3 ms·

ArcaOS 5.1.2 (based on OS/2 Warp 4.52) now available

48 points by speckx 8mo ago

koutakun 8mo ago
Who is the target audience for this? I can't imagine that many modern applications support OS/2 the way that they support e.g. MorphOS, and $139 is a steep price for a borderline useless OS that doesn't have a community like the Amiga-derived OSes do.
- nothinggoesaway 8mo ago
  I couldn’t argue with you, but here’s their answer. The arguments appeal explicitly to people “who remember when”: > Need more convincing? How about a commercial operating system which doesn’t spy on you, does not report your online activity to anyone, and gives you complete freedom to choose the applications you want to use, however you want to use them? How about an operating system which isn’t tied to any specific hardware manufacturer, allowing you to choose the platform which is right for you, and fits perfectly well in systems with less than 4GB of memory or even virtual machines?
  - nunobrito 8mo ago
    The doesn't spy on me is indeed a strong argument, considering we can't even properly trust linux distributions nowadays.
- ch_123 8mo ago
  There are roughly three categories: 1) There's a bunch of commercial software which only runs on OS/2. A lot of it was vertically integrated software either developed for a specific customer by IBM, or developed in an "IBM shop". The ticket machines for the New York subway were powered by OS/2 until relatively recently. There are also supposedly a bunch of banks which have OS/2 dependencies. 2) There are still hardcore OS/2 fans who use OS/2 as their main OS. As you correctly assume, getting something like a modern web browser to run on OS/2 is a challenge, but some people grin and bear with it anyway. 3) Strange people like me who run things like OS/2 on spare computers or VMs for the novelty value.
- kwanbix 8mo ago
  I used to work for IBM and run some servers and my ThinkPad was running OS/2. Really nice OS. Which it was a more reasonable $50 for personal use.
  - kwanbix 8mo ago
    Wish not Which
rcleveng 8mo ago
It's been super amazing to see how much they could continue to support newer hardware and keep it going considering that I don't believe they have the kernel source. It wasn't too long ago I saw OS/2 on some ATM machine that was crashed. I used to love OS/2 back when developing DOS applications (since I could crash the app and not the machine). OS/2 got me interested in "real OS's" and then SunOS in college, etc.
- kwanbix 8mo ago
  I have heard that many times. Is it know why, if true? Seems to ve very weird that IBM will give them a license to keep OS/2 updated but no access to the kernel.
  - ch_123 8mo ago
    It's definitely true that they do not have access to the original OS/2 source - this has been confirmed by people from Arca Noae in various interviews/presentations I've seen. I've never heard a definitive explanation for why, but two reasons are usually speculated: 1) Due to the amount of third party code in OS/2 (most notably, the DOS and Win 3.x layer) that IBM is unable to license out the code, or unwilling to go to the trouble to figure out the legal implications. 2) IBM has lost some or all of the source code.
    - TheCondor 8mo ago
      You couldn't convince me that IBM lost it.. The licensing would be my guess, Microsoft owned some of the code, there may have been other third party code in there too.
    - projektfu 8mo ago
      Did eComStation also lack access to the source? Weird.
      - ch_123 8mo ago
        As far as I know, yes. There were no changes made to eCS which required source - everything was implemented as drivers, or layers on top of the base OS.
fithisux 8mo ago
They could have rebuilt it on top of osFree and have 64bit support.
- koutakun 8mo ago
  And have an unstable base for the supposed commercial applications they sell to?
- BirAdam 8mo ago
  That would kill half the point. OS/2 is amazing as a 32bit pmode OS that can still run DOS and Win16 software while being far more stable than Windows (of the time).
natas 8mo ago
ArcaOS is great in its own ways, it doesn't phone home, doesn't spy on your files, it's very stable, works on modern hardware, has a working browser, okay, it's not cutting edge, but it's fun and brings some of the joys of old-school computing back.
- LargoLasskhyfv 8mo ago
  How does it do on 4k-screens? Does it even support the (i)GPUs which can power them?
vlod 8mo ago
First thing I always look for is screenshots. https://www.arcanoae.com/arcaos/arcaos-screenshots/ https://www.arcanoae.com/arcaos/arcaos-screenshots/
sillywalk 8mo ago
Ars Has a good / long article on the history of OS/2. https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2019/11/half-an-operating-system-the-triumph-and-tragedy-of-os2/ https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2019/11/half-...
hulitu 8mo ago
They shall learn from the masters (Microsoft): a pirated version shall be easily available, else people will use alternatives.
- lproven 8mo ago
  > They shall learn from the masters (Microsoft): a pirated version shall be easily available I think you mean "should" not "shall". Shall: this is a prediction of the future; this will happen. Should: this is a recommendation; this is a desirable alternative; this ought to happen. What you wrote is literally incorrect at present. But if I am right, you meant: "They should learn from the masters (Microsoft): a pirated version should be easily available." In which case, you're probably right. IBM OS/2 is easily available, right up to Warp Server for eBusiness 4.52, the final IBM version. Also, the first attempt to revive OS/2 is readily available -- eComStation 2.1 is on the Internet Archive. I installed it on a Thinkpad X61 tablet. It worked. I used all 32-bit releases of OS/2 and paid for the first couple (2.0 and 2.1) with my own cash, which I have never done with any other proprietary OS before or since. I knew OS/2 pretty damned well. I am not skilled enough to get Firefox 45 to install on eComStation. I spent days on it. Arca Noae really knows its stuff. Footnote I am a TEFL/TESOL teacher but not a linguist. I think that the way you use "shall" might have been a valid meaning up until roughly 100 years ago. I am not an expert on historical English usage. However, if you learned from very dated materials, this mistake would make more sense.

