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- Newsgroups: comp.os.os2.programmer
- Path: sparky!uunet!caen!hellgate.utah.edu!jensen.cs.utah.edu!brian
- From: brian%jensen.cs.utah.edu@cs.utah.edu (Brian Sturgill)
- Subject: Can someone at IBM please explain why developers should develop for OS/2?
- Date: 24 Jul 92 18:28:22 MDT
- Message-ID: <1992Jul24.182822.24148@hellgate.utah.edu>
- Organization: University of Utah CS Dept
- Lines: 259
-
-
- I've debated for sometime with myself whether I should write this message, but
- as yesterday I finally discover that the >$700 development tool set we
- bought from IBM -- DOES NOT HAVE A PROFILER, I decided I really did need to
- write this. (Yes, I know they now sell the tools for $295, but then
- that's about what they're worth -- and we paid >$700 -- guess that's
- what we get for being anxious to develop for OS/2.)
- I ask that somebody from IBM please post this on you internal bulletin board.
- And I really do expect a response, preferably from someone fairly high up,
- and preferably addressed to developers in general, not just me.
-
- This posting reflects my personal opinion, and not necessarily that of the
- University of Utah, or the spin-off company associated with the research
- group I work for.
-
- The following is a description of my adventures in trying to develop
- a product for OS/2 2.0, and more recently for Windows NT.
-
- Back in late January, I started following closely comp.os.os2*. It seemed
- like the "impossible" was about to happen. OS/2, which always looked
- good on paper, was about to have a good implementation. Further all that
- 286 nonsense had been dropped. I had only just gotten back into the PC
- world a few months before as I saw in Windows 3.X that finally PC's were
- beginning to get "usable" (read capability near the level of UNIX), and seeing
- as they already had neat stuff of their own (good word processors, cheap but
- still real database support, great games, full-featured GUI's [X is not
- full-featured]), that the capabilities
- of Windows combined with the power of the ever cheaper 386/486's meant
- the world was about to change, and that UNIX may have missed its chance.
-
- Our research group is mainly UNIX based, and so I got quite a bit of
- fun-style "abuse", in doing this... and when I announced that OS/2 2.0
- was "almost as good as UNIX, better in some ways" the response was somewhat
- more than skeptical. Still things looked good enough that we decided to
- postpone some work I had scheduled for Windows 3.X, and push on to OS/2 2.0,
- as that was clearly a better platform for our product.
- So far so good. Finally a non-toy operating system in the PC world.
-
- In early February I started trying to contact IBM. For whatever reason
- the people in Boca were not answering the phone. A month later I was finally
- able to start development, using EMX and a copy of the LA release a local IBM
- guy gave me -- it was his personal copy. You see I committed the great sin
- of not having an SE, and thus never seemed to be able to land the real thing.
-
- Finally at the end of March I had gotten through to the EEP program, and for
- a not particularly cheap fee was able to get docs, the 6.304 beta, and the
- beta WorkSet Tools. In the interim, closely following USENET and Compuserve
- postings, I did as I was told and purchased OS/2 1.3 in order to get a free
- upgrade to 2.0 as this would be the "fastest way" to get a copy of OS/2 2.0 GA.
- We spend about $1,000 on beta stuff to this point.
-
- Well fortunately I won a copy at the local roll-out event, or it might have
- been another two months before I got one... more on this later.
-
- April 6th or so I sent in my "Proof of License" to get my 1.3 upgraded to 2.0.
-
- Around this same time I found a company "800 software" that not only
- knew what OS/2 2.0 was, but even had good enough contacts with IBM to figure
- out how to place an order for the WorkSet (for some odd reason the beta
- was very restricted and the license expired only 30 days after the GA release.)
- The workset cost >$700, and did not include new copies of the programming docs.
- I decided to live with the beta copies of the docs, we had spent enough
- (I had to upgrade disk and memory to run OS/2, not a biggee, but an expense
- none the less.) God, I hate waiting so long for these shipments!
- Hasn't IBM heard of 2-day air? Why won't the take purchase orders?
-
- Also around this time I finally got the DAP to answer the phone, they sent
- me an application, but as I'm kind of in the middle of things by then
- I never got around to filling out the forms. Besides I couldn't get anybody
- to tell me how much it costs! I still have the forms, somebody
- want to convince me why I should fill them out?
-
- In late April it all came together, the work was well under way, OS/2 2.0 GA,
- while definitely released too soon, was quite usable. Rumor had it that it
- was selling well and the advertising would start any day now, I was happy
- because in June or July there would be a CSD that would fix everything, etc,
- etc. A free copy of OS/2 2.0 came in, apparently the beta kit entitled you
- to one. The price of the WorkSet went down to $295... oh well, sometimes
- you lose.
