This is exactly why, after many years of use (back to well before Warp), I
> have relegated OS/2 to emergency use in the event that my newly acquired
> XP laptop goes down (it hasn't yet, in about a year, which is FAR better
> than I can say for OS/2).

Like you, I am a long-time user of OS/2 -- since v2.0, when IBM was
handing out Parker pens, mouse pads, and video casettes along with the
box of floppies. Although I am by training an electrical engineer with
two degrees, was in the computer industry since 1950, and have built
hardware that has been exhibited in the Smithsonian Institution in
Washington and the Computer Museum in Boston, the years of my
"nerdship" are long behind me; I am a certified Old Fart. I have been
happy with OS/2 from the beginning, despite some frustrations; my
occasional use of Windows operating systems, and observations of the
experiences of neighbors, do not indicate to me that the frustrations
would have been fewer had I gone from DOS/Quarterdeck to Windows
instead of choosing OS/2 -- the opposite is true.

Until recently, I had every intention of continuing to use OS/2
exclusively, because it has done virtually everything I need or want
to do with my equipment (save e.g. using websites carefully coded in
such a way as to require the use of an MS browser). Only now, as more
websites require, such things as versions of Flash that are
unavailable for OS/2, have I concluded, very reluctantly, that I need
to have another real (as distinct from Windows) operating system on my
system. So I have installed a Linux distro for use when I need it. In
the nature of things, I suppose I will gradually use the Linux boot
more and the OS/2 less, but abandoning OS/2 in disgust is the last
thing on my mind.

> As I see it now, OS/2 in whatever form is only for very simple systems
> that need virtually no system, or power user systems owned by people who
> would rather fritz, fiddle and fight with a computer than eat. Every time
> I look at OS/2 newsgroups I read about some new attempt to tack on what XP
> had years ago and how people have so VERY much fun battling it out.

This is the real reason I am writing this. I cannot express the
gratitude I have for those on these NGs, for whom you seem to have
contempt, who have helped me with problems I couldn't handle myself. I
would have been lost without them. Their understanding is much deeper
than mine, largely because they work with OS/2 and other OSes -- they
support themselves with their work. It is normal that many things that
baffle me (and you) are second nature to them. That they enjoy what
they do is a blessing for them -- and for me too, because otherwise
they wouldn't be hanging around solving other people's problems. That
you should be looking down on them for enjoying wrestling with these
problems is beyond comprehension.

> I despise willy gates and all he stands for, and I can't afford Mac but I
> just got sick of the unending battle with OS/2 that diehards seem to live
> for.

The sickness may be psychosomatic. In any case, tolerating the
"battle" is not obligatory; there are alternatives. If, by the way,
you are interested in a non-Windows alternative, I can recomment the
Xandros Linux distribution. It is very Windows-like, very easy to
operate, and apparently very stable, it doesn't bear the stamp of Bill
Gates. I have used it and don't like it especially, so I am moving to
a more serious flavor, but that is personal. You might like it.

Or maybe you are a natural for Microsoft products, despite your
protestations. Sometimes people make discoveries about themselves that
are surprising to them.

> JimL

--
Stan Goodman
Qiryat Tiv'on
Israel

On Jun 9, 5:41 am, "Stan Goodman" wrote:

> This is the real reason I am writing this. I cannot express the
> gratitude I have for those on these NGs, for whom you seem to have
> contempt, who have helped me with problems I couldn't handle myself. I
> would have been lost without them. Their understanding is much deeper
> than mine, largely because they work with OS/2 and other OSes -- they
> support themselves with their work. It is normal that many things that
> baffle me (and you) are second nature to them. That they enjoy what
> they do is a blessing for them -- and for me too, because otherwise
> they wouldn't be hanging around solving other people's problems.

exactly my sentiments.

and it should be underlined: there has never been anyone in these
newsgroups who asked for and received more painstaking help -- on an
almost daily basis and almost inevitably for some snafu entirely of
his own making. ordinarily I might hold my tongue, but the guy really
should be on his knees thanking the dozens of people here who took
time out of their day to coddle him through his self-created
disasters.