48 points by speckx 8mo ago

Who is the target audience for this? I can't imagine that many modern applications support OS/2 the way that they support e.g. MorphOS, and $139 is a steep price for a borderline useless OS that doesn't have a community like the Amiga-derived OSes do.

nothinggoesaway 8mo ago
I couldn’t argue with you, but here’s their answer. The arguments appeal explicitly to people “who remember when”: > Need more convincing? How about a commercial operating system which doesn’t spy on you, does not report your online activity to anyone, and gives you complete freedom to choose the applications you want to use, however you want to use them? How about an operating system which isn’t tied to any specific hardware manufacturer, allowing you to choose the platform which is right for you, and fits perfectly well in systems with less than 4GB of memory or even virtual machines?
- nunobrito 8mo ago
  The doesn't spy on me is indeed a strong argument, considering we can't even properly trust linux distributions nowadays.
ch_123 8mo ago
There are roughly three categories: 1) There's a bunch of commercial software which only runs on OS/2. A lot of it was vertically integrated software either developed for a specific customer by IBM, or developed in an "IBM shop". The ticket machines for the New York subway were powered by OS/2 until relatively recently. There are also supposedly a bunch of banks which have OS/2 dependencies. 2) There are still hardcore OS/2 fans who use OS/2 as their main OS. As you correctly assume, getting something like a modern web browser to run on OS/2 is a challenge, but some people grin and bear with it anyway. 3) Strange people like me who run things like OS/2 on spare computers or VMs for the novelty value.
kwanbix 8mo ago
I used to work for IBM and run some servers and my ThinkPad was running OS/2. Really nice OS. Which it was a more reasonable $50 for personal use.
- kwanbix 8mo ago
  Wish not Which

rcleveng 8mo ago

It's been super amazing to see how much they could continue to support newer hardware and keep it going considering that I don't believe they have the kernel source. It wasn't too long ago I saw OS/2 on some ATM machine that was crashed. I used to love OS/2 back when developing DOS applications (since I could crash the app and not the machine). OS/2 got me interested in "real OS's" and then SunOS in college, etc.

kwanbix 8mo ago
I have heard that many times. Is it know why, if true? Seems to ve very weird that IBM will give them a license to keep OS/2 updated but no access to the kernel.
- ch_123 8mo ago
  It's definitely true that they do not have access to the original OS/2 source - this has been confirmed by people from Arca Noae in various interviews/presentations I've seen. I've never heard a definitive explanation for why, but two reasons are usually speculated: 1) Due to the amount of third party code in OS/2 (most notably, the DOS and Win 3.x layer) that IBM is unable to license out the code, or unwilling to go to the trouble to figure out the legal implications. 2) IBM has lost some or all of the source code.
  - TheCondor 8mo ago
    You couldn't convince me that IBM lost it.. The licensing would be my guess, Microsoft owned some of the code, there may have been other third party code in there too.
  - projektfu 8mo ago
    Did eComStation also lack access to the source? Weird.
    - ch_123 8mo ago
      As far as I know, yes. There were no changes made to eCS which required source - everything was implemented as drivers, or layers on top of the base OS.

fithisux 8mo ago

They could have rebuilt it on top of osFree and have 64bit support.

koutakun 8mo ago
And have an unstable base for the supposed commercial applications they sell to?
BirAdam 8mo ago
That would kill half the point. OS/2 is amazing as a 32bit pmode OS that can still run DOS and Win16 software while being far more stable than Windows (of the time).

natas 8mo ago

ArcaOS is great in its own ways, it doesn't phone home, doesn't spy on your files, it's very stable, works on modern hardware, has a working browser, okay, it's not cutting edge, but it's fun and brings some of the joys of old-school computing back.

LargoLasskhyfv 8mo ago
How does it do on 4k-screens? Does it even support the (i)GPUs which can power them?

vlod 8mo ago

First thing I always look for is screenshots. https://www.arcanoae.com/arcaos/arcaos-screenshots/ https://www.arcanoae.com/arcaos/arcaos-screenshots/

sillywalk 8mo ago

Ars Has a good / long article on the history of OS/2. https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2019/11/half-an-operating-system-the-triumph-and-tragedy-of-os2/ https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2019/11/half-...

hulitu 8mo ago

They shall learn from the masters (Microsoft): a pirated version shall be easily available, else people will use alternatives.

lproven 8mo ago
> They shall learn from the masters (Microsoft): a pirated version shall be easily available I think you mean "should" not "shall". Shall: this is a prediction of the future; this will happen. Should: this is a recommendation; this is a desirable alternative; this ought to happen. What you wrote is literally incorrect at present. But if I am right, you meant: "They should learn from the masters (Microsoft): a pirated version should be easily available." In which case, you're probably right. IBM OS/2 is easily available, right up to Warp Server for eBusiness 4.52, the final IBM version. Also, the first attempt to revive OS/2 is readily available -- eComStation 2.1 is on the Internet Archive. I installed it on a Thinkpad X61 tablet. It worked. I used all 32-bit releases of OS/2 and paid for the first couple (2.0 and 2.1) with my own cash, which I have never done with any other proprietary OS before or since. I knew OS/2 pretty damned well. I am not skilled enough to get Firefox 45 to install on eComStation. I spent days on it. Arca Noae really knows its stuff. Footnote I am a TEFL/TESOL teacher but not a linguist. I think that the way you use "shall" might have been a valid meaning up until roughly 100 years ago. I am not an expert on historical English usage. However, if you learned from very dated materials, this mistake would make more sense.