OS/2 for Windows: The Scoop (Repost)
Timothy F. Sipples
Frequently Asked Questions List. I have made every attempt to include
accurate information, but corrections, as they are discovered, may be
made in the near future.]
(0.4) Special Report on OS/2 for Windows
----------------------------------------
On November 9, IBM announced widespread, on-the-shelf availability in
the United States of its newest software product, OS/2 for Windows.
OS/2 for Windows is the newest member of the OS/2 family, joining OS/2
2.1 and OS/2 2.1 Upgrade Edition in satisfying the growing demands of
PC users for a more powerful yet easy to use environment. This newest
member is specifically targeted at current Windows users who are
becoming frustrated with the limitations of their aging 16-bit
operating environment. It offers a smooth, low cost way of upgrading
today to take advantage of the future technologies that all pundits
acknowledge will matter tomorrow.
OS/2 for Windows is no stripped down sibling; it contains all the
features found in its bigger brothers. Those features include true
preemptive multitasking, multithreading, advanced memory management,
Adobe Type Manager, the drag-and-drop ease of the object-oriented
Workplace Shell (or the familiar Windows Program Manager, if desired),
state-of-the-art multimedia (including the best software motion video
technology for the PC), support for long filenames through the High
Performance File System (HPFS), and superb compatibility with DOS,
Windows, and OS/2 software. In fact, OS/2 for Windows shares the same
base OS/2 2.1 code as its brothers.
However, IBM has designed OS/2 for Windows to be a true Windows
upgrade. That means that the Windows compatibility code, Win-OS/2,
found in OS/2 2.1 has been removed. The installation program has been
modified so that OS/2 for Windows will install over a system which
already has DOS 5.x (or later) with Microsoft Windows 3.1 installed
(including OEM and national language versions).
** How does OS/2 for Windows manage to work this magic?
The installation program in OS/2 for Windows modifies certain Windows
files just enough so that Windows 3.1 is compatible with the new OS/2
environment. However, OS/2 for Windows preserves the existing
DOS/Windows setup through DualBoot. In other words, the modified
version of Windows 3.1 will still execute under regular DOS just as it
always did, and OS/2 for Windows will let you switch back and forth at
will, much as you do now when switching between Windows and DOS. Yet
you still use Microsoft's Windows code to run your Windows
applications regardless of whether you do so under DOS or under OS/2
for Windows. It's like giving your copy of Windows an upgrade without
getting rid of the old version (should you need it).
** Why is IBM producing a special Windows upgrade?
IBM is producing OS/2 for Windows for several reasons. First, since
OS/2 for Windows uses your existing copy of Microsoft Windows 3.1 for
Windows compatibility, IBM does not have to pay royalties to Microsoft
for use of the code. That means that IBM can ship OS/2 for Windows at
a lower price (with fewer diskettes) than regular OS/2 2.1 -- you do
not have to pay twice for the same code.
Moreover, IBM believes there is a large market among Windows users who
are frustrated with their current environment. Most of those users do
not believe that Microsoft's NT (with tremendous hardware requirements
and a price tag of $300 and up) is a viable upgrade, and many of those
users are not willing to wait until Microsoft attempts to offer
equivalent functionality some time in the future.
** What media sizes are available, and how much will OS/2 for Windows cost?
OS/2 for Windows is available in four packages: 3.5 inch diskettes
(IBM Part No. 71G5391), 5.25 inch diskettes (71G5392), CD-ROM
(71G5395), and without media (additional license certificate,
71G5397). Street prices in the United States are expected to be $49
to $59 for either of the diskette packages, $39 to $49 for the CD-ROM
package, and $29 to $39 for an additional license. (You would pay
more for a Windows desktop replacement or accessory!)
** At those prices, what about toll free technical support?
IBM will provide exactly the same toll free technical support to OS/2
for Windows customers as it does its regular OS/2 customers, that is,
60 days of toll free technical support per copy purchased starting
from the first call. (Outside the United States, support policies may
differ.) In addition, all the other support vehicles are available
indefinitely (such as BBSes, CompuServe, etc).
