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  • GeoWorks: The alternative to Windows

    From Nightfox@VERT/DIGDIST to All on Fri Jun 21 12:49:40 2019
    I was always interested in OS alternatives to DOS/Windows back in the day. I had heard about GeoWorks (GEOS) back in the early 90s and thought it sounded interesting. I never used it myself though.. It seemed like Microsoft took over the market, with several competitors existing back in the day. I saw this article about GeoWorks today: https://tedium.co/2019/06/20/geoworks-geos-history/

    Nightfox

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  • From poindexter FORTRAN@VERT/REALITY to Nightfox on Sat Jun 22 07:11:00 2019
    Nightfox wrote to All <=-

    I was always interested in OS alternatives to DOS/Windows back in the
    day. I had heard about GeoWorks (GEOS) back in the early 90s and
    thought it sounded interesting. I never used it myself though.. It seemed like Microsoft took over the market, with several competitors existing back in the day.

    I used it quite a bit when I had a system that wasn't quite up to
    Windows specs (386SX, 2 MB RAM). I was able to do all the word
    processing and spreadsheets I could do (it came with Borland's Quattro
    Pro for DOS) and it swapped out to DOS for my DOS programs.

    The irony was that I was running UNIXWare at work, a version of AT&T
    SYSV UNIX licensed by Novell. It ran the Motif window manager and
    looked almost exactly like GeoWorks.




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  • From Hustler@VERT/DMINE to Nightfox on Sun Jun 23 12:39:25 2019
    Re: GeoWorks: The alternative to Windows
    By: Nightfox to All on Fri Jun 21 2019 12:49 pm


    I was always interested in OS alternatives to DOS/Windows back in the day. I had heard about GeoWorks (GEOS) back in the early 90s and thought it sounded interesting. I never used it myself though.. It seemed like Microsoft took over the market, with several competitors existing back in the day. I saw this article about GeoWorks today:

    You never checked out Linux or Unix back then? It seemed like Unix and Unix like systems ruled the internet.

    Regards,
    Steve Wolf

    HusTler/Heliarc SysOp
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  • From Nightfox@VERT/DIGDIST to Hustler on Sun Jun 23 10:53:52 2019
    Re: GeoWorks: The alternative to Windows
    By: Hustler to Nightfox on Sun Jun 23 2019 12:39 pm

    I was always interested in OS alternatives to DOS/Windows back in
    the day. I had heard about GeoWorks (GEOS) back in the early 90s and
    thought it sounded interesting. I never used it myself though.. It
    seemed like Microsoft took over the market, with several competitors
    existing back in the day. I saw this article about GeoWorks today:

    You never checked out Linux or Unix back then? It seemed like Unix and Unix like systems ruled the internet.

    Actually I did (did I say I hadn't?). I messed with Linux and off in the 90s. It actually took me a little while to learn Linux well, and it wasn't until I got a job in a Linux environment later when I really started to learn a lot about Linux.

    Linux is indeed popular for internet servers & such, but I also always thought it was interesting to see the other operating systems that were more geared toward home computers. Back in the day, there was Windows, OS/2, GeoWorks, BeOS (a good OS but probably a bit too late to the market), and I'm not sure what else there may have been.

    Nightfox

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  • From MRO@VERT/BBSESINF to Hustler on Sun Jun 23 17:10:24 2019
    Re: GeoWorks: The alternative to Windows
    By: Hustler to Nightfox on Sun Jun 23 2019 12:39 pm

    You never checked out Linux or Unix back then? It seemed like Unix and Unix like systems ruled the internet.



    linux sucked ass back in the 90s. it has really made a ton of improvements and improved into OSES that you can really use for desktop or server applications. ---
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  • From poindexter FORTRAN@VERT/REALITY to MRO on Sun Jun 23 17:21:32 2019
    Re: GeoWorks: The alternative to Windows
    By: MRO to Hustler on Sun Jun 23 2019 05:10 pm

    linux sucked ass back in the 90s. it has really made a ton of improvements and improved into OSES that you can really use for desktop or server applications.

    The 90s were all about FreeBSD for me - it was a mature OS and could handle a serious load without fail, it took Linux until the mid 2000s to get to that point, then it left the BSDs in the dust, support-wise.

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  • From Vk3jed@VERT/FREEWAY to poindexter FORTRAN on Mon Jun 24 17:55:00 2019
    On 06-23-19 17:21, poindexter FORTRAN wrote to MRO <=-

    The 90s were all about FreeBSD for me - it was a mature OS and could handle a serious load without fail, it took Linux until the mid 2000s
    to get to that point, then it left the BSDs in the dust, support-wise.

    Yes, although I've hardly used any of the BSDs, they were regarded as the bees knees in the 90s, with a solid pedigree., but yes, Linux certainly overtook BSD in the last 15 years.


    ... But if the handwriting on the wall is a forgery?
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  • From Nightfox@VERT/DIGDIST to MRO on Mon Jun 24 09:51:48 2019
    Re: GeoWorks: The alternative to Windows
    By: MRO to Hustler on Sun Jun 23 2019 05:10 pm

    linux sucked ass back in the 90s. it has really made a ton of improvements and improved into OSES that you can really use for desktop or server applications.

    That's true. These days, there are Linux distributions that you can pretty much just install and get going and use. I've seriously considered switching from Windows to Linux Mint Cinnamon on my desktop at home if Microsoft goes to a subscription service model for Windows like the rumors say..

