-=> Quoting Aaron Holmes (3:670/218) to All on 08 Jan 95  16:19 <=-

 AH> I've been considering upgrading from win-doze to Warp, but I
 AH> haven't read enough reviews to justify the purchase. Would anyone have
 AH> any (unbiased) opinions on Warp vs Windows? 
 AH> Info on useability, compatibility with Dos and Windows apps,
 AH> installation, anything interesting to a prospective user...

Well, I can't say that my opinions are unbiased.  But I used Windows 3.0 and
3.1 since they came out.  Also, I very much liked the Apple MacIntosh desktop
and handling.  I was curious to see what Warp was all about.

I bought OS/2 version 3 in November.  It was a bargain at US$80.  It gave me
a MacIntosh-like environment for my 486DX-50 with 8 meg RAM.  It multitasks
Windows programs and DOS programs and OS/2 programs.  I have programs in
Windows that occasionally crash and bring down Windows 3.1 but in Warp I can
recover without a reboot.  Warp has a word processor, a spreadsheet, a
database, a report writer, a personal information manager, and a charting
program.  Also it has programs to fax and hook onto a BBS or the Internet.
The name of the game with Warp from a user's perspective is multimedia.  From
a programmers's perspective, it is a dream.  It has a good interpreted
language called REXX which is fine for batch programming and to replace
BASIC.  Warp is a true 32-bit multitasking operating system with an
object-oriented user interface.

Warp has an Easy install (recommended) and an Advanced install option.  The
only downside to Warp is the lack of physical documentation.  Most of the
information is in online help.  For me Warp takes about 45 M disk space.

Here is what I'd recommend:

minimum 386DX-40 CPU
minimum 8 megs RAM
minimum 200 MB hard disk
an S3 accelerated SVGA video card (minimum 1 meg RAM)
a SoundBlaster II or ProAudio Spectrum 16
optional Windows 3.1 and DOS

Warp can run on a 386SX VGA with 4 megs RAM and take 35-55 MB disk space.

As a future outlook, OS/2 will be on the IBM PowerPC's.  And the PowerPC's
are less expensive to produce than 80486 type processors.  The PowerPC is
comparable to a fast 486 and can be used in portable computers.  This is the
direction that PC platform hardware is heading.  So Warp is the operating
system which can transition DOS and Windows users into a cost-effective
upward migration path.  In my opinion, OS/2 will be easier to write reliable
programs for than Windows.  And we all know that software is what ends up
costing the most in a computer system.

==John Howard==

... Howard International, P.O. Box 34633, NKC MO 64116