** Will OS/2 for Windows support "seamless" mode? Enhanced mode?
VxDs? Win32s?
While operating under OS/2 for Windows, both "seamless" and enhanced
modes are supported. (Seamless Windows is the ability to execute
Windows applications on the OS/2 Workplace Shell desktop. Enhanced
mode is the default Windows mode on 386 or higher processors and is
required by certain Windows applications.) VxDs, or Windows virtual
drivers, are not supported while executing under OS/2 for Windows and,
by implication, neither is Win32s. Only a tiny number (four at last
count) of applications require one or both of these features.
(Microsoft NT, in fact, does not support VxDs at all.) Again, OS/2
for Windows preserves an existing Windows 3.1 setup, so such
applications, if absolutely necessary, can be run under DOS/Windows.
On the other hand, OS/2 for Windows allows Windows users to run any of
the thousands of OS/2 applications available (none of which are
available to users running DOS with Windows, NT, or any other
environment except OS/2).
Should VxD and/or Win32s support become important in the future, IBM
has stated that it will support these technologies.
** If I do not have a copy of Microsoft Windows 3.1, can I install
OS/2 for Windows and use it to run DOS and OS/2 applications?
Yes! While OS/2 for Windows is designed primarily for people
upgrading from Windows, it will install if you have DOS alone on your
hard disk. You will not be able to run Windows applications within
OS/2 for Windows, however. When used as a DOS upgrade, you might
think of OS/2 for Windows as "OS/2 WOW": OS/2 WithOut Windows. [NOTE:
This information directly contradicts the official IBM announcement
letter. It is believed to be correct, however.]
** If I install OS/2 for Windows on a DOS-only system, and I later
decide I need support for Windows applications, can I install Windows
3.1?
Yes! When you install OS/2 for Windows on a DOS-only system, the
DualBoot facility (for switching between native DOS and OS/2 for
Windows) is provided by default. To add Windows 3.1 to a system with
OS/2 for Windows already installed, simply DualBoot into native DOS,
install Windows 3.1, DualBoot back into OS/2 for Windows, then use
Selective Install to "migrate" Windows 3.1. (Precise instructions
should be available in the OS/2 for Windows package.) [NOTE: This
information is not stated (or implied) in the official IBM
announcement letter. It is believed to be correct, however.]
** If I have to install OS/2 for Windows over a DOS/Windows system,
how do I use HPFS?
OS/2 for Windows itself may be installed on a High Performance File
System (HPFS) formatted volume, but Windows 3.1 must reside on a DOS
File Allocation Table (FAT) volume (since DOS cannot read and write to
HPFS). Since DOS (and Windows when it is installed and running under
DOS) requires a FAT (File Allocation Table) file system, and since
OS/2 for Windows needs the existing Windows code on your hard disk to
provide Windows application compatibility, the part of your hard disk
which holds Windows 3.1 must be FAT. Other parts of your hard disk
(including the section holding OS/2 for Windows itself) may be
formatted to HPFS if you wish. If you have no intention of ever
running Windows 3.1 under native DOS, you can back up any FAT volumes
(using OS/2 backup software), repartition/reformat for HPFS, then
restore. (This procedure is recommended only for those users who are
reasonably familiar with OS/2.)
** Can I still use OS/2's Boot Manager?
Yes, Boot Manager may be used provided there is unpartitioned space
available on the hard disk. Repartitioning may be required (using the
FDISK utility supplied with OS/2 for Windows) if this is not the case.
** Can I still use MS-DOS's DoubleSpace?
IBM recommends that DoubleSpace users either (a) move files off
DoubleSpace drives completely and get rid of DoubleSpace, or (b)
purchase Stacker for OS/2 and DOS along with OS/2 for Windows, to
provide on-the-fly disk compression under both environments (and allow
conversion of DoubleSpace volumes). Users may keep DoubleSpace
compressed files, but such files will not be accessible while inside
OS/2 for Windows.
