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eComStation vs. the Warp Convenience Pack

If you purchased OS/2 Warp 4 back in 1996, you've had an amazing run, but the end is coming on January 31. That is the end of service date for OS/2 Warp 4 after which you will no longer be able to get free updates and new drivers. IBM will still continue to sell Warp 4, and will offer pay support services, however FixPak 15 will be the last FixPak for Warp 4. Reportedly IBM is working very hard to make it a good one. Device Driver Pack 2 (ftp://ftp.boulder.ibm.com/ps/products/os2/fixes/ddpak/xr_d002/) will be the last Device Driver FixPak for Warp 4.

If you haven't been following things closely, there are now two options for continuing support and upgrades to OS/2: IBM's Software Choice with the Warp Convenience Pack, and Serenity Systems' eComStation. Both choices offer a lot of value, hopefully this article will help you figure out which is best for you.

The Warp Convenience Pack

The Warp Convenience Pack is a new CD release of OS/2 Warp, with the addition of many of the features of OS/2 Warp Server for e-Business including the new OS/2 Warp 4.5 kernel, support for UDF formatted disks, updated 32-bit TCP/IP, Java 2, Macromedia Flash, Journalled File System (JFS), support for many new video cards through the bundled Scitech Display Doctor Special Edition, new drivers, fonts, support for files larger than 2Gb, and much more. From the impressive list of additions, it is apparent that IBM has been hard at work since the release of Warp 4, even if the mainstream press doesn't take much notice. Notable in its surprising absence is the Warp 4 Bonus Pack, the entire suite is no longer included.

While most users will be interested in the client version, (usually called the Merlin Convenience Pack - MCP) it also comes in a server version. See the table below for a fuller list of features included in the MCP. While many of the features in the MCP have become available at no charge at various times and in various places over the last four years, there are several key features that will be new for your average Warp 4 user. Besides, there's a reason they named it the "Convenience" pack.

The MCP is shipping now and comes on a set of CD's which include the base OS with all the fixes up to FP14 applied and a bootable CD for installation (if your machine won't boot a CD, you can still make diskettes.) The updated installation is a welcome addition for Warp 4 users as the original Warp 4 release now requires a lot of work to install and bring up to date.

In case you haven't tried to install Warp 4 lately, it isn't pleasant. You'll have to update the boot diskettes if you have a hard drive larger than 4Gb just to get the installation to start. To install a FixPak you have to update RSU or get the latest version of CSF and make diskettes, and adding Netscape requires a new version of Feature Installer. All in all, the process has grown much too difficult for the novice user and even experienced users find a fresh install somewhat trying.

I was told by an IBM'er a few years ago that at one point, IBM actually ran completely out of Warp 4 CD-ROM's at their warehouse. They were then faced with the decision to refresh the CD to the current FixPak level at the time, or remanufacture the original CD. Because such an update would have taken time to assemble and test, the decision was made to continue with the CD as it was. I'm glad they have finally reversed this unfortunate decision with the MCP.

eComStation

eComStation (eCS) is an OEM version of OS/2 Warp 4.5 that is scheduled to ship in its final form, in the next couple of months. It is based on the same core operating system components and new features as IBM's Warp Convenience Pack, but it also includes some interesting improvements and some fantastic bundled software.

Probably the biggest difference between the MCP and eCS is the inclusion of Lotus Smartsuite 1.6 in the latter. This is a new version of the suite with a few new features, a few bugfixes, and much improved filters - it now includes filters for Word 2000. With a new user license for Smartsuite alone at over $400, this is a very attractive addition if you don't already have it. If you don't like Smartsuite, you can use StarOffice 5.1a instead - the native OS/2 version which is no longer available from Sun.

eCS also offers a significantly better selection of smaller bundled applications than the MCP. eCS includes all the original Warp 4 bonus pack features including speech recognition, IBM Works, plus the excellent fax application, Faxworks Lite, which has been updated. They are also offering new programs such as virus protection plus 3 months of updates, as well as scanner software. The list of bundled applications announced to date is impressive, see the table below for a partial list, and keep your eyes open, more additions seem to be announced every week.

The other major feature in eCS that you won't see anywhere else outside of expensive IBM server operating systems is SMP support for up to 64 processors. This is included in the Professional Edition and if you want an SMP workstation, it is the only game in town. I've been running an SMP system for a little over a year now and it is definitely an improvement over a single CPU system. Everything is so smooooooth.

One of the best things that Serenity Systems and eCS seem to have done, is to light a fire under the OS/2 ISV community. There has been a flurry of activity going on behind the scenes between ISV's, Serenity and IBM. Because Serenity now has access to portions of the source code for OS/2, they are working with developers to make a number of small improvements to several areas of the OS, all designed to make eCS the premier OS/2 client system. I for one am glad to see some parts of OS/2 finally having some work done on them.

The only real criticism I have of Serenity's product is the price when in addition to your eCS upgrade from Warp 4, you also purchase their Update Subscription for two years of updates. This adds $145 to the cost of eCS over the MCP, and while this is still a great price for Smartsuite and the additional bundled software, if that doesn't interest you...

The only downside with eCS from a decision-making standpoint is that it is still very much a moving target. Hopefully everything will become finalized before the time limit on the upgrade offer expires. Serenity announced this week that they would extend their upgrade deadline an additional two months to March 31, 2001 to give existing Warp 4 users a little longer to think about it.

If you are a little daring, you can purchase the preview version of eCS now, and then receive the final version at no extra charge upon its release. The people who have already received the preview version of eCS are very enthusiastic about it.

Decisions, Decisions

The debate over which upgrade path to take, or whether to upgrade at all, has been long and vicious on usenet. Which choice is best for you depends very much on what sort of user you are and what applications you already have. Take a good close look at the attached table, and consider these few guidelines:

• If you are at all interested in Smartsuite or SMP, your only choice is Serenity.
  

• If you don't care about future Software Choice features, get Serenity's upgrade from Warp 4, it is the least expensive way to get all the current new features plus future fixes and new drivers by download.
  

• If you already own Warp 4 and Smartsuite, the MCP is a pretty good deal since it includes two releases of the MCP plus occasional new feature CD's throughout your two year subscription.
  

• If you keep up on usenet and don't mind squeezing files onto boot diskettes and digging all over the net to do a new install, you can probably do without either for the short term but I would encourage you to save your money for an upgrade in the not too distant future. Keep in mind that Serenity's Warp 4 upgrade offer ends March 31.
  

• If you're a developer, good luck choosing. The MCP is the gold standard, but eCS has everything in the MCP plus the latest toolkits, SMP, and is definitely where the action is. Maybe you should just get both.
  

• If you don't have OS/2 Warp 4 yet and you're interested in either upgrade, save yourself a bit of money and purchase a Warp 4 license on eBay for around $40. A new one is going to run you around $230.
  
  

1) $110 option at time of purchase, also available separately.
2) $89 option at time of purchase, also available separately.  This is provided by Indelible Blue and has nothing to do with Serenity.  Other resellers may offer similar packages.
3) eCS Update subscription $179 - 1 year, 4 updates. $215 - 2 year, 8 updates.
4) Warp 4 License $233 + Convenience Pack $209

All prices are in U.S. dollars from Indelible Blue, January 4, 2000.  Take the time to shop around, there are bargains to be found on everything mentioned here and prices vary by country.  Any errors or omissions in this table are my doing, you can't blame anyone else, if you are particularly concerned with anything, contact Serenity Systems (info@serenity-systems.com) or IBM for confirmation.