Re: NB bombs in OS/2

["J.L. Gordon" jgordon@xxxxxxxx]

On Sat, 13 Nov 1999 22:48:16 EST, Robert Holmgren wrote:

>** Reply to note from xywrite@xxxxxxxx Thu, 11 Nov 1999 15:01:00 +0800 (WST)
>
>> Well, the news from here on NotaBene at present is not good. I
>> put in a full day's work with it yesterday and, after two bad
>> experiences, have decided that I cannot use it under OS/2.
>
>If I read your note correctly, it sounds like Object Desktop is the
>unstable program, not NBWin.
>
>My experience is different. I haven't DLed v5.004 yet, but v5.003 seems
>to work as well under Win-OS/2 as it does under NT. Which is to say,
>that I get GPFs under both OSes with fair regularity.

I think you are right about Object Desktop being the culprit.
I've posted separately that NB has been running well for the
past two days here now that I have put it in an OS/2 full-screen
session.

[deletions]

> We're just beginning to get
>to know NB, and they're just beginning to get to know us. They *want* to
>get intimate. What we need to do is struggle to really understand what
>the problems are, to be deeply diagnostic, and then to see if they're
>helpful. But we need to keep in mind that this is a small company with
>limited resources, and we can't ask for the moon. They've issued seven
>versions in ten months: an impressive record of responding to problems.
>Even NT 4.0 is only up to SP 6, after how many years? And still buggy
>as hell.
>
>My guess is that ignorance is the biggest hurdle here. NB doesn't realize
>that we need some technical assistance,

> NB has much more of a take-it-as-is philosophy;
>indeed, it's quite the opposite of the XyWrite philosophy

[deletions]
>Anyway, we're at a genuine crossroads. We've got SmartWords "beta" (if it
>exists), we've got NBWin, and we've got Xy4-DOS. By any measure, NBWin is
>better than XyWin, so we can forget the latter; and by most measures, Xy4
>is better than Xy3+, ergo that's out too, at least in my book. So:
>either we stay where we are -- and I personally think Xy4-DOS is about the
>best, most bug-free WP in existence, which I'd be privileged to use for
>the foreseeable future -- or we go GUI. Between the two GUIs, NB has a
>future, whereas SW... who knows?

>I'd cut the NB folks a generous amount of slack, and see where it goes.
>It needs to simmer. And I'd persevere with NB under OS/2.

Thanks, Robert, for this cogent comparison of the differing
philosophies behind NB and XyWrite. I entirely agree, and will
definitely cut NB all the slack they need. I've bought the full
Scholar's Workstation and will continue to experiment with
finger's crossed. As for OS/2, I couldn't imagine not having it.
Sometimes I think OS/2 was purpose-built for Xy4.
>
>If it's any help, you might take a look at your Win-OS/2 properties.
>Here's what I've got:
[deletions]

Thanks, mate, very helpful.
Cheers,
John Gordon