Hello Klafi
Dear all,
How about an OS/2 or ARCOS without Windows and DOS? Wouldn't that be easier?
Thanks everyone
I personally don't use the DOS VDM and Win-OS/2 as a vital thing of OS/2, but I was amazed to to see some years ago the quantity of people defending it because they run a DOS or Win16 software on it.
If you think that ArcaOS without DOS VDM and Win-OS/2 will make it easier because some patent or fee that is currently part of Microsoft, and will make ArcaOS cheaper, I don't think so. It looks to me that IBM has the right over the MS binaries included in OS/2 and there is no active money exchange anymore. I think of this because the IBM and Microsoft Jointly development agreement that I was able to read, it says that both parties has the right of the source code exchanged there.
I also don't think that DOS VDM and Win-OS/2 is the only limitation for IBM not to open source OS/2. There is also a lot of MS code in PM, Kernel, drivers and also code from third parties (Adobe). Even that I think that Microsoft won't be a problem when open sourcing OS/2, I think IBM does not want to take the risk without a good business case that provides them more benefits then trouble.
But I'm open to other opinion and ideas.
Regards