By @Macarlo
Team OS/2 Registered
Win 2000 Beta Tester
Screenshots by Embellish and PMJPEG

Hi Gang.
I updated yesterday my OS/2 Warp 4.0 FP6 Java 1.1.6 to FP12, Java 1.1.8 fixed (the most recent runtime), new MTPS and TCPIP 4.1 (with the latest fix) in order to work in site publishing using StarOffice 5.1a (by Sun Microsystems, Inc.). Today I created and updated dozens of pages in my principal web site (actually containing above 5,000 pages) and I finally can appraise correctly the SO 5.1a performance on Warp platform). Sincerely man I can said that OS/2 Warp Client 4 FP12 in a Pentium 200 with 128MB RAM (my machine exclusively for tests) runs rather than Windows 2000 Professional. In the photo below you can see StarOffice 5.1a starting just fine on my new OS/2!

 The successfully update history

I'm using OS/2 since the firsts versions because I encountered problems with Windows 3.0 and above to write, illustrate and print books using Aldus Page Maker. At 1997 I migrated from the paper to the web and during two years I used Boxer text editor by David Hamel (ASP member) and Home Page Publisher web authoring tool by Jean-Bernard Clerin. I build several web sites inclusively this where this report is published using this tools. For all works with images I used (and follow using today!) Embellish from the deceased Dadaware and this also fantastic image viewer that is PMJPEG from PixVision. During this time I registered 212 OSA/2 native applications, through BMT Micro, Inc, Indelible Blue, Digital River, Norloff BBS, JMS and directly in dozens developers as PillarSoft (WarpZip), TrueSpectra (PhotoGraphics Pro), PKWARE , Stardock, Boxer Software, SemWare, Southside, WarpSpeed Computers (Chris Graham)
etc etc etc.

During this years I really enjoyed work using OS/2 and I saw that it is the operating system more stable, firm, solid, fixed, durable, steady and enduring that exist in all the world, including all UNIX, Mac OS and Windows NT. Incredible man, but it just the true: my OS/2 Warp 4.0 installed at 1997 in a little Quantum 520MB HDD was moved with Partition Magic to a Western Digital Caviar 2.5GB and moved in pursuing with DriveCopy to a Maxtor Diamond 6.2GB and I never reinstalled it uuntil yesterday February 10, 2000!!! During this period I enjoyed absolute stability without crashes and without any problem. What is the other operating system than can offer this performance? UNIX? No, man, I'm UNIX user and I can said: OS/2 Warp is the most perfect operating system build and runs rather than UNIX!

II entered in the year 2000 with 450 applications and tools running just fine on this fantastic Warp platform. Unfortunately IBM decided turn orphan the OS/2 Client because is not interested in improve operating systems for SOHO users. IBM actually is a partner of Microsoft an recently purchased 300,000 Windows 2000 licenses. I joined the Microsoft Beta Testers Team and tested exhaustively Windows 2000, build on NT technology. Windows 2000 (a.k.a. NT 5.0) Professional is the workstation of this "new"platform and Windows 2000 Server is the "mini-mainframe"for corporate use, pointed by the experts as the ideal platform for all downsizings. Windows 2000 is really an excellent OS, runs rather than Windows NT 4.0 with the latest Fix (SP6), but its hardware exigencies are simply dramatic! More expensive this hardware cost for all the people today!

Comparing the OS/2 Warp Client 4.0 FP12 performance on a Pentium 200 with the Windows 2000 performance on the same machine I verified that OS/2 runs much more fast and efficient, with much more stability! I updated my OS/2 Client to this latest level because I noted that the performance of StarOffice 5.1a definitely is no good if the user are running with Java 1.1.6 as I was running! StarOffice 5.0, released by StarDivision, runs fast and smooth on Warp 4 FP6 but unfortunately generates serious bugs in HTML: links and tags are replicated and resulted dirty code; everyday you must be clean it using TSE (The SemWare Editor for Programmers') with some macros in order to depurate it. Much time are expended and the productivity declines.

I decided use StarOffice on OS/2 because I must update dozens pages at the same time on my web site everyday and the manually work with Boxer on HTML is impracticable. Home Page Publisher is a nice tool but read each 100K in separate and don't recognizes the latest HTML level generating troubleshooting and several problems. If you are owner of a little web site with 20 or 30 pages, O.K., you can use HPP without problems. But if you are owner of a web site with thousands pages and sophisticated project, updated everyday, say good bye to HPP man! The other decent alternative for OS/2 users (because Netscape Composer, sincerely, is indecent!) is simply obsolete: I'm talking about HTML Studio by Panacea (I'm registered user).

The problem was that I tried update my Warp with Java 1.1.8 this Java simply don't install!!! I tried dozens times, the install program said that "the installation is concluded" but nothing, absolutely nothing was installed! But I have to do this because running on Java 1.1.,6 StarOffice 5.1a - that have not the reported bugs in HTML - consumed simply 95 to 100% of the CPU resources of my test machine! Talking with Basil Fernie in the Supersite OS/2 Users Mailing List he reported that his StarOffice 5.1 was running fine on OS/2 because he is using the latest Java and have applied the most recent fix. A friend from the OS/2 Brazil Mailing List, the computer guru Sandro Coana, sent me a CD with FP12 and Java 1.1.8 with the most recent runtime. At this time I was using StarOffice 5.1 by StarDivision and another brazilian computer guru, Renee Senger, suggested that I experienced the Sun release (5.1a). I tried it, the performance was increased, but excessive RAM was consumed and high CPU usage was detected by PM Patrol and by Object Desktop Professional Control Center. Finally, talking with another brazilian computer guru and programmer, Daniel Jorge Caetano, author of Autoget (Fudeba Software), he suggested that I reinstall my Warp. "I had the same problem here and solved it quickly installing the GA and applying FP12 by RSU; in this environment Java 1.1.8 installs fine, without any problem", said Caetano.

