On 12-01-19 18:02, E Sullens <=-
spoke to All about Your current version of W <=-

What version of Windows are you currently using and what version have
you updated to? It is totally okay and encouraged if you have more than one Windows OS (maybe on another tower or VM) ... what are their specs?

My computer is running Win7, with a virtual box to run WinXP which I use primarily for reading the echos. I tried recently to do the upgrade to
WIN10 but could not get my XP transferred over to that version of
virtual box. So, I am sticking with Win7 in spite of the fact that MS
is dropping support for it.

I have another computer that my wife uses that runs Win10 -- it came
with Win8, but that got replaced very quickly. She now mostly uses her
Ipad which is an Apple base OS, and mostly likes it better.

Dale Shipp
fido_261_1466 (at) verizon (dot) net
(1:261/1466)


... Shipwrecked on Hesperus in Columbia, Maryland. 00:00:29, 02 Dec 2019
___ Blue Wave/DOS v2.30

--- Maximus/NT 3.01
* Origin: Owl's Anchor (1:261/1466)

In a post between "Dale Shipp : E Sullens", on 12/1/2019 4:56 PM

My computer is running Win7, with a virtual box to run WinXP
which I use primarily for reading the echos..

Hello Dale,

Why can't you migrate the echo activity to Win7?

For example, I've been experimenting with several fine point programs since last year:

https://kolico.ca/fidonet/echos/points/

...and they all perform well in Win7. Two of them which are GUI win-style, have been designed only when Win98 was around, are nolonger being developed/supported, but look and operate quite well for anyone wanting a windows prog to drag around.

...I tried
recently to do the upgrade to WIN10 but could not get my XP
transferred over to that version of virtual box. So, I am
sticking with Win7 in spite of the fact that MS is dropping
support for it.

Just because "support" (the constant excuses for security updates) is stopping from MS, doesn't mean that Win7 will stop working. Win7/64/32 is a smooth performer.

I like the ready-to-go feature in Win10 that allows controlling other screens and redirecting video to different monitors connected in the network, for example.

If I had my druthers, and if I didn't have to rely on at least two key exclusive MS products, I'd move to a linux distro in a heartbeat.

--- Thunderbird 2.0.0.24 (Windows/20100228)
* Origin: nntp://rbb.fidonet.fi - Lake Ylo - Finland (2:221/360)

August Abolins wrote to Dale Shipp <=-

If I had my druthers, and if I didn't have to rely on at least two key exclusive MS products, I'd move to a linux distro in a heartbeat.

I felt the same way, until I got Photoshop and Remote Administrator working under WINE.

Remote Administrator from FAMATech (great remote admin tool, BTW - it's made running my BBS remotely feel like it's under my desk)

I was worried about Microsoft Office, but I have an Office365 license
through work, and can access Office apps in a web browser on Linux or
Windows, and LibreOffice is a wonderful cross-platform Office suite that
does everything I need.

Another option is always to run a Windows virtual machine under Linux - it's
a nice way to make a step towards Linux while still depending on Windows. There are even tools to do P2V migrations (Physical to Virtual) that let you migrate your Windows environment as-is into a VM.
... Are they real, the things I experienced?
--- MultiMail/XT v0.52
* Origin: http://realitycheckbbs.org | tomorrow's retro tech (1:218/700)

In a post between "Kurt Weiske : August Abolins", on 12/3/2019 10:09 AM

AA> ..I'd move to a linux distro in a heartbeat.

I felt the same way, until I got Photoshop and Remote
Administrator working under WINE.

Hello Kurt,

I had success in getting MS Office 2007 operating under Wine. But.. that was on a Manjaro installation that I later found out to refuse to cooperate with the Windows pcs on my network and visa versa. So, I had to scrap Manjaro. :(
It was a sad day.

Remote Administrator from FAMATech (great remote admin tool,
BTW - it's made running my BBS remotely feel like it's under
my desk)

I remember seeing that one in the past. Yes, their price-point is really good.
I used Teamviewer for a little while a long time ago when I needed to support client computers from remote, but the monthly pricing was hard to bear.