-
- In May was when I first started having my doubts. I finally had enough stuff
- that I needed TCP/IP access for my PC, 800-Software helped me find the TCP/IP,
- and I anxiously awaited it. I waited and waited and waited, several weeks later
- it came in and did not work... no problem -- the net said there was a CSD
- so I called the OS/2 tech support line. They didn't know what TCP/IP was
- -- after much fussing around (and many hours lost) I finally got in touch
- with the proper people and (after explaining to them how the OS/2 2.0 install
- can be aborted for maintenance [bad training... it's a shame there were
- eager to learn about OS/2 2.0]), they promptly sent me the CSD, but I would
- not be able to use NFS.
- During this process, I was harassed a couple of times because I had a clone
- with an AT bus, but I said to myself, it will change, IBM is big, it takes
- a while to get the word out that clones are not persona non-grata anymore,
- the training will eventually catch up, etc.
-
- Time goes on, I still don't have my 1.3 upgrade, I consider calling, but
- in my experience that always leads to a bad day(s) and I've got better things
- to do.
-
- I had assumed that with the beta tools, that they were slow because of debug
- code... Wrong... this compiler's a dog.
-
- In June... finally TCP/IP 1.2.1 -- I really need NFS!!!
- I hastily send in my "proofs of license" and expect to WAIT.
- Well I did wait, but not that long a week or two and it came -- Yes! things
- are finally getting better at IBM. Oh, but wait they left out my NFS!
- Well I'll call them... hmmm.... no number on the invoice... check the original
- letter -- no number there either Yikes!!!! I call the local office
- TCP/IP? what's that? Who's my SE? I DON'T HAVE NO STINKING SE!!!!
- I yell loud enough somebody gives me the number of the IBM Customer
- Satisfaction Number... great this should work. I call, tell them my
- problem (also complain about lack of 2-day air shipment, and also lack of
- taking a purchase order). Yes sir, we'll get back to you on this by tomorrow
- afternoon... a week goes by...
- Sigh... well there's some nice guys from IBM on USENET...
- Finally I get some help.. John Gunther answers my letter. If IBM gives
- awards for service above and beyond this guy deserves one. Not only
- did he Air Express a copy of NFS to me, but he got the Order Fulfillment
- Center to cough-up the official copy.
-
- Still I'm greatly disturbed at IBM, they've had enough time to get things
- straightened out... is there a Customer Satisfaction Center for the
- Customer Satisfaction Center I quip to J. Gunther via e-mail?
-
- Also in June... the projects mostly there... I turn on the optimizer...
- Gak!!! it screws up loop expression-extraction optimization.
- I loose a week trying to get around the problems... decide I'll just have
- to live without optimization... I don't call IBM!!! -- I'd lose another week.
-
- Late June: I put a posting in the OS/2 developers forum on CompuServe
- asking about how to get documentation on writing an installable file system
- for OS/2 2.0. I want to write a system that uses a serial line to
- remotely access files, and want it well integrated. Also a friend of mine
- has developed a new filesystem technology and wants to explore putting it
- into OS/2 2.0. I still haven't got a response.
-
- Early July.... I decide at the last minute to attend the Windows NT Developer
- Conference -- it should be a good platform for our product too, if/when
- Microsoft delivers, it should be as good as OS/2, maybe they'll even clean
- up some of the grundge that's accumulated in the API's.
-
- July 5th -- Arrive in San Francisco... go to the registration... wow I've
- never seen so many nerds in one room... am I at home here or what? :-)
- I break out the OS/2 pin I got at the local roll-out and stick it through
- my name badge. Can't have MS think they've got it all!!
-
- July 6th -- The NT Dev Conf begins. Wow did I ever misjudge NT... it's
- clearly superior to OS/2 2.0, and it really exists, they're giving me a copy.
- Wow, I'm using on a system that's running NT... God... I only get it to
- crash once! This thing's as stable as OS/2 LA (LA not GA), though the
- DOS and 16 bit windows support is still weak... but then they aren't even
- trying to come out before December. My head slumps to the monitor screen...
- I remove the OS/2 pin from my name badge.
-
- July 7th -- Dave Cutler speaks first... gives good detail about NT's design
- -- wow I didn't know MS could design that solid... amazing.. at mid-day
- I decide UNIX is going to lose too. I call my wife and have her cancel
- that copy of OS/2 2.0 ObjectVision we were about to buy, we'll clearly
- be running NT at home... and the TCP/IP and file/printer sharing comes for free.
- (I have two systems at home, both running OS/2 2.0 and TCP/IP that I paid for
- out of my own pocket... sigh.. I guess I just have to take the loss).
