CompuServe Messages

Fred, >> Take twenty some hours off… and look what happens. << Never a dull moment. I really didn't expect to get into this stuff either. I seem to be a magnet for it. <G> I agree that hardware manufactures, generally don't have to worry about what OS system is going to run on them but, some OS system needs to be installed on them. Will Compaq continue to install DOS or Windows or will they decide to go OS/2 or NT. Maybe this won't be as big a factor as I think, but I think it will have an impact, in that if they bundle NT with their system, people will use it. And if they bundle OS2 people will use it, in this regard the hardware people may or can have a significant impact on the user base. IBM will continue to bundle OS2, which will help build its user base. Many people will have to go out and buy NT. IBM has been smart and is selling an OS/2 for Windows by-passing the licensing agreement that they once paid to Microsoft to include Windows. Egghead software, which is my barometer of software for the masses, is selling OS/2 for Windows fairly briskley including a growing collection of OS/2 apps. So anyway, my speculation is that if someone like Compaq gets out front and says we're supporting NT, that will be a big boost for developers as they'll see a built in market. My main point being what's going to drive development for the NT environment. Maybe the fact that MS is doing it is enough. But we're really just now seeing the major transferrence of applications from the DOS environment to the Windows environment, ie more apps are coming out for Windows than DOS. What's going to push it into NT as opposed to OS/2? I really have no idea except maybe the hardware manufactures bundleing it with their platforms. -JE