Stop and Shop using OS/2 Warp?

[Atomic Wanderer Chicken]

I was checking out a few days ago at Stop and Shop and noticed the exit, minimize, maximize windows buttons looked remarkably similar to OS/2 Warp. Does anyone know if Stop and Shop is using OS/2 for their checkout computers?

 

Update: I have read that OS/2 Warp is used in some things and places on Wikipedia. Does anyone know why OS/2 warp is being used and not something like Windows or Linux ?

 

[siah1214]

Stop and shop has been installing OS/2 as recently as 2010. Why?  Lord only knows, it's probably a combination of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it", and it's "the best tool for the job"

If your software is written for OS/2 and it works, why not use it? 

 

Not that I agree with this logic, but that's how many companies operate (and why there'll still be XP computers in 2020)

[RichardK]

Because it does what they need it to do?

[Atomic Wanderer Chicken]

I understand that it probably does work well for what they use it for. I also read that OS/2 never crashes and is another reason. I bet OS/2 is like a vacuum tube radio that wont fail during a EMP compared to the modern radios that would.

[ilovetonetwork]

Also noone writes viruses/malware for OS/2 Warp.

[ilovetonetwork]

Also are you sure it is OS/2 and not eComStation?

[+John Teacake MVC]

We were using OS2/Warp as an FTP server until recently. If it aint broke dont fix it.

[Hum]

Because it does what they need it to do?

Well that's a ridiculous excuse. :p

[123456789A]

They continue to use it because OS/2 Warp features a shredder. That's a lot more secure than tossing things into a Recycle Bin or Trash.

[HawkMan]

I understand that it probably does work well for what they use it for. I also read that OS/2 never crashes and is another reason. I bet OS/2 is like a vacuum tube radio that wont fail during a EMP compared to the modern radios that would.

Actually vacuum tube radios would probably fail in a powerful EMP too.

I any case OS/2 doesn't crash in the same sense that NT OS' doesn't crash.

[Max Norris]

I also read that OS/2 never crashes and is another reason.

Used to have to support the thing way back when.. it certainly did crash from time to time. The occasional "This program is not responding to system requests" message was always fun too.

 

They continue to use it because OS/2 Warp features a shredder. That's a lot more secure than tossing things into a Recycle Bin or Trash.

There's a bajillion "shredder" programs out there to pick from, any OS and platform.

[CPressland]

They continue to use it because OS/2 Warp features a shredder. That's a lot more secure than tossing things into a Recycle Bin or Trash.

 

Erm.. Nope.

 

 

That said, I was trying to get OS/2 Warp running in VMWare Fusion a while ago. Was damned near impossible.

[+Frank B. Subscriber²]

Erm.. Nope.

 

Screen Shot 2013-09-02 at 15.14.57.png

 

That said, I was trying to get OS/2 Warp running in VMWare Fusion a while ago. Was damned near impossible.

OS/2 has been known to be difficult to virtualise. See http://www.os2museum.com/wp/?p=27 for more information.

[Atomic Wanderer Chicken]

I just find it a little strange for a corporation to be using a 19 year old operating system especially OS/2 (if they truly are using OS/2 warp). I wouldn't doubt Kmart uses Windows 95 for their checkouts. Grocery stores and department stores could use a tablet now with an app that emulates what their checkout does currently.

[+Nik Louch Subscriber²]

Does anyone know why OS/2 warp is being used and not something like Windows or Linux ?

 

In what way is OS/2 Warp "not like" Windows or Linux?

[Atomic Wanderer Chicken]

In what way is OS/2 Warp "not like" Windows or Linux?

Just to clarify, I asked in the post; why OS/2 Warp is being used and not something like a modern Windows or Linux OS. OS/2 warp came out in 1994 according to Wikipedia. Yes, I do know that OS/2 was initially created from Microsoft and IBM back then, and it does have elements from Windows.

[Max Norris]

In what way is OS/2 Warp "not like" Windows or Linux?

Windows and Linux have official support from their respective developers and plenty of third parties. Supposedly IBM still offers paid support for OS/2 and existing customers can request to buy licenses, that's as far as it goes, in essence though it's pretty much dead and buried. Not something I'd personally want to base a business off of nowadays.

[Lord Method Man]

Does Steam run on OS/2?

[+Frank B. Subscriber²]

Just to clarify, I asked in the post; why OS/2 Warp is being used and not something like a modern Windows or Linux OS. OS/2 came out in 1994 according to Wikipedia.

OS/2 is stable on fully supported hardware, and there is no malware for it. There are legacy applications still running on OS/2; just ask the banking sector.

 

Simply put, why change a running system for the sake of change?

[REM2000]

probably ecommstation, a lot of POS software was written for OS/2/eCommstation. Lot of old tellers use DOS too. It's surprising but if it ain't broke dont fix it, plus when you are designing devices that only do one thing over and over again you want to keep things simply, the more complex the more likely they are to break, the harder it is to repair. 

[REM2000]

I just find it a little strange for a corporation to be using a 19 year old operating system especially OS/2 (if they truly are using OS/2 warp). I wouldn't doubt Kmart uses Windows 95 for their checkouts. Grocery stores and department stores could use a tablet now with an app that emulates what their checkout does currently.

 

The difference is the application of the OS. Win95 is a consumer OS so wouldn't fit as well (although a lot of POS also ran on Win95/98 as well as XP and NT)

 

Age doesn't really factor in these OS's as they only have to do simple tasks and don't require modern technology. 

[Atomic Wanderer Chicken]

The difference is the application of the OS. Win95 is a consumer OS so wouldn't fit as well (although a lot of POS also ran on Win95/98 as well as XP and NT)

 

Age doesn't really factor in these OS's as they only have to do simple tasks and don't require modern technology. 

I guess if it works, then it works and is good for what its needed for. There would be a lot of potential if companies switched over to using tablet computers like Android, IOS or Windows 8.

[Max Norris]

and there is no malware for it.

Untrue, there were a few OS/2 viruses out there. I've personally run into samples of the MyName and Jiskefet viruses a couple of times back in the day. Not saying that it was common as it certainly wasn't, ranks up there with Linux malware, but there's no such thing as a bulletproof OS that's immune to malware.

 

Simply put, why change a running system for the sake of change?

Because things stagnate when they don't/can't evolve. What happens when something goes wrong, you need to add new systems but can't buy new licenses, you want to add new things into the system but can't, etc etc..? You get locked into something and you can't move on. Very bad from a business or technology standpoint.

[pookie62]

Well, I installed *a lot* of OS/2 back in the day, for many mission critical roles and government agencies. It is pretty bullet proof and there's still some ATMs that use OS/2 but not as many.  But I see no technical reason why you wouldn't want to use OS/2, particularly if your applications (such as POS here) is well understood, stable, documented, and "just worked". 

[Rigby]

Just to clarify, I asked in the post; why OS/2 Warp is being used and not something like a modern Windows or Linux OS. OS/2 warp came out in 1994 according to Wikipedia. Yes, I do know that OS/2 was initially created from Microsoft and IBM back then, and it does have elements from Windows.

 

The latest version of OS/2 came out in 2011 and the current beta in March 2013. It is called eComstation now.