On Microsoft Windows vs. IBM OS/2

On Microsoft Windows vs. IBM OS/2

By Zatni Arbi

JAKARTA (JP): Our friend John R. Fenton brought up some very
interesting observations in his letter that appeared in The
Jakarta Post last Monday. He was right on many accounts; he was
correct in calling it a little bit too hasty to say that Windows
would jump out of the monitor screen and that OS/2 would replace
it.

As Fenton said, IBM has even released a version of OS/2 called
OS/2 for Windows (for some good news on this, see my other
article on this page). That, to me, is a clear sign that even the
people at IBM have had to admit how strong Windows' market share
is.

OS/2 may replace MS DOS, but it will not take over the place
of Windows. But, then again, when Windows Chicago starts playing
its music, we may have to cross the street again.

According to conventional wisdom in the industry, for an
operating system or an operating environment to overthrow
another, you have to have the so-called 'killer application' that
strongly compels users to leave all the familiarity of their old
environment. Microsoft Excel and Aldus PageMaker were two such
killer applications in the past that had obliged people to try
and eventually to move into Windows.

So far, unfortunately, there hasn't been one single major OS/2
application that is not also available in Windows. Furthermore,
there has not been a performance advantage over Windows that is
so obvious and so compelling that people would rush to the stores
and grab OS/2.

PC Magazine even reported that Ami Pro for OS/2 ran much more
slowly than its native Windows version. Windows is a winner
because it still stands unchallenged.

But that does not mean I am a 100 percent advocate of Windows.
While it is true that I use Windows applications most of the
time, that's because I enjoy working with a graphical interface.
I enjoy looking at and using all the buttons, the icons, the
smart bars, the pop-up menus that you can invoke by clicking the
mouse right button, and other goodies that are simply not
available in the old DOS-based applications.

I also like the ability to copy from one application to the
clipboard and to paste again from the clipboard to another
application in Windows. Quarterdeck's Desqview allows you to do
that, but not in a manner as elegant as in Windows.

True, too, that Windows is not the best operating environment.
A PC running DOS and Windows is not the best computer in the
world. Macintosh, I definitely agree, is the best and most user-
friendly personal computer available today, and I couldn't agree
more with Fenton when he said that, like government bureaucrats,
the best is not always the most widely accepted and widely used.

Moreover, with four out of five new software products intended
for use in Windows (and that's just my own conservative estimate,
based on reports in computer magazines), what choice do I have
except to stick to Windows?

Microsoft Corp. has become very big and tall, indeed. And very
powerful, too. And that's why I'm becoming increasingly worried.
Anything that has grown so big, so tall and so powerful can
easily get sick. And when -- and it is not the question of if --
it gets sick, it can make all of us Windows users sick, too.

To a certain extent, I share Fenton's feelings toward
Microsoft. I requested a demo copy of Microsoft Office last year,
and they agreed to let me have one. However, I have yet to
receive it. On the other hand, WordPerfect Asia sent me a copy of
WPWin 6.0 from Singapore just one week after I introduced myself
to one of them. David Wee of Lotus Corp. handed me a D&E copy of
Lotus 1-2-3 during a seminar at the Sahid Jaya Hotel.

However, likes and dislikes aside, for now we have to accept
that Windows is still the only mainstream for PC users. If you
drive a Toyota or a Honda or a Ford, you'll have no difficulty
finding people who can fix your car or buying necessary spare
parts. If you buy an Aston Martin, you'll get a heck of luxury
and all, but you'll have to be prepared for much more
inconvenience. OS/2, with its hefty hardware requirements, is an
Aston Martin. I've chosen to stay with the Toyotas, and similarly
I've chosen to stay with Windows until it, too, becomes an Aston
Martin.