I decided follow Daniel Caetano instructions by my nightmare is the big number of applications installed on my OS/2, the complicated and sophisticated desktop configuration etc etc etc. But I solved quickly this problems and in only one hour 45 minutes my new super OS/2 Warp is running fine!!! Here is the steeps I followed:

Photo above corroborates: OS/2 Warp 4 FP6 moves an entire web site from a partition to another using only 23% of CPU resources. This operation is performed by my principal file manager, FileStar/2, build by the old GammaTech (SoftTouch).

Using File Commander/2 by Brian Haward I moved 900 megabytes of OS/2 applications and an entire WINOS2 directory (not the WINOS2 of MDOS but another special directory that contains all Windows applications as Aldus Page Maker, Corel Draw etc that I used for years on OS/2) from the drive C to another drive, called H.
2) I backuped all .INi and .GRP and some .EXE from WinOS2 storing this files (OS2\MDOS\WINOS2\ *.INI;GRP and OS2\MDOS\WINOS2\SYSTEM\WIN32S\*.*) in a ZIP disk (I used Iomega 100 parallel port).
Note that during the time that I moving 900MB with FC/2 the CPU usage of Warp 4 FP6 was only 53% and I accessed normally the Net and wrote texts and made HTML pages without freezes or any other problem. If I use Windows NT4 SP6 or Windows 2000 in the same operation I sit in another place and read a book because de CPU usage is around 95% to 100% and any other task can't be performed!!!

I downloaded the two Warp 4.0 install disk updates from IBM an generated the 1.44 diskettes smooth and easy simply clicking the exe: it requested a diskette in the drive A (or B, if you prefer) and write it in few seconds). In this set the Install disk is preserved and the dIsks 1 and 2 are news and using the IBM IDE Bus Mastering Device Driver. If you are interested you can download this updates clicking here:
OS/2 Warp 4 Updated Installation Diskettes

Using this set of disks I booted the old Maxtor Diamond 6.2 HDD, refused the Easy Install and performed a clean installation formatting the partition (obviously in HPFS).

When the new OS/2 Warp 4.0 GA was running fine I applied the FP12 using a 30MB zipfile that I prepared (I extracted all disk images in the same directory, called FIXPAK united with the files of the most recent IBM tool for fixes application (FASTKICK141.ZIP, 510.5KB, you can download it from Hobbes - http://hobbes.nmsu.edu). I simply unzipped it on the root and the entire FIXPAK directory tree was created in few seconds. I clicked the Fix.CMD and that its all! In exactly 11 minutes the Fix Pak 12 is correctly applied without any problem by Service!).

I installed Netscape Communicator 4.61 and added in the Users subdirectory my big BOOKMARK.HTM, 245K, preserved in a diskette.

I installed the latest MPTS and TCPIP 4.1 and updated it using the most recent Fix. TCPIP is installed as Java installation, using Netscape, and you must setup the environment using Fisetup (the 1.25).

I installed the Java 1.1.8 in five minutes without any problem!

I tried install Process Commander and this fine release encountered a problem and the combination CTRL + ALT + DEL is disabled and another one is accepted. But if all another functions runs perfectly and if you are a Process Commander fanatic user like me you can insert a call in the Xfolder Configuration Folder to Process Commander Full Screen and simply click it with the mouse in a emergency...Well, if the mouse runs, obviously. I'm also a realistic man and I uninstalled Process Commander and replaced it by CAD Commander from Perez Computing: runs fine, absolutely correctly on Warp 4 FP12 and I'm very happy with it!

I installed Object Desktop Professional 1.52 but I must unmark the Object Backup IDE ATAPI because it conflicts with a new IBM drive for ATAPI. Using object Backup Advisor I reconfigured my complicated desktop in few minutes! I installed it after Xfolder installation and aftervPM Patrol installation and now ODP is running here just fine until this tools and until Control +Alt +Del Commander without any conflict!!!

Finally, man, I'm making this review on my new and fantastic OS/2 Warp FP12, Java 1.1.8, TCPIP 4.1 using StarWriter from StarOffice 5.1a, consuming only around 28% of my CPU resources!!! To access the Net I simply moved Injoy 2.2 and another 449 applications and tools from drive H to drive C and clicked the injoy.exe! (obviously I returned this 900MB of applications to C before command the desktop reconstruction (I preserved the ODP snapshot in a separate directory in H and purged the INIs using TIE).

Yeahh, this old and good OS/2 is running here rather than Windows 2000, man. If you don't believe, try by yourself and see! Warp 4 FP12 is the ultimate workstation for all users that uses computers for serious works! With StarOffice one of the most complicated problems of OS/2 - the clipboard interactivity - is definitely solved and you can enjoy the advantages of a real multitask in a solid operating system. This is not another fantastic history about super Oss made in Redmond: its the true, man, from Austin, although some execs...!

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