The simplest method of putting in eComStation 2.x in a digital machine is to make use of the usual eComStation 2.x distribution CD. Enter Serenity Methods and Mensys BV , two firms that decided to take the torch from IBM, in a quest to provide a stable thick-shopper successor to OS/2 known as eComStation This effort was kick-began around the year 2000, and has been actively supported to this day. With eComStation clients starting from Boeing and Colgate Palmolive, to banks and even the US Postal Service, the OS/2 platform is still quite alive and effectively. In a few months, Mensys BV, the developer for eComStation, shall be launching the subsequent major launch for his or her working system, model 2.2. I might be protecting the pre-launch beta that Mensys BV's own Roderick Klein issued to me for assessment, but to understand why OS/2 continues to be even round and serviceable properly into the 21st Century, we have to take a step again in time to realize a better understanding of the platform.
Bottom Line: If you're running legacy OS/2, Win16 and DOS applications, you'll be able to't go incorrect with eComStation. With the multitude of improvements made to the OS, this product is most definitely value a very good look, particularly once version 2.2 is launched.
OS/2's origins as an working system might be traced way back to 1985, when Microsoft and IBM teamed as much as begin development on was presupposed to be the subsequent step ahead in operating system know-how and design. Built to spec with a sixteen-bit protected mode kernel, help for the Microsoft-constructed Excessive Performance File System (HPFS), and TCP/IP networking, OS/2 had quite a bit going for it. OS/2 1.3 was the definitive launch between the two companies, which set a feel and look that may be later adopted by Microsoft's Windows 3.x user interface.
After all, this love affair between Microsoft and IBM was to only final for just a few years before Microsoft started to realize that Windows was taking the world by storm and not the a lot-touted OS/2 platform. To that finish, the Microsoft and IBM alliance disbanded, leaving IBM as the sole entity to develop and promote OS/2 for the better part of the 90s. Because of IBM's huge attain within the enterprise, OS/2 did manage to safe enough of a following that a more moderen thick-consumer was a justifiable proposition. Thus, eComStation was born and continues on IBM's legacy. To not point out, with older hardware dying out, eComStation is crucial for offering OS/2 and Win16 application assist whereas offering updated drivers to help newer hardware.
With Mensys because the developer of their OS/2 product eComStation, new options have been slowly added in on top of IBM's newest version, similar to assist for a flashy VESA graphics driver called Panorama (which now helps widescreen modes out of the field), newer hardware support, and a vastly improved installer. Within the upcoming eComStation 2.2 version, Roderick Klein of Mensys states how this release will bring sweeping modifications to higher improve usability as well as hardware compatibility. The first and most striking thing to hit the screen with version 2.2 is the newly up to date icon set for the person desktop. In contrast to the old style, pixelated icons of yesteryear, Mensys has upped the ante with a refreshed excessive-decision PNG icon pack, bringing the working system into the modern era in the appears division, which isn't a nasty thing actually. With this variation however, the entire similar consumer interface interactions are preserved, such as the "proper-click and drag" trick to create aliases of information on the desktop, the always present "menu bar" and of course useful resource forks. Compared to earlier releases of eComStation, I've had way more of my hardware supported out of the box, due to the major improvements made to ACPI, multi-core processor, USB, sound, and network card support. As an illustration, the network drivers seen for newer Realtek hardware is all based mostly on Linux source-code ported to OS/2 through GENMAC. In response to Mensys, it might take an skilled developer less than two days to port any given network driver over to eComStation, utilizing the GENMAC wrapper. Audio playing cards additionally take advantage of the OS/2 port of Linux's ALSA, providing you with sound functionality when a local OS/2 driver does not exist. eComStation also does away with HPFS because the default file system in favor of the IBM-developed JFS, which is arguably a far superior file system for hard disks, by providing journaling and help for partition sizes as much as two terabytes (versus a 64 gigabyte max for HPFS). As lately as model 2.1, JFS boot was additionally incorporated, removing the need for an HPFS boot partition. Just a fair warning though, the Win16 mode on eComStation doesn't take too kindly to the newer JFS and partitions sizes past two gigabytes. For my check install, I opted for a 2GB HPFS C: drive while partitioning the remaining 198GB as a secondary data partition, formatted in JFS so as to mitigate this concern. Wish to discover software program to download and install? Usually, most OS/2 veterans descend upon the Hobbes OS/2 archive, which is run by New Mexico State College, even to this present day. Alternatively, newcomers to eComStation might wish to give the eCoMarket a spin. This function acts as an app retailer or central download repository for in style OS/2 functions, making it easy to seek out whatever you are in search of in any explicit category. As of this writing, there aren't too many applications listed but, however that quantity will continue to grow and look healthier by launch. Lastly, despite being tagged as a beta release, I've suffered nary a lockup or a crash on my test installation. The operating system is quite secure and, due to the esoteric codebase, there are no viruses and malware out within the wild that could affect your system. Even Mac OS X can't really say that anymore, given to the rise in popularity of Apple hardware. To wrap this all up nicely, eComStation is an excellent enterprise answer for these stuck in legacy land, all of the whereas providing a comparatively modern setting that compares well against the likes of Windows and Linux. eComStation is offered in two flavors, Home and Scholar in addition to Enterprise editions. The one actual difference between the 2 is the