IBM’s OS/2 operating system was once lauded for its ability to run DOS and Windows applications. But, since the release of Windows 95, 32-bit Windows applications haven’t been supported. That situation may change soon. Connectix Corp. Tuesday unveiled Virtual PC for OS/2, along with product development and marketing help from software developer InnoTek Systemberatung GmbH and the distribution support of Serenity Systems. The software promises to let corporate users run both Windows and OS/2 applications on one PC. Using Connectix’s virtual machine technology, any x86 operating system can be loaded under the “host” operating system.
OS/2 Will Run Windows Applications Again
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Eugenia Loli
Ex-programmer, ex-editor in chief at OSNews.com, now a visual artist/filmmaker.
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I thought OS/2 was pretty much a foregone conclusion (moreso than everyone thinks for BeOS).
OS/2, despite lack of marketing appeal, despite IBM making every single mistake in the book for selling it… is still going strong. A larger installed user base than even the Macintosh, last count.
A fraction of those are for the desktop, however.
But to consider it dead (even tho it’s last release was 4.51, earlier this year) is questionable at best.
There is a way for OS/2 future – home computer for integrating small elecronivc devices such as PADs and MP3 players/notebooks. Stability and work without reinstalling – it’s more than windooze.
Why doesn’t IBM open source OS/2? As everyone sez, it allows users to run win16\dos apps, and even though it doesn’t (currently) run win32 apps it’s capable of running 32-bit applications (unless I misread that part somewhere) in native OS/2 form. I know that there are several projects to take advantage of the WinE project by porting it over to OS/2–why not go all the way (much like Gem and Caldera Dr Dos) and release the source code\make it GPL? I guarantee that would not only make Gates and Co shit bricks but it would expand OS/2’s desktop share and (once the open source crowd got a hold of things) it’d improve OS/2 even more so!
NOTE: I’m not a Penguin-Head, I just wish that there were ways that an average computer nut like myself could have an OS that’s 100% configurable, is able to run any app I throw at it and is just a tiny bit more crash resistant…
PS: oh yeah..some better driver support would be nice! I’d be using either Linux, Qnx, or Beos on my home machine right now if they’d support my hardware a little bit better…
” Using Connectix’s virtual machine technology, any x86 operating system can be loaded under the “host” operating system. ”
Hmm, that makes me wonder. Could a program like this be ported to other OSes, Linux or BeOS to allow for running Win32 applications?
I know there is Wine, but never have gotten much to run under it.