Autor: Gregorio Kus (Grego_at_RMnet.IT)
Data: Fri 08 Dec 1995 - 01:42:22 MET
On Thu, 7 Dec 1995 22:03:37 +0100 Andrzej Karpinski wrote:
[Grzegorz Stanislawski wrote]
>>Czy ktos cos wie na temat PowerPC (nie PowerMac)?
>>Mozliwosci, perspektywy, kiedy bedzie os/2 f. PPC, jak z emulacja dos'a,
>>windows, ile ich sprzedano juz w polsce itp.
>
>brak perspektyw, brak informacji, os/2 tylko beta, nie zawracalbym sobie
>glowy podobnymi wynalazkami :)
>
>karpio
Karpio, jak to ma w zwyczaju, formuuje sady bardzo kategoryczne.
Niestety - nawet jak czgos nie wie :-)
Perspektywy - sa/. Nie "tylko beta" lecz "JUZ beta".
WARP na PPC bedzie mial microkernel IBMa,
ktory to microkernel IBM zaczal juz sprzedawac.
I kupily licencje takie kolosy jak np. DEC.
Technologie takie jak microkernel i OpenDOC, to moim zdaniem
najwazniejsze i najciekawsze rzeczy w komputerologii w ostatnim czasie.
No chyba ze ktos uwaza ze swiat sie konczy na maszynowozaleznym
Win95 z jego obsranym OLE2
OLE!
OLE dwa - cza cza cza :-)
PPC jest na razie drogi ale tez IBM na razie nie robi personali
na procesorach Power. To sa serwery, a te kosztuja.
Developers beta WARP Connect for PowerPC ukaze sie moze jeszcze w tym roku.
A developers beta to juz nie sa zarty.
Kiedy IBM bedzie mial WARPa dla PowerPC zacznie sprzedawac rowniez
i personale z ta architektura. Ja, jesli tylko mnie bedzie na to stac -
przesiadam sie. I nic mnie nie obchodzi czy bedzie obslugiwal stare
aplikacje Win3.x Ja juz skasowalem obsluge Win w moim OS/2 i ustawilem
sobie w CONFIG.SYS parametr PROTECTONLY=YES. Oszczedzam w ten sposob
prawie magabajt pamieci a system zyskuje na stabilnosci. Jedyna rzecz
ktora mnie czasem troche wkurza, to gdy sobie kupie jakies czasopismo
komputerowe i jest do niego w prezencie CD (srednio 5 w miesiacu mam
takich darmowych CD). Czesto sa tam dema roznych ciekawych rzeczy
(encyklopedii, dziel multimedialnych ecc), a niestety da sie to puscic
z reguly wylacznie pod windoze. ALE TO SIE SKONCZY!!!
Zreszta co sie bede rozpisywal - zamiast tego przesylam wam polplotkarskie
polzartobliwe Nieoficjalne FAQ, aczkolwiek porownujac zawarte w nim
informacje z konkretnymi zrodlami, uwazam iz wiekszosc zawartych w nim
informacji jest prawdziwa lub wysoceprawdopodobna.
Dotyczy nie tylko Power PC lecz rowniez Merlina czy OS/2 v3.1, ktory
wydaje sie zawierac taka mase nowosci ze zaslugiwalby na nazwe OS/2 v4.0
Zeby nie bylo to zbyt dlugie [I tak jest :-) ]
wycialem czesc wstepu i mniej interesujace ogol informacje o
OS/2 FixPacks oraz Lotus WordPro, Freelance Graphics, and Striker.
Jesli chodzi o PowerPC to prosze szukac codenames Falcon i Hawk.
W tekscie sa rowniez wiadomosci na temat
>>jak z emulacja dos'a,
>>windows
The Highly Unofficial IBM OS/2 Beta FAQ v 0.02
==========================================================
Compiled and maintained by Kris Kwilas (kwilas_at_uiuc.edu).
[last updated 5/12/95]
- -------------------------------------------------------------------
This purpose of this FAQ is to attempt to cut down on the number of
repetitive postings in the comp.os.os2.xxx hierarchy.