pricing, with Home and Student clocking in at $149 per license for as much as 5 machines and Enterprise raking in $259 per license. Each editions are functionally the identical and feature-full. Pricing like this can be somewhat off-placing to working system hobbyists and fans, however for companies that depend on OS/2 and Win16 apps for daily use, the value is fairly spot on, and you may get up to at least one 12 months of support included for extra software program and updates. Fortunately, the base installation contains every part you actually need to get started and all of IBM's fixpacks from years passed by that you would normally must pay for are all rolled in as properly. Version 2.1 has two significant new features. The first is help for AHCI disk controllers, by way of a newly developed machine driver. The second is the replacement of the old IBM Boot Supervisor with the open-supply Air-Boot software, which doesn't require a main partition and is therefore simpler to install on disks with pre-current working programs. With this modification in place we at the moment are ready to start out the installation. If you happen to boot eComStation from CD-ROM I discovered it could trap on the motive force. To avoid this issue we go into the preboot menu and alter the IDE driver to the IBM1S506 driver on the second page. Most obviously, the IBM OS/2 set up routine was now not used; as a substitute, a rapid-deployment system based on Cheung's WiseManager product was utilized to install the operating system parts. In addition, various enhancements to the OS/2 consumer interface had been integrated, together with a revamped desktop layout with fully new icons, customizable graphic results in numerous windowing parts, redesigned system dialogs, and an enhanced, consumer-extensible system shutdown. In comparison with earlier releases of eComStation, I've had far more of my hardware supported out of the field, thanks to the most important improvements made to ACPI, multi-core processor, USB, sound, and community card support. For instance, the network drivers seen for newer Realtek hardware is all based on Linux source-code ported to OS/2 via GENMAC. In keeping with Mensys, it will possibly take an experienced developer lower than two days to port any given network driver over to eComStation, using the GENMAC wrapper. Audio playing cards additionally make the most of the OS/2 port of Linux's ALSA, giving you sound capability when a local OS/2 driver doesn't exist. eComStation additionally does away with HPFS because the default file system in favor of the IBM-developed JFS, which is arguably a far superior file system for onerous disks, by providing journaling and assist for partition sizes up to two terabytes (versus a sixty four gigabyte max for HPFS). As lately as model 2.1, JFS boot was also included, removing the need for an HPFS boot partition. Only a fair warning though, the Win16 mode on eComStation doesn't take too kindly to the newer JFS and partitions sizes previous two gigabytes. For my take a look at set up, I opted for a 2GB HPFS C: drive whereas partitioning the remaining 198GB as a secondary knowledge partition, formatted in JFS so as to mitigate this concern. To make the customizations it's best to find your Digital Machine on your system. Often it's situated in the ‚Digital Machines' folder in your ‚Documents' folder. After you have found it you need to Control-Click on the virtual machine image and select ‚Present package deal contents'. Within the folder you will see that a configuration file which we will edit. The file might be recognised by the file icon with VMware Fusion logo and the file extensionvmx. To edit it you need an editor that can respect the UNIX line endings, TextWrangler is a good alternative.
However Cheung's fairly simple preliminary idea, neighborhood input was actively solicited from the start, and feature requests shortly started coming in. 8 The final GA launch of eComStation 1.zero (US English) was not launched till July 2001, and was considerably different from the unique preview in many respects. The other main characteristic launched in model 2.zero was an enhanced version of the Journaled File System which allowed the working system to be booted instantly from JFS-formatted partitions. (Previous versions of JFS had solely been usable on non-bootable information partitions.) Putting in the operating system onto JFS allowed a major efficiency enchancment, as a result of a lot bigger cache sizes supported by JFS, as well as lowered CHKDSK instances within the event of a non-clean shutdown. As well as, a completely new set up course of was designed. The bootable code on the installation CD was rewritten to enhance compatibility with fashionable BIOSes, and a "pre-boot menu" was introduced which allowed the person to pick out varied drivers and kernel choices to make use of in booting from the CD. The graphical installer from eComStation 1.0 was replaced with a new, extra streamlined interface. Text is out there beneath the Inventive Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License ; further terms might apply. By utilizing this website, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Basis, Inc. , a non-revenue group. OS/2's origins as an working system will be traced way back to 1985, when Microsoft and IBM teamed up to start improvement on was imagined to be the subsequent step forward in operating system technology and design. Constructed to spec with a 16-bit protected mode kernel, support for the Microsoft-built Excessive Efficiency File System (HPFS), and TCP/IP networking, OS/2 had lots going for it. OS/2 1.three was the definitive launch between the two corporations, which set a feel and appear that will be later adopted by Microsoft's Windows three.x user interface. The eComStation pricing model was revamped considerably with model 2.0. The usual client version was the Home & Pupil Edition. This version had a decrease beneficial retail value than previous versions of eComStation; nevertheless, one buyer was limited to 5 purchases. The Enterprise Version was focused at commercial customers, with no limit on the variety of purchases. The Enterprise Version also got here with phone support, whereas Home & Scholar Edition clients were restricted to e-mail and online assistance. Software-sensible, the two products were identical; only the license phrases differed, as famous above.