On Sat, 9 Jun 2007 15:55:17 UTC, rafe wrote:

> On Jun 9, 5:41 am, "Stan Goodman" wrote:
>
> > This is the real reason I am writing this. I cannot express the
> > gratitude I have for those on these NGs, for whom you seem to have
> > contempt, who have helped me with problems I couldn't handle myself. I
> > would have been lost without them. Their understanding is much deeper
> > than mine, largely because they work with OS/2 and other OSes -- they
> > support themselves with their work. It is normal that many things that
> > baffle me (and you) are second nature to them. That they enjoy what
> > they do is a blessing for them -- and for me too, because otherwise
> > they wouldn't be hanging around solving other people's problems.
>
> exactly my sentiments.
>
> and it should be underlined: there has never been anyone in these
> newsgroups who asked for and received more painstaking help -- on an
> almost daily basis and almost inevitably for some snafu entirely of
> his own making. ordinarily I might hold my tongue, but the guy really
> should be on his knees thanking the dozens of people here who took
> time out of their day to coddle him through his self-created
> disasters.

To paraphrase a saying from where I work: "Perhaps he isn't happy unless
he's complaining".

Pete


--

On 09 Jun 2007 09:41:00 GMT, "Stan Goodman"
wrote:

>On Fri, 8 Jun 2007 17:47:43 UTC, inkleput@isp.com opined:
>
>I need to respond to your posting.
>
>> This is exactly why, after many years of use (back to well before Warp), I
>> have relegated OS/2 to emergency use in the event that my newly acquired
>> XP laptop goes down (it hasn't yet, in about a year, which is FAR better
>> than I can say for OS/2).
>
>Like you, I am a long-time user of OS/2 -- since v2.0, when IBM was
>handing out Parker pens, mouse pads, and video casettes along with the
>box of floppies. Although I am by training an electrical engineer with
>two degrees, was in the computer industry since 1950, and have built
>hardware that has been exhibited in the Smithsonian Institution in
>Washington and the Computer Museum in Boston, the years of my
>"nerdship" are long behind me; I am a certified Old Fart. I have been
>happy with OS/2 from the beginning, despite some frustrations; my
>occasional use of Windows operating systems, and observations of the
>experiences of neighbors, do not indicate to me that the frustrations
>would have been fewer had I gone from DOS/Quarterdeck to Windows
>instead of choosing OS/2 -- the opposite is true.

It's been a long time since I've read here, much less posted, but I
happened on your post and felt compelled to chime in myself. I, too,
am a certified "old fart", though not as old as you. I reluctantly
left OS/2 a number of years ago after having used it from very early
on (I think I still have a copy of v1.5, and certainly v2.0 on). I
ended up abandoning it not because of software issues, but because of
hardware failure and hardware issues. I got older, busier, and lazy.
Even prior to that time, I found it necessary to use WINDOWS with
increasing frequency. OS/2 continues, however, to hold a special
place in my heart.

My interest in this thread is not so much about the OS/2 itself, but
about the people who were and are involved with it, as well as those
who jumped in early on with LINUX. We old farts remember a time when
NOTHING was easy, when you HAD to write your own code, when
interfacing a teletype machine to a Sinclair was cause for great
celebration, and the IBM pc was a faint glimmer in the mind of someone
in the bowels of IBM. That was a generation of true "hackers" in the
original sense of the word, and I'm proud to be one of that company,
however lapsed my status. What inkleput seems not to realize is that
it is FUN to tinker with the code and the hardware! Now that I am
retiring, my thoughts go back to OS/2, and my curiosity about LINUX is
growing. Maybe I'll put both back on my system and "play" with them
again.

rafe said:

> there has never been anyone in these
>newsgroups who asked for and received more painstaking help -- on an
>almost daily basis

You have switched my comments about a system to comments about people.

JimL

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Gun laws really impress crooks and crazies, right?