Not dead yet...

[David Gaskill]

On Thu, 26 Aug 1999 13:40:41 GMT, Anders Gjerl v wrote:

>> I got flamed when I suggested before that as OS/2 is effectively dead 
>as
>> a desktop operating system (heresy,  heresy!) writing mail clients for 
>it
>> was hardly likely to to result in a bank balance similar to that of 
>Bill Gates
>> (spit,  spit!).

>I personally would prefer PMMail to be released for BeOS. That way I 
>could get rid of two dying os's instead of just one. As I see it BeOS 
>is the best designed os out there - although admittedly somewhat short 
>on apps.

Anders,

I have no experience of the BeOS but I think you hit the nail on the head 
when you say that the problem is a shortage of applications. 

Like many other people for whom a computer is essential in their work I 
need to have access to industry standard applications such as MS Word, 
Adobe Photoshop, Macromedia Director etc. Unless an operating system 
other than Windows or Macintosh achieves a significant market penetration 
then it simply isn't going to be economic for the manufacturers of these 
applications to produce versions for it. 

Problem is that an operating system is unlikely to achieve  significant 
market penetration without the major applications being available for it ... 

>> I suspect it depends on when Bob and Icon have got a bit of time to 
>spare
>> for their hobby ...
>Hobby or full-time - I really don't care too much. A mail client is in 
>itself a diffucult battlefield to earn money in. Most people use 
>whatever they have available (I'm writing this e-mail in Star Office's 
>internal mail program - so now I'm the "traitor" ;o). I will however 
>for some time still be using PMMail, and will probably upgrade when 
>and if a new version comes out. 

I use PMmail because I have always used PMmail. I occasionally look at 
other mail clients and they don't seem as good but that may be because I 
am prejudiced ... 

I probably wouldn't upgrade if the upgrade cost money - why should I? 
PMmail currently does everything I want. I sometimes look at the "wish 
lists" that appear on this  mailing list but most of them I don't understand ..  

>I do suspect though that there will ALWAYS be users that 
>do want the extra power of a good mail program - and therefore are 
>willing to pay for it. Let the number of registrations decide whether 
>Southsoft wants to continue developing OS/2 versions of PMMail or not. 

I find it difficult to believe that Soutsoft now receive any new registrations 
for the OS/2 version of PMmail. So far as I'm aware you can't even buy 
the operating system any more. Maybe there are still a few users of OS/2 
who have not yet upgraded from the pathetic mail client that it comes with 
but I find this difficult to believe.  

>I do feel that if they thought it was a total waste of money, they 
>would stop (and I would be the first to understand and accept 
>that!!!). And since they (apparently) have not stopped - it must be 
>because there still is money to be earned for "the dying os".

What I was suggesting was that if they still are developing an OS/2 version 
it must be on a hobby basis because I can't see how it could be a 
commercial proposition. 

>Whether or not OS/2 will be developed further or not will not stop me 
>from using the existing os for a substantial amount of years. 
>Hopefully long enough for there to be a really good alternative to 
>Windows, or long enough for Windows to mature enough for me (not 
>likely to happen imho).

Until about 18 months ago I had used nothing but OS/2 but commercial 
pressures forced me to migrate to NT; undoubtedly it lacks some of the 
elegance of OS/2 but it is at least as robust and above all has a wealth of 
applications available. I would be genuinely interested to learn, ( leaving on 
one side the lack of applications), what benefits I could expect if I were to 
switch to another operating system .


David