[...]
This FAQ is completely unoffical and unsupported by IBM. Official
information about future releases and beta programs will probably
be found in comp.os.os2.beta and comp.os.os2.announce within minutes
of its release. IBM's official home page for beta-related information
is located at http://www.austin.ibm.com/pspinfo/betahome.html. Any
new information should also find its way there shortly after release.
Most information in this document should be considered speculation and
subject to change before release. Some information is from IBM
employees in public forums, some is from IBM press releases, and some
is conjecture from the vast USENET base and their many contacts(real,
imagined, and hallucinated) inside OS/2 and various ISV's.
At this point, I have tried to limit the FAQ to programs that I have
arbitrarily deemed of general interest. Information on other IBM PSP
beta programs(such as OS/2 DCE and DSS) is available from the IBM site
above. If you would like to see more information about a particular
topic(including ones not mentioned here), please drop me an email.
A Note on Naming
==========================================================
IBM has dropped the use of Star Trek codenames for the OS/2 Warp
Family. The current naming convention centers around birds of prey.
The codenames that I am currenly aware of are Merlin, Falcon, Eagle,
Talon, Striker, Raptor, and Hawk.
[...]
Contents
==========================================================
Merlin
OS/2 Warp SMP
Win32s support
[...]
OS/2 Warp Server for Intel
OS/2 Warp Connect for the PowerPC (Falcon)
OS/2 Warp Server for the PowerPC (Hawk)
Projects Eagle and Talon
Raptor
Merlin (aka Warp 2, aka OS/2 Warp 3.1, etc.)
==========================================================
Merlin is the code-name for the next Intel release of the OS/2 Warp
client. John Soyring has used "Merlin" in a posting on Compuserve,
so the name is at least semi-official.
Very little solid information about Merlin has been released. Three
screen shots of "the direction" IBM is heading with the Warp interface
were shown at Comdex. According to John Soyring, there are no plans
to make these screen shots available in the near future. Current plans
call for the release of Merlin sometime around mid-1996. If IBM follows
previous patterns, there will be a wide external beta sometime
before then. An informed _guess_ would be February/March.
*Until IBM announces an external beta program, there is no way most
people can finangle a beta copy. If you are a developer or a large
account, ask your local IBM rep. If an external beta program is
announced, you _will_ know about it if you monitor comp.os.os2.beta and
comp.os.os2.announce.*
- -----
What will probably be in Merlin? I am glad you asked . . .
- ----------------------------------------------------------
- - A fix for the Single Input Queue(see the FixPack 12 and 15 info below)
This _may_ show up in FixPack 15. _May_.
- - OpenDoc runtimes. No information about the OpenDoc enabling
of the applets/BonusPak has been announced. It would be a big deal
to rewrite all of them, but I expect that IBM will probably showcase
a little something. This OpenDoc support _should_ also give users the
ability to embed OLE 2.0 objects in OS/2 applications that support
OpenDoc. At the moment, it appears that companies and developers
are pushing hard for this.
- - Updated User Interface
- CUA94
- Irregularly shaped windows
- Notebooks enhanced with Lotus InfoBox technology
- Bitmap/gradient coloring of dialogs and toolboxes
- Rollup windows a la some Mac addons and some OS/2 utilities
- Translucent folder backgrounds
- It is also possible that the WPS will be OpenDoc-enabled.
Unfortunately, I have heard that the memory requirements for
this may be prohibitive.
- ???
- - Developer API Extensions. These have been known as DAX/DAPIE in the
press. See below under the Lotus products and FixPack 12 for more
information.
- - TrueDOS. This feature is already present in some preloaded machines.
Basically, you unload OS/2 and leave a stub in memory. Then, your
DOS application(or possibly Windows 95) that refuses to work under
OS/2
executes. When you are finished, OS/2 puts you where you left off.
This
feature appears to be dependent on all the drivers supporting the APM
specification. That is why this appeared first on preloads, as the
manufacturer has more control over the drivers.