When I left Mensys I said goodbye to OS/2 and the COMPUTER and switched to the Mac. On the Mac there is a superb choice to put in OS/2 or eComStation in a virtual machine: Parallels Workstation for the Mac. Nonetheless since at my present at Netco we use VMware at the datacenter I prefer to make use of VMware on the desktop as properly. But each time I tried to install eComStation in VMware Fusion it failed. Nonetheless some folks put extra time into it and found out how you can do it. My ex-colleague Roderick Klein put me on the right track to lastly make it occur. eComStation 1.0 was built on the 2000 launch of IBM's Comfort Bundle for OS/2 Warp model 4 (generally referred to as MCP or MCP1). Moreover, a number of commercial purposes were bundled with the working system bundle, most notably Lotus SmartSuite for OS/2 and IBM Desktop On-Call. With Mensys because the developer of their OS/2 product eComStation, new features have been slowly added in on high of IBM's latest version, equivalent to assist for a flashy VESA graphics driver known as Panorama (which now supports widescreen modes out of the field), newer hardware assist, and a vastly improved installer. Within the upcoming eComStation 2.2 model, Roderick Klein of Mensys states how this launch will convey sweeping changes to higher enhance usability as well as hardware compatibility.
Backside Line: If you're working legacy OS/2, Win16 and DOS functions, you possibly can't go improper with eComStation. With the multitude of enhancements made to the OS, this product is most positively price a very good look, especially as soon as model 2.2 is launched. To wrap this all up properly, eComStation is a superb enterprise resolution for these stuck in legacy land, all the whereas offering a relatively fashionable environment that compares effectively towards the likes of Windows and Linux. eComStation is obtainable in two flavors, Home and Pupil in addition to Business editions. The only real difference between the 2 is the pricing, with Home and Pupil clocking in at $149 per license for as much as 5 machines and Enterprise raking in $259 per license. Both editions are functionally the identical and feature-full. eComStation 1.1 included several major new options in comparison with version 1.zero. The biggest change to the working system as installed was a package of broad-ranging useful enhancements to the desktop setting (Workplace Shell), based on the open supply XWorkplace venture from These included desktop folder enhancements akin to standing bars and improved sorting choices, a new digital desktop characteristic, a customizable desktop toolbar with help for programmable "widgets", and expanded configuration options. Numerous other enhancements equivalent to built-in support for PPPoE and PPtP Web connections were also provided.
Want to find software to download and install? Sometimes, most OS/2 veterans descend upon the Hobbes OS/2 archive, which is run by New Mexico State College, even to at the present time. Alternatively, newcomers to eComStation would possibly wish to give the eCoMarket a spin. This feature acts as an app retailer or central download repository for well-liked OS/2 functions, making it straightforward to find whatever you are in search of in any explicit class. As of this writing, there aren't too many functions listed but, however that number will continue to grow and look healthier by launch. eComStation is at present developed by IBM, Mensys, Serenity, and numerous third get together firms and people. Although OS/2 is not sold by IBM, eComStation will likely be developed and offered as long as it remains profitable, in response to Serenity. 19 The most recent main launch, version 2, 20 was released during Warpstock Europe which was held 14-16 Could 2010. An updated version 2.1 followed a year later in May 2011. The largest change in eComStation 2.zero was the addition of ACPI help, which represented the primary major update to the core working system to be developed specifically for eComStation (and not by IBM). The benefits of ACPI included assist for contemporary hardware, together with superior energy-management options, as well as support for IRQs above 15. As well as, the new ACPI driver allowed entry to OS/2's symmetric multi-processing help, obviating the necessity for IBM's proprietary SMP-enablement driver. Consequently, beginning with eComStation 2.0, SMP support was included in the base product at no extra value. With this model, Serenity Systems separated the base operating system product from the most important industrial purposes that have been bundled with it in eComStation 1.0. The base eComStation 1.1 product was bought underneath the title "eComStation Entry"; and the applications, including Lotus SmartSuite 1.7 and HOBlink X11 Server, were packaged individually within the eComStation Software Pack. The Home & Scholar version can be used by any non-public or small office user. As a non-public or small workplace user, it is allowed to have as much as 5 licenses installed for production utilization. This version contains 6 months of Software Subscription Companies. Due to IBM's vast reach in the enterprise, OS/2 did handle to safe sufficient of a following that a newer thick-consumer was a justifiable proposition. Thus, eComStation was born and continues on IBM's legacy. Not to point out, with older hardware dying out, eComStation is essential for providing OS/2 and Win16 software help whereas providing up to date drivers to support newer hardware.
