Message-Id: <199804172306.TAA03199@kanga.INS.CWRU.Edu>
Date: Fri, 17 Apr 1998 19:06:54 -0400 (EDT)
From: jls11 AT po DOT cwru DOT edu (John L. Spetz)
To: opendos AT delorie DOT com
Subject: No more versions to come? WAS:Re: Third time out???
Reply-To: jls11 AT po DOT cwru DOT edu (John L. Spetz)
Precedence: bulk

Reply to message from tsiegel AT softcon DOT com of Thu, 16 Apr
>
>> based programs. I am getting major troubles with simple older ones. 
>> Netscape seems just as or more buggy than with MessyDOS.  I need to use 
>> MSCDEX.EXE on most programs.  And the DRDOS memory manager still needs
>> much work.  Any release date on the next version, or is this as good as
>> it will get??? -Dean Dancey
>

[snip]

>As for another version, I don't know anything about it, other than
>something I read on either this list or another dos related one that
>support was being pulled for the product, and no more releases were going
>to be made that were free, but since I have no verification of that
>statement, I'd take it with a grain of salt, until we see something
>official on the web page.
>

Anyone know if this is true?  I hope that isn't to be the case.  It does
seem, given the reluctance to release more source, that Caldera thinks
the open source model is not useful for OpenDOS.  I suppose they may have
decided to concentrate on working with OEMs.  This does seem like a strange
strategy for a value added reseller of Linux to adopt, however.  If OpenDOS
is to be anything more than a stop-gap thin client till MS starts really
pushing WinCE down the OEM's throats isn't it important for DOS development
to continue (such as it is)?  I would think Caldera would have more leverage
against WinCE if there is a free version of Open/DRDos in active development
benefiting from crossover work by the Linux people.  A professional version
of DRDos shared by Caldera and licensed OEMs would presumably benefit from
this free code being written.  Even if not much has happened with the source
released so far I think this would change if more were available.  Even if
the source is not destined for release the promise of future versions is
some incentive for people to continue DOS development.  Even if many people
have moved on to Linux or Windoze they may still maintain a DOS version of
their wares if it seems worth the effort.  If there is no living DOS widely
available even the "support-every-platform" projects will drop the DOS
versions.

Well, I'll step down from the soap box now.  I hope it is simply a rumor/
trial balloon/mistake.

I would welcome any comment from any Caldera people who read the list.