- - Security hooks in the OS. It appears that Merlin will incorporate
C2 security extensions. However, the rumors I am hearing are that
these
will only be the hooks to allow third-party developers to C2-enable
the OS. No further information is available at this time. [
- - HPFS improvements. The rumor mill is going full time with these.
Since HPFS would need to be rewritten to a portable model for OS/2
Warp Connect for the PowerPC, it stands to reason that we will see
it on Intel in the near future. Rumored features include the
elimination
of the 2GB file limit, shorter CHKDSK times, and a dynamic cache.
[A beta of any new HPFS support _might_ be available in the next
month.]
- - Improved networking support. The WPS will be more network-aware.
Making
connections with other systems should also be streamlined. Expect to
find more of the networking code integrated into the base OS.
- - Enhanced multimedia support. DIVE will be extended to support
full-screen display. EnDIVE video drivers will utilize the hardware
acceleration features of modern video cards to enhance video display
even further. Interested in playing Doom/2 at a frame rate even
faster than that in DOS? Direct Audio Real-Time(DART) audio drivers
should be included for _much_ faster access to the audio subsystem.
Software MPEG(via DIVE) and a standard mixer are also likely
candidates
for inclusion.
- - 3D graphics support via OpenGL and BRender. OpenGL will probably
be used most in high-end applications. BRender is intended for games.
- - ObjectREXX. [Description to follow. I do not know how I forgot
this one last time.]
- - Improved Plug and Play support
- - Improved installation routines
What might be in Merlin?
- ------------------------
? There are rumors that Merlin will include a new file system. This
may or may not be based on the Journaled File System(JFS) used on AIX
machines. The JFS in AIX maintains a "journal" of what the file
system will be doing in the future(i.e. pending write requests). After
the write request is serviced, the journal is updated to reflect this.
This allows the file system to recover from problems like OS crashes
better. [Note, if someone could send me a better description for what
JFS does, I would appreciate it]. A second possibility for a "new"
file system would be a journaled file system based on HPFS386. [Anyone
know anything about "the Andrew File System"?]
? Merlin may also include a set of communications API functions along
the lines of TAPI in Windows. With any luck, this will also mean IBM
will define a common address book/contact manager as part of the OS.
? It is likely that Lotus cc:Mail will replace UltiMail/2 Lite
as the mail client. This is consistent with the intentions stated
by IBM after their purchase of Lotus. A new revision of cc:Mail
would include support for POP amd SMTP as well as cc:Mail Post
Offices.
? Expect to see a Notes Client bundled with the base OS. It is a good
bet that it will be a full client that would allow development of
custom applications provided you have a server. No additional
information is available.
? Merlin _may_ include dual-processor SMP support out of the box. See
the OS/2 Warp SMP section for additional information.
? An explicit option for NUMLOCK settings. ;-)
What will not be in Merlin?
- ---------------------------
x The IBM Microkernel. Merlin is based on the current OS/2 Warp kernel.
While this may very well be the last version of OS/2 tied specifically
to the Intel platform, as of this point in time Merlin is Intel
specific. Expect to see a revision of OS/2 Warp Connect for the
PowerPC
shortly after the release of Merlin that updates the PPC UI, etc.
x Support for Win32 binaries. IBM has stated that they will not
be supporting Win32 binaries unless customers demand warrants it. In
the
meantime, developers can utilize the DAPIE extensions to maintain a
high
degree of code commonality that will allow them to easily recompile
for Win32 or OS/2.
x Support for Macintosh applications. Merlin will not support Macintosh
applications.
OS/2 Warp SMP
==========================================================
While OS/2 2.11 for Symmetric MultiProcessing machines has existed for
well over a year, an equivalent OS/2 Warp version has not been released.
Speculation would suggest that this is due to a relative scarcity of
SMP-enabled machines. Now, with the release of systems based on the
Intel APIC(Advanced Programmable Interrupt Controller) specification,
IBM can release a more generic version of OS/2 Warp SMP for use on those
platforms.
