** Quoting Steve Mccrystal to Joe Negron:
JN> I also have doubts that there is a pressing business need
  > for an OS/2-Windows cross platform compiler.
SM> In all honesty, it appears to be our only hope!  Seems everyone
  > looks at the (reported) size of the Windows installed base and
  > concludes that the OS/2 market is just not worth the effort,
  > standalone.
SM> A cross platform compiler would at least get us *something*,
That's an interesting perspective.
SM> and it could (should) lead to a greater number of native OS/2
  > applications.
Well, I don't really expect that PowerBASIC (or any other BASIC
compiler) will be used for mainstream apps, and that's the major
concern for IBM so far as native apps are concerned.
SM> Were *I* writing a Windows BASIC compiler I would certainly NOT want
  > to go head to head with VB-Win, even in the future, [...]
I agree, 100% - BASIC is Microsoft's domain, at least for Windows, and I
don't think they'd allow another company to take too much market share
from them.  Seems to me that as soon as some company started making
serious headway in that area, Microsoft would devise some way to beat
them (honorable or not), and it's just too difficult to beat Microsoft
in their domain.
SM> I think IBM is actively pushing such a project, but unfortunately it
  > IS NOT a BASIC compiler!  [...]
I've heard or something called "BART", which is supposed to be
VB-compatible.
SM> I do know that the Dave's reports of difficulty in getting
  > information from IBM are not exagerated, 'cause I know several
  > people who've been there!
And I've read a number of messages from people in OS2PROG who deny that
this is the case.
            --From Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, NY, Fri, 04-26-96--
                --Internet: joe.negron@consultant.com--
--- Maximus/2 3.01
1:278/216)
---------------