From: "George Kinney" <goober AT mail DOT net>
Subject: Re: The is world dropping MS-DOS.  What about DJGPP? (Was Re: Quake
Newsgroups: comp.os.msdos.djgpp
References: <199708110648 DOT XAA00242 AT geocities DOT com> <5so1hc$nk9 AT winter DOT news DOT erols DOT com>
Organization: The Unknown Programmers
Message-ID: <01bca762$6f272040$ca8033cf@pentium>
NNTP-Posting-Host: 207.51.128.202
Date: 12 Aug 97 20:48:02 GMT
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To: djgpp AT delorie DOT com
DJ-Gateway: from newsgroup comp.os.msdos.djgpp
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kifox <kifox AT hotmail DOT com> wrote in article
<5so1hc$nk9 AT winter DOT news DOT erols DOT com>...
> In article <199708110648 DOT XAA00242 AT geocities DOT com>, 
> hfernandes AT mail DOT geocities DOT com says...
> >However, a terrible ghost is getting closer to this technical
> >treasure: slowly but firmly Microsoft is managing to bring MS-DOS
> >into oblivion.  And the new incarnations of its operating systems --
> >Win NT and Win 98 -- seem to make increasingly difficult the
> >execution of MS-DOS programs.
> >
> >So, the question is: where will the legacy of djgpp go when MS-DOS is
> >finished?  What should be the plan?  Try to migrate to OpenDOS? 

> Actually, you're wrong about this. There are millions of computers that
will
> never run Win95,Win98,or Win NT for one reason or another. These are the 
> machines that software written using djgpp will thrive on. Personally, I 
> have no use for Win95, and abolutely no reason to run out and buy Win NT.
> 
> I suspect a heck of a lot of people fall into this catagory.

Windows will have a niche, but it will never replace small, simple OSs like
MS-DOS completely. The size and simplicity, as well as cheap cost are
*requirements* in many applications, not hindrances.

Eventually companies will get tired of spending $3000 per desk for full 
PC's and realize that data entry only requires a keyboard and a monitor.
(Like they realized 20 years ago, go figure) and stop buying these 
win beasts all together.

There are many many applications for which windows is most definately not
an answer. Ever tried to write a reliable data capture system for an
analog device under windows? Too much overhead, too much headache, too
many wasted resources.

Don't get me wrong, I think windows has its place, but its still very early
in the small computer's existance, and way too soon to be writing things
off or declaring windows the only os that will make it. (in spite of 
everything MS *wants* to do, they can't force the world to change if it 
doesn't want to)

Personally, the *only* reason I use win95 at all is because my clients
use it and I need it for development. Without that requirement, I'd ditch
it altogether.

Don't let fads get mixed up with common sense. It is a very volatile mix.