[Discussion] [Linux] Starting the move to MAC

[Douglas Clark]

Carl,

Allow me to suggest eComStation. It has all the tools you need, and is still light 
years ahead of Linux in some rather important areas, such as inter-application 
communications (DDE, OLE in WinOS2 to name some examples), and plays 
very nicely with IBM mainframes.

Comments on other posts here:

>I've been told that the big thing in this next update [in Ubuntu] is to improve 
the boot speed. Supposedly, it will be less than a minute from power on to a 
ready to use desktop.

My boot up time with ECS on a thinkpad T43P is 70 seconds from power on to 
desktop ready. 10 seconds of that is the machine going through startup (i.e. 
from power up to apperance of boot manager screen). Of course part of the 
bootup time is dependent on drivers being loaded, DHCP addresses being 
obtained, etc.

>I would log onto the client's mainframe from OS/2 and upload and download 
files and code etc. I had an ISPF version (SPF/PC?) running on OS/2 and 
confess that I miss some of its editing features.

Bob - you may not be aware of LxPM, the editor included in VisualAge C++ 
(versions 3 and 4) which can be configured to act like SPF, i.e. you can "turn 
on" line numbers for a file and enter SPF line or block commands -  M C D MM 
CC DD, etc. -  in the line number area. And still use the mouse and other more 
"modern" commands at the same time. It also outputs messages as readonly 
messagelines in the text, just like SPF. Editor macros can be written in Rexx or 
C.


>I don't know first hand, but one of the guys in what used to be the Cincinnati 
OS/2 User Group is very much into this.  He works for Miami Univ., so he seems 
to have a lot of time to play.  He says there are dramatic differences in the
speed of various USB devices, even when they are all 2.0.

There are also dramatic differences in compatiblity between various USB 
devices, even when they are all 2.0. This includes media and readers. I have SD 
readers which are recognized when plugged directly into a USB port on a 
machine and not recognized when they are plugged into a hub connected to the 
same port on the same machine. I have SD cards which can be read in one USB 
card reader and not in another card reader. 

>someone should still a fork in ecs. It is done. Nothing is happening in OS/2.

On the contrary. As just one example I am finishing up a new WPS WinOS2 
program object to fix that annoying problem of some WinOS2 applications not 
terminating completely when the application is closed. (I kept waiting for 
someone else to do it but finally decided I would have to do it myself.) There are 
all sorts of other things happening in the ECS world.


>I'm "multi platform" too.  I still have/use eCS on a dedicated desktop, my 
laptop, and dual boot the virus and various forms of linux on yet another 
desktop.  To me it's not one's better than the other, it comes down to the best 
tool for the job.

I agree. There will probably never be a single operating system which does 
everything. If there were all the others would disappear. Some of the things 
ECS does very very well will probably never be reproduced by another operating 
system. On the other hand ECS never will be a game player platform, it will 
never be a multimedia platform, and it never was even from the very beginning.

Doug Clark








On Sat, 21 Mar 2009 01:08:05 -0400 (EDT), Carl Gehr wrote:

>I do have a couple of specific questions, based on my own personal
>usage, that you may or may not have had to deal with.  Because of my
>business:
>
>*  I need to be able to access an IBM Mainframe [a.k.a., 
>   System z] via the TSO interface.  [If you are familiar
>   with this environment, then you also understand the
>   term/tool ISPF.]  I've been told that IBM's PCConnection
>   [PCom] has a Linux version.  I don't think there is a
>   MAC version.
>
>*  I must be able to run a COBOL and a PL/I compiler that
>   has compatibility with the IBM mainframe compilers.
>   I know I can get a COBOL compiler that meets this
>   requirement.  Worst case, I believe that I can install
>   the IBM PL/I for Windoze using WINE on Linux, but I've
>   not tried it yet.
>
>*  I have a large number of REXX scripts that I use to build
>   parts of our product.  I'm sure file references will all
>   need to be modified, at least to some extent.  But, how
>   compatible is the rest of the REXX language on Linux?
>   Are there 'system functions' similar to what is available
>   in OS/2 to manipulate directories and file structures?
>
>*  We have four rather complex documents created and maintained
>   using WordPerfect V7.  [That was the last Win 3.1 compatible
>   level, so it works quite well under WinOS2.]  I know I can
>   at least read them into Open Office, but the formatting is
>   quite trashed.  I don't know what document processor(s) you
>   have used, or if you have any idea how WP works.  [I consider
>   WP to be the best and easiest to use word/document processor
>   around.  But, I'm the first to admit my experience with other
>   packages is limited. Giving up WP will be almost traumatic.]
>   No specific question, I guess; just looking for comments.
>   I've been told that WP will install under WINE reasonably
>   well.  [WP 2002 appears to be an exception, but others are
>   supposed to do OK.]