Re: OS2 Warp vs Win95

[Robert Holmgren holmgren@xxxxxxxx]

** Reply to note from xywrite@xxxxxxxx Wed, 15 Apr 1998 07:15:53

> Most Win 3.1 programs work fine, but a few that use Win32S extensions
> above rev 1.25 do not. The Encyc Britannica CD is one such.

Actually, EB works under OS/2 v3, but not under v4. It did work,
throughout all the testing, and the beta disks for "EB 97" still work
with v4. But something happened at the very end, to make the final
GA release of EB 97 not work. Nobody seems to know why. However, I have
seen a closed APAR dated June 97 in which IBM states that the problem is
not resolvable, will not be resolved, and is, therefore, closed.

The Win32-OS/2 Project is a stopgap solution. The real solution, long
term, is something I call Krakatoa (west of Java; the movie was named
"Krakatoa, East of Java", which says something about Hollywood's
research analysts). This envisions OS-based compilers for Java code, so
that Java apps -- or any cross-platform apps -- run natively and, hence,
fast (currently, they're interpreted). IBM's Just-In-Time compiler goes
in this direction. We're seeing some great Java apps coming along, e.g.
J Street Mailer. Nobody will write dedicated OS-dependent apps any
longer when realistic cross-platform strategies are optimized.



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Robert Holmgren
holmgren@xxxxxxxx
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