A whole new world - IBM's OS/2 for Windows operating system - Software Review - Evaluation

Home Office Computing, May, 1994 by Stephen W. Plain

Rating: **1/2 OS/2 for Windows Version Reviewed: 1.0 List Price: $149 (CD-ROM version, $139) Average Street Price: $99 (CD-ROM version, $79) Publisher: IBM Personal Software Products Division, (800) 426-2468

WIN DOS

If you have a high-performance PC and want to be able to squeeze every ounce of computing power out of it, you're not going to do it with a standard DOS and Windows configuration. Since its rebirth as version 2.0 a few years ago, OS/2 has steadily improved in the areas of performance and compatibility and has been aggressively pushed by a new IBM steadfastly determined to win acceptance for the operating system.

OS/2 is the functional equivalent of DOS and Windows combined; it is an operating system with a GUI (graphical user interface) environment integrated within. OS/2 allows you to run native OS/2, Windows, and DOS applications, all from the graphical interface known as the Workplace Shell. The only difference between OS/2 for Windows 1.0 and the standard OS/2 2.1 is that the former does not include IBM's WIN-OS/2, the engine that drives Windows applications. Instead, OS/2 for Windows uses your previously installed copy of Windows 3.1. The ingenious synergy between OS/2 for Windows and Windows 3.1 doesn't just mean an easier installation; it also means a lower price since IBM doesn't have to pay royalties to Microsoft for the use of a Windows source code.

The Workplace Shell gives OS/2 for Windows its look and feel. The Shell offers a more object-oriented (or icon-based) interface than the standard Windows Program Manager, with many elements similar to those found in the Macintosh operating system (System 7). The graphical desktop fully utilizes drag-and-drop operations, so you can drop objects (such as files or programs) on the Shredder icon to delete them or on the Printer icon to be printed. Like the Macintosh's interface, the OS/2 desktop lets you organize your files within folders and allows for multiple levels of folders. OS/2 doesn't ignore your right mouse button either. It's used extensively within the Workplace Shell to speed operations and set object properties. A well-organized and thorough master help index that utilizes OS/2's superior hypertext help system is always available to you by clicking on its icon on the desktop.

Like standard OS/2 2.1, OS/2 for Windows is a 32-bit operating system with preemptive multitasking. What all this jargon means is that it's fast and efficient. While most DOS and Windows applications are written to a 16-bit model, applications written specifically for OS/2's 32-bit architecture can move more data in the same amount of time. Unlike a DOS/Windows configuration, OS/2 is a true multitasking operating system. It allows multiple processes, or threads, to execute efficiently together. You may wonder how many things you actually want to do at one time, but consider a situation where you'd like to use a fax/modem to receive faxes while you continue cutting and pasting charts from a spreadsheet application into a word processing document. In a Windows configuration, chances are your system will grind to a near halt. Since OS/2 for Windows uses your time more efficiently, there is minimal loss of performance, especially if you use 32-bit applications written specifically for OS/2, such as the Describe word processor or Lotus 1-2-3 for OS/2 (Lotus also offers SmartSuite for OS/2 with native OS/2 versions of its popular Windows programs, such as Ami Pro and Freelance Graphics, included). Another technical benefit of OS/2 for Windows is its ability to give you DOS sessions (like the DOS prompt in Windows) with as much as 736K of available memory for memory-hungry DOS programs.

Despite all of OS/2's improvements, you still need a bit of determination and curiosity to get the most from the operating system. First of all, you should have a fairly powerful computer to run OS/2 for Windows. Running it with less than 8MB of RAM and a 486 processor will likely result in unacceptable performance. If you plan to use the multimedia features included with the product, we recommend an additional 2MB of RAM. You should also make sure that software drivers are available for your particular graphics card, CD-ROM drive, or sound board. IBM publishes a complete listing of compatible parts on a regular basis and makes it available via online services such as CompuServe. It is not uncommon for graphics-board vendors to lag behind somewhat in driver support for OS/2, so it's a good idea to find out what's available before you purchase. When we went to test OS/2 for Windows on our Gateway 2000 system, we had to use beta-level drivers for the LMSI CD-ROM drive and a limited capability driver for the Diamond Viper VLB video adapter.

If you have compressed your hard disk drive with the DoubleSpace program included in DOS 6.0 or 6.2, installing OS/2 for Windows will be a bit of a hassle. You must decompress your hard disk before installing the operating system, and that often means major disk cleaning. However, OS/2 for Windows supports compressed disks through a third-party program--Stac Electronics's Stacker for OS/2.