Porting OS/2 Software to Linux

squiggleslash writes: "IBM's Developer Domain is hosting an article on how to port software written for OS/2 over to Linux. Bottom line -- it's easy, as long as you use an abstraction layer. Hopefully this'll mean the huge amount of OS/2 software out there will start being ported, helping make Linux even more ready for the desktop. Lotus, are you reading?"

Comments

Re:"Huge amount of software"

[Aaaaaargh!]

Well, OS/2 passed the "Egghead test" for me*. When I went to my local Egghead store (back in the day), they had two racks full of OS/2 software and a sign that indicated most Windows software ran fine on OS/2. The people working there were actually competent and could answer questions, too! I bought it and never regretted it. Amazingly, I could run DOS apps alongside Windows apps and when, not if, a Windows app crashed, it didn't take down the whole system!

Of course, Egghead is no more, thanks to CrapUSA and some other computer superstore that went out of business while destroying local competition, and IBM gave up the "desktop war" to its comeptition. Sure, OS/2 still exists, but who's going to pay $284 for an OS when Windows comes pre-bundled with every computer you buy? This is the problem OS/2 faced when it was affordable ($99 for Warp, circa 1995). So they gave up trying to position it as a consumer OS. No more games, little productivity software, just vertical apps that businesses could afford. The superior OS just disappeared.

That being said, we probably won't see anything interesting being ported from OS/2 to Linux. Most of the software out there is vertical apps, a few outdated office suites, games by companies that disappeared, shareware device drivers (SIO rocked), some ancient BBS software, and many neat little shareware helper programs, some of them written in REXX.

* disclaimer: I once was a Team OS/2 booster.