-
- July 8th -- I _buy_ a Microsoft tee shirt... In general the prospect of
- Microsoft ruling the world makes me nervous but damn it, this product looks
- too good too pass up. And Microsoft is treating developers
- (even small ones like me) like kings. While the conference was $795,
- it was well worth the money... I get a copy of NT, several extra CD-ROM with
- stuff. They sign me up for a developer support program automatically where I
- get CD-ROMS of helpful stuff occasionally. The conference is extremely well
- planned... Microsoft was very open... listening to what people had to say.
- Giving out net addresses of employees. Good detail on the design of NT.
- They're being very careful to say what's there now... what comes in September,
- what is future plans... How can I find fault with this?
- They were thoughtful enough to _AIR_FREIGHT_ me the 30 pounds of extra
- documents so I didn't have to carry them through the airport.
- The NT CD has a complete development environment -- C AND C++.
- I'll get updates of both docs and CD's up until the commercial release, when
- I'll get a copy of all the commercial stuff, but the C/C++ compiler...
- what a deal!!! And my friends and colleagues can get copies too for
- only $69/$399 depending on whether or not the want hard copies of the docs.
-
- July 9th -- Arrive home, check mail at work... I've got a letter from IBM
- containing the "proof of license" from the 1.3 package saying that I forgot
- to check which diskette size I wanted! Three full months after I send it
- in. Well -- at least the didn't lose it! :-) (I still don't have my
- copy of GA from the 1.3 upgrade.)
-
- My product has now entered beta, and some of my testers were noticing
- some real slowness problems. No problem.. I'll run the offending program
- through the profiler... wonder what it's called... WHAT! NO PROFILER!!!
-
- Surely you can see my point... were it not for the fact I'm already
- in beta I would have to very seriously consider switching to doing a version
- for NT only... How many other developers are facing the same situation... plenty
- I'm sure. It's not that OS/2 2.0 is bad, it's that IBM bureaucracy sucks!
-
- What I as a developer want from IBM:
- IBM to start providing information on OS/2 in a timely open manner.
- Questions on Compuserve should always be answered, and in
- a timely manner. Generalized sales figures should be released,
- users and developers should know where things stand. If they
- are not released, then IBM shouldn't complain if people assume
- the worst.
- IBM should have provided a good, working, tested development
- environment with C and C++ at at a reasonable price, from day
- one... WITH ALL THE PROGRAMMING DOCS (at least on-line), and
- the hard copies of docs AT COST.
- It simply can't be in IBM's interest to try to make money
- off of documents for developers, it only leads to people
- making due with as little as possible.
- I want a PROFILER, and I want it two weeks ago!
- I want a working optimizer two months ago.
- RESPONSIVE customer/developer support.
- IBM to start shipping (possibly for a small extra fee) by 2-day air.
- IBM to accept purchase orders.
- Super-VGA (and others) drivers... it doesn't matter that they have to
- be written by the card manufactures... IBM
- should have provided proper encouragement IN ADVANCE!
- The NT pre-beta is shipping with more drivers than what comes
- with OS/2 2.0 GA.
- I am very tired of 640x480 16.
- IBM to start promoting OS/2... PS/2 television commercial and magazine
- advertising is not OS/2 advertising. I have never owned
- a PS/2, few people I know do (systems that will be obsolete
- in 3 years don't have to be built like
- presidential bomb shelters), and I probably will never own
- a PS/2... that doesn't mean I don't like OS/2.
- Emphasizing PS/2s over OS/2 will simply kill both.
- IBM to either give me an SE, or quit asking me who he/she is!
- IBM to get that "June" CSD out the door -- working and complete.
- IBM to somehow get tutorial documentation for 2.0 published.
- Where are the third party books? I swear it's easier to
- find out about NT that it is OS/2, and NT isn't even
- a product yet. Does IBM not have an equivalent of MS-PRESS?
- IBM to present their plans openly. In this month's Computer Shopper
- there is an article saying that IBM has said that they are
- deemphasizing OS/2 for Pink and that full OS/2 - Pink
- integration will occur later... perhaps in 1995.
- If this is true, and I've been mislead about the positioning
- of OS/2 I might develop for the Apple-side of Pink... but
- IBM can count me out. I can tell you (with large grains
- of salt being necessary of course) where Microsoft will be
- for the next 2 years. I have no idea where OS/2 will be.
- I simultaneously see IBM saying that OS/2 will be portable
- and have symmetric multiprocessing by November... yet another
- part saying as of two months ago it was not decided if OS/2 3.0
- will be based on NT or Mach (now it's Mach I'm told).
- It is impossible for any company that does not know which such
- OS they're using as a base in May, to have a delivered product
- in November.
-
- Sincerely,
-
- Brian Sturgill
- (801) 581-5591
- brian@cs.utah.edu (Internet address, my preferred contact point)
- CompuServe: 70363,1373 (personal)
- CompuServe: 76300,3115 (U of U)
- (Spin off company account setup still in progress)
-