🚀 go-pugleaf

On Fri, 9 Apr 1999 01:04:44, rolan@ibm.net.nospam (Rolan) wrote:

> I'm getting desperate for an update to OS/2 Warp.  I'm
> currently on Warp 4.0 FP 10 with the latest available
> MPTS and TCP/IP fixes...I think.  It's a real hassle
> keeping up with all the different fixes and was wondering
> whether it would be worth it to get Aurora and use it
> as a client.
>  
> Apart from the well documented technical enhancements to
> Aurora such as JFS, has there been any enhancements to 
> multimedia, video, USB device support and the like?

 I've recently had the chance to work with a Gamma of Aurora that IBM 
sent me a few days ago. The CD is dated March 8th.

 In the time I've had with it so far, I'd say Aurora could be used in 
a workstation/client setting just as easily as Warp 4 could. Using 
some discretion during install, you could select features that would 
give it about the same hard drive footprint.

 But there's also stuff missing from Aurora. This is meant to be a 
server OS, after all.
 Gone are: BonusPak, Warp Tutorial, OpenDoc, WarpGuide, VoiceType, 
Hibernate (Trap Door), Dual Boot, "Easy Path" installation, Mobile 
File Sync, PCCOMM Lite, HP JetAdmin and a couple other network related
utilities such as the Netware client, Remote client installation and 
Network Signon Coordinator. 
 Some components have also been replaced with "better" alternatives. 
For example, FDISK is gone, replaced with the Logical Volume Manager, 
Pulse is replaced by CPU Monitor, and Java 1.0 is, of course, replaced
with Java 1.1.7.

 This copy of Aurora came with what I think is the latest build of 
Communicator too. Its numbered 990212, same as the refresh that I 
installed from Software Choice. 

 As for Multimedia, it's still there (unusual for an OS that's meant 
to be a server), but does not seem to be any different from what's in 
Warp 4. OpenGL is still there too, I've not tried it out yet since 
OpenGL is kind of a waste on servers too. (Ever seen some schmuck run 
the OpenGL screensaver on Windows NT Server and wonder why the network
suddenly slows down? Dumb da-dumb dumb dummmmmb!)

 It'd be an expensive "client upgrade", and you probably wouldn't gain
much. JFS doesn't seem to be that good for everyday workstation needs 
(I'm still looking for a benchmark that doesn't show JFS to be 
glacially slow). You can't install HPFS386 unless you already have a 
licence for it that the installation program can find, and the SMP 
support is still probably meaningless to most users.

 YMMV.

 I'll be writing up more about my first looks at this Gamma for the 
next issue of OS/2 e-Zine!

Regards,

Chris Wenham - editor@os2ezine.com
Editor-In-Chief for OS/2 e-Zine!
http://www.os2ezine.com/
The views expressed are mine.