I was worried about Microsoft Office, but I have an
Office365 license through work, and can access Office apps
in a web browser on Linux or Windows, and LibreOffice is a
wonderful cross-platform Office suite that does everything I
need.

I think the best Wine could do was up to Office 2007, which I had and still use. OpenOffice and LibreOffice are great gifts for us all.

Another option is always to run a Windows virtual machine
under Linux - it's a nice way to make a step towards Linux
while still depending on Windows. There are even tools to do
P2V migrations (Physical to Virtual) that let you migrate
your Windows environment as-is into a VM.

I did that sort of thing with OS/2 2.1 and OS2/2 Warp. I could learn to use native OS/2 programs and switch to the Win environment for Win only programs if
necessary.

But today, I rely on established Win products on all my pcs for work and home. The machines are all quite old as you could probably tell from my post to E Sullens. I don't think I have sufficient ram to maintain VMs for Win on any of
them.

--- Thunderbird 2.0.0.24 (Windows/20100228)
* Origin: nntp://rbb.fidonet.fi - Lake Ylo - Finland (2:221/360)

August Abolins wrote to Kurt Weiske <=-

I did that sort of thing with OS/2 2.1 and OS2/2 Warp. I could learn
to use native OS/2 programs and switch to the Win environment for Win
only programs if necessary.

I *loved* OS/2 for being able to run old Windows 3.1 apps and run virtual
dos machines with real DOS. I ran OS/2 on my desktop, ran the BBS under DOS, and used LANTastic, an old peer-to-peer network, between the BBS and a DOS window using MS-DOS (since LANTastic didn't make an OS/2 version...)

It wasn't a better Windows than Windows, but it was a much better DOS than DOS.


... Don't break the silence
--- MultiMail/XT v0.52
* Origin: http://realitycheckbbs.org | tomorrow's retro tech (1:218/700)

In a post between "Kurt Weiske : August Abolins", on 12/4/2019 9:08 AM

I *loved* OS/2 for being able to run old Windows 3.1 apps
and run virtual dos machines with real DOS. I ran OS/2 on my
desktop, ran the BBS under DOS, and used LANTastic, an old
peer-to-peer network, between the BBS and a DOS window using
MS-DOS (since LANTastic didn't make an OS/2 version...)

My bbs system was hosted on OS/2 2.1. It was only a 386/pc. Ran smooth
as butter. When Warp3 came along I set up a new pc for my mom with it
and the Win version of Quickbooks, DOS Worperfect and a few other Win
and DOS programs she was already accustomed to, and set it up with FD/2
and point software to call my bbs. Then, the idea was to configure
another new pc with Warp3 and migrate the bbs to it.

But, as my luck would have it, the hdd on the OS2 2.1 machine failed at
the most inconvenient time. I closed the bbs and stayed with the
original WinME on the "new" replacement machine. WinME wasn't too bad
actually. I was able to max it out to 1GB ram over the next few years.
My main interest at that time was internet browsing and producing CD
copies and MP3 discs. WinME seemed to handle that quite nicely.

In the meantime, a friend who heard about my bbs predicament sent me his
Warp Connect V3. By then, I was already accustomed to WinME and the accumulated win programs and never bothered with Warp Connect. I did
not have the space and resources to have a "spare" pc to play with it
anyway. I still have the Warp Connect. I see listings on ebay at about
$100 for it.

OMG.. I just looked and I still have an unopened box of Lotus Smartsuite
for OS/2 (Retail $30). I also have a Jumbo250 internal bay tape drive
and a pile of sealed QIC-80 tapes!

It wasn't a better Windows than Windows, but it was a much
better DOS than DOS.

Ya. I used the Win-OS2 part sparingly, weening off Win programs as I
found suitable native OS/2 equivalents.

--- Thunderbird 2.0.0.24 (Windows/20100228)
* Origin: nntp://rbb.fidonet.fi - Lake Ylo - Finland (2:221/360)