** Are there any extra drivers included with OS/2 for Windows?
Yes. With OS/2 2.1, users of S3-based video cards have to download a
driver disk for support. The S3 driver diskette is included inside
the OS/2 for Windows box.
** Will OS/2 for Windows require separate Service Paks?
No. OS/2 for Windows will use the same Service Paks, when available,
as OS/2 2.1.
** I already have OS/2 2.1. What does OS/2 for Windows do for me?
There are minimal functional differences. OS/2 for Windows brings the
power of OS/2 in a lower cost package to a key audience. Windows
users are now even more inclined to experience OS/2 technology for
themselves. The most substantial difference is that the "About"
dialog boxes in Windows, even when running under OS/2 for Windows,
still say Microsoft (and do not betray IBM influence as those in
Win-OS/2 do). So, if you have regular OS/2 2.1 or OS/2 2.1 Upgrade
Edition, relax and watch as a new wave of new users join you in the
OS/2 world. For future purchases, you may wish to consider OS/2 for
Windows (as either a DOS or Windows upgrade).
** Will there be an upgrade to OS/2 for Windows from regular OS/2 2.1
or OS/2 2.1 Upgrade Edition?
No. OS/2 for Windows is another member of the OS/2 family and is
designed primarily as an upgrade for Windows users (and for DOS users
who are not concerned about Windows compatibility). It is not an
upgrade (nor for that matter a downgrade) for OS/2 2.1 users.
** What will happen to regular OS/2 2.1 and OS/2 2.1 Upgrade Edition?
Both regular OS/2 2.1 and OS/2 2.1 Upgrade Edition will continue to be
sold alongside OS/2 for Windows (possibly in even greater numbers than
before). Regular OS/2 2.1 is designed as IBM's premier operating
system for new PCs -- PCs purchased without any operating system
whatsoever. OS/2 2.1 Upgrade Edition is intended for those PC users
who do not have a copy of Microsoft Windows 3.1 but who run DOS or for
those who are running a previous version of OS/2. Both regular OS/2
2.1 and OS/2 2.1 Upgrade Edition include built-in Windows application
support (Win-OS/2). (OS/2 2.1 is also slightly more convenient for
those users who wish to run with only HPFS, or for those users at
larger sites who perform such tasks as OS/2 remote installation and
maintenance.)
** How do I order OS/2 for Windows?
IBM will sell OS/2 for Windows directly through its toll free
telephone number (800-3-IBM-OS2), but you really ought to ask your
local software vendor (Egghead, Software Etc., Babbages, or wherever)
for a copy. Prices from dealers should be lower than those offered by
IBM directly. Availability will vary by country, so consult your
local IBM dealer if you happen to live outside the United
States.
--
Timothy F. Sipples | READ the OS/2 Frequently Asked Questions List
si...@kimbark.uchicago.edu | 2.1C, available from 192.153.46.2, anonymous
Dept. of Econ., Univ. | ftp, in /pub/os2/all/info/faq.
of Chicago, 60637 | OS/2: The World's Most Popular Way to 32 Bits
The Illustrious Brian W. Brown
answer the question that several people have asked:
Will Seamless Windows be supported?
If not, the whole thing seems rather silly, especially considering that
a full-screen Win-OS2 session runs in a DOS box anyway. If so, everything
seems great, and hopefully we'll get more people using OS/2!
--
c=========* _____
c=========* (-----------) OS/2 2.1!
\\ /// ~~~~~
?########-C bbr...@willamette.edu (Brian W. Brown)
Wesleyan Hsu
>Well, that was a pretty neat addition to the FAQ, but it still doesn't
>answer the question that several people have asked:
> Will Seamless Windows be supported?
Directly from the post:
>** Will OS/2 for Windows support "seamless" mode? Enhanced mode?
>VxDs? Win32s?
>
>While operating under OS/2 for Windows, both "seamless" and enhanced
>modes are supported.
Maybe you should pay more attention to what you read.
Wes Hsu
Johns Hopkins U
Dept.of.ECE