OS2 World.Com Forum

Subject  :  Open Source OS/2 and OS/2 Warp? Your Thoughts?
Author  :  RadarCat
Date  :  30 Apr, 2005 on 06:58

Hi, All,

I recently signed the extremely well thought out OS2World petition at

http://www.os2world.com/petition/

to open source OS/2 code. I also asked that IBM at least consider open sourcing the IBM Web Explorer browser code as browser support for OS/2 Warp always takes a back seat to the Windows platform browsers in today's developer community and will become increasingly problematical in the future.

I think that open sourcing OS/2 and OS/2 Warp code would certainly create new opportunities for the current Warp software development community. Jobs would be created, many programs written and the software avilable for OS/2 Warp would be even better and less expensive.

However, there are serious legal problems with who owns what code in OS/2. As I understand it, Microsoft and some third party developers own part of the OS/2 and OS/2 Warp code.

I can't see Microsoft willingly giving up any source code to OS/2. I think that they still make some money off of the sales of OS/2 Warp even though they tried unsuccessfully to completely kill it off in the market place some years ago. I do not know how any of the third party developers who own code in OS/2 and OS/2 Warp would feel about open sourcing their code though possibly they might be more receptive to the idea than Microsoft.

I can't see Microsoft willingly open sourcing their OS/2 code given they believe that Linux is a present and future threat to their market share as would be OS/2 Warp if it were open sourced. I think that IBM would have to be willing to go to the court system and do very expensive legal battle for years with Microsoft to get all of the Microsoft-owned OS/2 code open sourced.

However, I believe that the idea of IBM open sourcing the OS/2 code that only IBM owns and releasing a list of what code owned by other parties needs to be replaced by open source code is not only excellent but very workable.

Microsoft still has world wide domination of the PC desktop as their goal. However, I have said for years that the only computer company in the world that could put Microsoft out of business is IBM. The last time I read figures for the numbers of programmers each corporation had, IBM had more programmers than Microsoft by a considerable margin.

IBM is considered to have the very best lawyers in the computer industry. However, it would take a strategic decision by extremely brave top executives at IBM to open source OS/2 and OS/2 Warp code considering the endless trouble and financial expense that Microsoft could be willing to cause to try to kill open sourced OS/2 and OS/2 Warp code.

Is present or future top management at IBM willing to take on the risk of a possibly endless battle with Microsoft for opened sourced OS/2 and OS/2 Warp code?

Could an open sourced OS/2 Warp eventually put Microsoft out of business? 8>)

What do you think?

Best,
RadarCat


RadarCat, Webmaster
http://www.os2warplinks.com

Subject  :  Re:Open Source OS/2 and OS/2 Warp? Your Thoughts?
Author  :  BigWarpGuy
Date  :  02 May, 2005 on 14:19
I think open sourceing OS/2 - or at least parts of it - is a great idea. I have sent IBM this idea - plus how it could benefit not only Warp users but also IBM - by way of the 'feedback' at the IBM site. With a petition with many 'signatures' could get IBM to - at least - consider it. The more people who sign it, they greater the chance it will be open sourced.

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BigWarpGuy
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OS/2 Warp-ed/eComStation-ed to the very end.
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Subject  :  Re:Open Source OS/2 and OS/2 Warp? Your Thoughts?
Author  :  cyberspittle cyberspittle@yahoo.com
Date  :  02 May, 2005 on 17:13
I hate to say this, but open-sourcing OS/2 would be a waste of valuable resources. As it is, we don't have eonough developers to write applications, device drivers, or other items. We need to focus on what is in front of us first. Open sourcing would not necesarily create a boom in development. Linux grew from a grass roots movement as a combination of many factors, including the GPL. FreeBSD is an open source operating system, but the BSD license is different from the GPL, even though there is GPL'ed software for FreeBSD.

My question, what would we gain by open sourcing OS/2? I am not against it, but I see it as a long term goal. Fact is, when IBM no longer profits from OS/2 and it is officially a discontinued product, would it be open sourced. Instead of trying to open source OS/2, why not learn to code (if you haven't done so already) and write OS/2 software? There is a huge amount of GPL'ed software needing to be ported ... .


Subject  :  Re:Open Source OS/2 and OS/2 Warp? Your Thoughts?
Author  :  BigWarpGuy
Date  :  02 May, 2005 on 20:28
Instead of waiting till the last minute to create an operting system from the source code, having it open source soon(er) would give everyone a chance to work on it before OS/2 disappears (officially). If/when OS/2 goes away, there will probably be no updates for Serenity Systems to use in future versions of eComStation. It will also give Serenity Systems time to develop their own version of OS/2 (ie; like the way RedHat or Linspire uses the Linux code to create their own os).

If OS/2 is not open sourced (soon[er] or at the time when IBM when officially 'drops it'), why would anyone want to continue to create OS/2-eCS versions of their software for it? Having OS/2 source code opened to the public would give software/program writers a reason to start or continue to do so.

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BigWarpGuy
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OS/2 Warp-ed/eComStation-ed to the very end.
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Subject  :  Re:Open Source OS/2 and OS/2 Warp? Your Thoughts?
Author  :  e-co
Date  :  02 May, 2005 on 21:21
The petitions about OS/2 bring tons of troubles here (Russia). Computer magazines use this topic to laugh at OS/2 and OS/2 users. So, we spend much time distributing messages with "vaccine".

P.S. Of course, I signed the petition.


Subject  :  Re:Open Source OS/2 and OS/2 Warp? Your Thoughts?
Author  :  cyberspittle cyberspittle@yahoo.com
Date  :  03 May, 2005 on 04:31

BigWarpGuy (02 May, 2005 20:2:
Instead of waiting till the last minute to create an operting system from the source code, having it open source soon(er) would give everyone a chance to work on it before OS/2 disappears (officially). If/when OS/2 goes away, there will probably be no updates for Serenity Systems to use in future versions of eComStation. It will also give Serenity Systems time to develop their own version of OS/2 (ie; like the way RedHat or Linspire uses the Linux code to create their own os).

If OS/2 is not open sourced (soon[er] or at the time when IBM when officially 'drops it'), why would anyone want to continue to create OS/2-eCS versions of their software for it? Having OS/2 source code opened to the public would give software/program writers a reason to start or continue to do so.


Hi BWG,

If IBM drops support for OS/2 (highly unlikely), we will still be able to write device drivers for new hardware, write applications, and continue to use OS/2. However, we need more people to learn how to write software for OS/2. OS/2 is a well documented operating system.

As to Redhat and Linspire, they are both Linux. They have been "repackaged" to suite there particular target audience, hence the term distribution. eCS is a repackaged version of OS/2 and is targeted at the SOHO and small business. OS/2 is still a small market segment, and splintering it would not help us.

The biggest issue is not IBM open sourcing code to hundreds of thousands of ATMs worlwide, but rather so many people own OS/2 code besides IBM. Microsoft broke away from OS/2 and created Windows NT (New Technology), as version 3.5 (so as to not be confused with Windows 3.1/3.11). IBM employees, from what I understand "co-own" what they create and hold patents in their name for IBM.

The sooner we put this idea behind us, the better we can move forward. I don't mean to sound negative, I am only trying to reduce the fuzz, and tune the channel. Linux, Windows, OS X, and all the other operating systems need to be looked at as background noise. This is what keeps me focused on OS/2. My 2¢. Peace.


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