    Nightfox

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  • From Nightfox@VERT/DIGDIST to poindexter FORTRAN on Mon Jun 24 09:58:26 2019
    Re: GeoWorks: The alternative to Windows
    By: poindexter FORTRAN to MRO on Sun Jun 23 2019 05:21 pm

    The 90s were all about FreeBSD for me - it was a mature OS and could handle a serious load without fail, it took Linux until the mid 2000s to get to that point, then it left the BSDs in the dust, support-wise.

    Yeah, I always heard good things about FreeBSD.

    Nightfox

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  • From Minex@VERT/TDOD to MRO on Mon Jun 24 10:29:17 2019
    Re: GeoWorks: The alternative to Windows
    By: MRO to Hustler on Sun Jun 23 2019 05:10 pm

    You never checked out Linux or Unix back then? It seemed like Unix and Unix like systems ruled the internet.

    Yeah it did. I remember trying to get x-windows working with my laptop. You had to specify your refresh rate, resolution, etc. If you weren't careful, you could actually screw your monitor up.

    The Dawn of Demise BBS (tdod.org)

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  • From MRO@VERT/BBSESINF to Minex on Mon Jun 24 22:18:09 2019
    Re: GeoWorks: The alternative to Windows
    By: Minex to MRO on Mon Jun 24 2019 10:29 am

    Re: GeoWorks: The alternative to Windows
    By: MRO to Hustler on Sun Jun 23 2019 05:10 pm

    You never checked out Linux or Unix back then? It seemed like Unix and Unix like systems ruled the internet.

    Yeah it did. I remember trying to get x-windows working with my laptop.


    you are replying to the wrong person. i didnt say that.
    i dont know how you pulled that off, but that's not what i wrote.
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  • From Denn@VERT/OUTWEST to Nightfox on Mon Jun 24 23:45:26 2019
    Re: GeoWorks: The alternative to Windows
    By: Nightfox to MRO on Mon Jun 24 2019 09:51 am

    That's true. These days, there are Linux distributions that you can pretty much just install and get going and use. I've seriously considered switching from Windows to Linux Mint Cinnamon on my desktop at home if Microsoft goes to a subscription service model for Windows like the rumors say..

    mint is to bloated for my taste, I like Ubuntu mate or lubintu LXDE
    I run both and they are pretty solid.

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  • From Vk3jed@VERT/FREEWAY to Nightfox on Tue Jun 25 20:23:00 2019
    On 06-24-19 09:51, Nightfox wrote to MRO <=-

    That's true. These days, there are Linux distributions that you can pretty much just install and get going and use. I've seriously
    considered switching from Windows to Linux Mint Cinnamon on my desktop
    at home if Microsoft goes to a subscription service model for Windows
    like the rumors say..

    I like Mint Cinnamon, nice desktop distro, generally "just works".


    ... I.R.S.: We've got what it takes to take what you've got!
    --- MultiMail/Win v0.51
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  • From Vk3jed@VERT/FREEWAY to Minex on Tue Jun 25 20:28:00 2019
    On 06-24-19 10:29, Minex wrote to MRO <=-

    Yeah it did. I remember trying to get x-windows working with my
    laptop. You had to specify your refresh rate, resolution, etc. If you weren't careful, you could actually screw your monitor up.

    Especially CRTs. Yeah, the old days of having to write a Modeline for your monitor. But those days are not necessarily over. I have a monitor that neither WIndows or Linux seems to properly recognise, but I can get it working at native resolution under X with a custom Modeline. :) So, for most people, it will "just work", but you can still tweak the display driver, if you need
    o.


    ... Mind you, any dead animal on a bun tastes pretty good to me.
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  • From Mandarax@VERT/CAVEBBS to Denn on Tue Jun 25 22:53:00 2019
    Re: GeoWorks: The alternative
    By: Denn to Nightfox on Mon Jun 24 2019 11:45 pm

    Re: GeoWorks: The alternative to Windows
    By: Nightfox to MRO on Mon Jun 24 2019 09:51 am

    That's true. These days, there are Linux distributions that you can pre much just install and get going and use. I've seriously considered switching from Windows to Linux Mint Cinnamon on my desktop at home if Microsoft goes to a subscription service model for Windows like the rum say..

    mint is to bloated for my taste, I like Ubuntu mate or lubintu LXDE
    I run both and they are pretty solid.


    I prefer Manjaro (Arch Based). Switched from Mint to this distro a while
    back and never looked back.


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  • From poindexter FORTRAN@VERT/REALITY to Denn on Thu Jun 27 07:28:00 2019
    Denn wrote to Nightfox <=-

    mint is to bloated for my taste, I like Ubuntu mate or lubintu LXDE
    I run both and they are pretty solid.


    Iran Lubuntu for years, haven't tried the newer versions. I did try
    the version with the newer WM, had a couple of glitches with it. I
    started running Lubuntu when I ran on single-core laptops, stuck with
    it long after the old laptop was gone.



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  • From Dumas Walker@VERT/CAPCITY2 to POINDEXTER FORTRAN on Tue Jul 2 18:54:00 2019
    Iran Lubuntu for years, haven't tried the newer versions. I did try

    You found an Iranian version? Do you know Arabic or Persian, or was it actually in English?

    <GRIN>

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