There is still some confusion about what kernel OS/2 Warp SMP is based
on. [If anyone knows _for_certain_, please email me if possible.]
In a discussion about many things on Compuserve, John Soyring had this
to say about a request for dual-processor SMP support in the base
package(21/7/95):
"Our product planning team recognizes the value of supporting the dyadic
processors that we expect to start appearing in the coming months."
A demonstration of OS/2 Warp SMP was being run by DFI at Comdex. The
only information I have about that demo is a possible contact - John
Matlock VP Marketing matlock_at_dfiusa.com.
The current target date for OS/2 Warp SMP appears to be 1Q96.
Updated Win32s support
==========================================================
IBM is currently conducting a beta of Win32s 1.25 application support.
Unfortunately, this beta version does not support the newest
revision(1.30) of Win32s. The newest revision of Win32s adds the
Windows 95 common controls and dialogs. Hopefully, this will be a
release that will be around long enough for IBM to implement support
without Microsoft changing the underlying specification.
Several people have said to expect a new revision of the driver in
the near future.
OS/2 Warp Server
==========================================================
OS/2 Warp Server builds on the proven combination of OS/2 Warp and
OS/2 LAN Server 4.0. OS/2 Warp Server includes an integrated
installation procedure, system management features previously available
separately, an excellent backup mechanism(with a killer UI!), a remote
access server, advanced print functionality, and improved networking
support(including a combination of Dynamic DHCP and Dynamic DNS dubbed
Dynamic IP).
There will initially be two versions of OS/2 Warp Server - Entry and
Advanced. Advanced will include HPFS386 as well as being architected
and configured for support of up to 1000 client machines per server.
Entry will include regular HPFS and is designed for smaller networks.
[Please let me know if I screwed up these numbers.]
OS/2 Warp Server is also slated to include SMP capability(for at least
two processors) after release. According to John Soyring(30/11/95):
"We are still in development with the SMP version of OS/2 Warp
Server. No one is yet authorized to demo it publicly as all of the
development work is not yet complete. The SMP capability is definitely
not in beta test nor gamma test."
OS/2 Warp Server is currently undergoing a large external beta program
that began in early September. According to the information I received
from IBM, there will be a second beta in mid-December. It does not
appear that previous(paying) testers will receive free copies. However,
I would assume that all BESTeam members will get the new code(at the
very least).
OS/2 Warp Server is slated for a 1Q96 release.
Ordering information for Beta 2
- -------------------------------
To order the IBM OS/2 Warp Server in the United States call
1-800-393-8922. A cost of $15.95 will be charged to cover shipping
and handling.
In Europe, Middle-East and Africa, use IBM order part number 53H7939
and telephone one of the following numbers at IBM SMS in Denmark to
place your order :
English ( +45-48101500 ) Italian ( +45-48101600 )
Dutch ( +45-48101400 ) Spanish ( +45-48101100 )
French ( +45-48101200 ) Danish ( +45-48101300 )
Norwegian( +45-48101250 ) Swedish ( +45-48101150 )
German ( +45-48101000 ) Finnish ( +45-48101650 )
Fascimile( +45-48142207 )
Additional information on the Warp Server Beta II and full order
instructions for Europe are available on the World Wide Web at:
http://www.europe.ibm.com/getdoc/psmemea/progserv/beta
OS/2 Warp Connect for the PowerPC (Falcon)
==========================================================
[This section will be getting a lot of revision in the near future.]
So far, this product has generated nearly as much vapor as Windows 95.
However, the press has not been fawning over it like they were over
Windows 95.
OS/2 Warp Connect for the PowerPC(Falcon) is the first commercial
release of a product built on the IBM Microkernel(v1.0). Think of the
microkernel as the base upon which the rest of the "OS" is built. The
microkernel can serve as a base to multiple things at once(for instance
OS/2 and a UNIX personality of some sort). By writing portable code
for the "OS" portions, a vendor(such as IBM) can easily port their
products to another platform that supports the IBM Microkernel.
Currently, the IBM Microkernel runs on the Intel and PowerPC platforms.
