BJ> On the other hand, I don't 
 BJ> normally see a Windows system with a compiler on it unless some one 
 BJ> did take additional action seperate from obtaining the OS.....

 MK> Okay I see your point.  The same is true for OS/2 is it not?  

Yes.  OS/2 does not come with a compiiler.....  

 MK> I did have 
 MK> a copy, I think I still might somewhere in this mess, 
 MK> but it has been quite some time since I've seen an OS/2 
 MK> system up close.  I was considered putting Watcom C on 
 MK> it but it was a bit pricey at the time and Linux was 
 MK> just starting to look attractive.  So ye ol' 486 more 
 MK> or less went straight from DOS to Linux with a brief 
 MK> interlude trying to install OS/2 in between.  I had a 
 MK> problem with a large HD and the bios and the bootloader 
 MK> wouldn't boot after an install.  I tried about three or 
 MK> four times before surrendering.  It's been Linux ever 
 MK> since here, although the 486 and the drive have long 
 MK> since passed on.

As I understand it, commercial Watcom C is no longer produced (but you may
be able to still find a copy, possibly second hand).  There is now Open
Watcom, and that is freely available. 

As to loading OS/2, I wouldn't even attempt Warp 3 now on most boxes.  For
Warp 4, you need to apply an update to the boot disks for large IDE drives,
limit your available memory during the install process to a maximus of 64
Mb (or install another patch -- this is why my current OS/2 box has 320Mb
of memory and not 256 Mb of memory in it) and if you don't set the proper
copy from floppy stuff, will need to reboot from floppy and copy updated
drivers over manually before the boot loader will work right....  

So, if you want to do OS/2 now, pick up the latest MCP (# 2 with three Fix
Pak's) or pick up the latest version of ECS.....  

 MK> Aren't there crosscompilers or variants of gcc for 
 MK> Windows and/or OS/2?  DJGPP was the closest to gcc I 
 MK> could find for DOS back then.  Does that still exist?

Yes.  GCC has been ported for a long time to OS/2 (as EMX), and there is
also a full 32 bit port of GCC for Win32 environments.  [I forget the
correct name, it starts with C.]  DJGPP still exists....  And now Open
Watcom is available for Windows and OS/2 plataforms.  I had originally
tried to get the GNU licensed Maximus code to compile with a beta release
of Open Watcom under OS/2, but had trouble in using the make subsystem
(another free package) that Scott had used.....

Take care.....

Bob Jones, 1:343/41

--- Maximus/2 3.01