There will probably be a "Developers Release" of OS/2 Warp Connect
for the PowerPC by the end of 1995. This version will probably
lack networking support, and will only be available preloaded on
IBM PowerPC machines.
Developers can simply recompile their 32-bit Intel OS/2 applications and
immediately have access to another platform. This process can take from
hours to several weeks, depending on the amount of non-portable Intel
specific code in the application. I also have one testimonial of a
developer recompiling in NINE minutes. Evidentally, one line of code
had to be commented out.
Sometime in 1996, version 1.1 of OS/2 Warp Connect for the PowerPC will
be released. This version will incorporate improved networking support.
Depending on the time frame, this version of Falcon may also include
the Merlin UI.
In late 1996, early 1997, there will be a converged Intel/PowerPC
OS/2 release based on the microkernel. This version of OS/2 should have
complete feature parity. This evolution of the Warp family to the
MicroKernel has been laid out for several years. Off the record, some
IBMers have been saying since the release of Warp that "the next
release"(i.e. Merlin) would be the last version to use the monolithic
Intel kernel.
OS/2 Warp Server for the PowerPC (Hawk)
==========================================================
Hawk appears to be the codename for the initial release of Warp Server
for the PowerPC. A PCWeek article dated 11/27/95 stated that IBM has
shelved this product. Since the rumors of OS/2's death are greatly
exaggerated and all the information in the article was from "unnamed
sources," I would tend to doubt this. The last I heard(months ago), the
intention was to release Hawk by the end of 1996. Information on this
product is sketchy at best. I would not expect to see a beta before
the GA of OS/2 Warp Connect for the PowerPC 1.1(with the networking
support).
Followup(5/12/95): I have been in communication with five IBMers who
assure me that Hawk is alive and well. The holdup is the OS that it
will run on - OS/2 Warp Connect for the PowerPC. The PCWeek article only
had one direct quote from an attributable IBM employee. That quote
happened to be denying that Hawk(or OS/2 for the PowerPC in general)
was being pulled. Why Mary Jo Foley even bothered to put that in the
article is beyond me.
Projects Eagle and Talon
==========================================================
IBM's Project Eagle is not one specific product. Eagle is IBM's strategy
to compete more directly with BackOffice and to emphasize the wide
range of solutions that IBM can provide.
Eagle will consist of "server stacks" that can be added onto your
servers. Do you need a Transaction Processing Server and a Secure
Internet Server? No problem. Add them on top of the base server package,
OS/2 Warp Server and AIX are two of the initial server platforms, and
you will be all set. If you need a Communications or DSS server in the
future, just build upon the common base. Many of these servers already
exist. This strategy combines them into a single/multiple product that
emphasizes IBM as a solutions provider.
It is my understanding that Eagle refers only to the server stacks
for OS/2 Warp Server(both Intel and PowerPC versions). However, the
server stacks strategy also applies to the RS/6000 and AS/400 platforms
via AIX and OS/400 respectively. [Jump on me if I am wrong.]
Talon is an integrated package of server stacks consisting of an
OS/2 Warp Server or AIX base, a communications Server, a database
Server, and a workgroup Server. [Let me know if I missed anything
or if Talon has gone away.]
Raptor
==========================================================
Raptor is probably the codename for the Taligent/CommonPoint Frameworks
for OS/2. IBM has been very tight-lipped about their plans for the
CommonPoint technology. Some of it should be finding its way into
the base operating system in the Merlin release. In fact, if you
dig into the Warp Server beta installation, \OS2\Install\SysLevel.suc
contains the text "SM20004_SM20003_SOMobjects Taligent Collection
Classes." It also appears that the application of FixPack 12 causes
SYSLEVEL to report some components as being from Taligent.
==========================================================
-- /---------------------------------------------------------- Gregorio Kus Grego_at_RMnet.it gkus_at_envirolink.org
To archiwum zostało wygenerowane przez hypermail 2.1.7 : Tue 18 May 2004 - 12:28:05 MET DST