VX-REXX is a highly extensible REXX GUI development system for OS/2 developed by Watcom and initially released in 1993.
39-534: Much of the new code in eComStation and ArcaOS has been written using VX-REXX. Though REXX is itself a 3GL , the VX-REXX interface allows you to build REXX programs using a combination of 3GL and 4GL techniques; its drag-and-drop interface to inserting code allows quite complex programs to be built without actually entering any code. VX-REXX's interface is itself written in VX-REXX, which means that it can be extended and/or modified using REXX code; it also has
78-470: A "media refresh" incorporating a number of fixes and updates which had been made available after the release of eComStation 1.2. This was released as version 1.2R, initially on November 12, 2005, but subsequently withdrawn and re-released (due to a last-minute bug fix) on November 17, 2005. The principal new feature of eComStation 1.2R was support for installation on Athlon 64 systems, which had previously required unsupported workarounds. eComStation 1.2R
117-467: A "new Managed Client for eBusiness using components of WSeB" called eComStation to replace the one based on WoD, the idea was brought up to also create a new non-remote boot client — in effect an OEM version of the OS/2 client. Although Serenity's initial response to a suggestion of a thick client was negative, the response was positive enough from the community and from IBM to get things moving, and just
156-448: A completely new install process was designed. The bootable code on the installation CD was rewritten to improve compatibility with modern BIOSes , and a "pre-boot menu" was introduced which allowed the user to select various drivers and kernel options to use in booting from the CD. The graphical installer from eComStation 1.0 was replaced with a new, more streamlined interface. eComStation 1.1
195-498: A different requirement regarding installation media from Direct OEMs. While a clean retail media of Windows can be installed and activated on these devices with OEM keys (most commonly using the SLP key that's embedded in to the system firmware already), actual OEM recovery media that was created by the PC manufacturer (not system-builder, nor retail Windows versions) typically only works on
234-400: A few months later the first eCS preview was shipped. Notwithstanding Cheung's fairly simple initial concept, community input was actively solicited from the beginning, and feature requests quickly began coming in. The final GA release of eComStation 1.0 was not released until July 2001, and was significantly different from the original preview in many respects. Date of last edition taken from
273-537: A number of macro hooks which can be used to add to its functionality directly. The toolbox contains a number of standard tools (static text, group box, push button, radio button, check box, picture box, image push/radio button, list box, combo box (and drop-down), single and multiline entry field, slider) and some more specialized ones (container, value-set, notebook, DDE client, timer). Additional controls can be built using SOM and distributed as .DLL files; anything from simple variants of existing controls (such as
312-411: A rapid deployment OS based on Workspace On-Demand, and Ecomstation Server, a managed server based on WSeB. The OS/2 software vendor Stardock made such a proposal to IBM in 1999, but it was not followed through by the company. On April 29, 2000, Serenity itself in conjunction with Kim Cheung of Touchvoice Systems created a discussion group for the purpose of discussing the OS/2 community's interest in
351-418: A tri-state check box, or a self-validating entry field) to completely custom-drawn controls (for example, a self-contained tic-tac-toe board) can be written in C , compiled , and added to a VX-REXX project. This computer-programming -related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . EComStation eComStation or eCS is an operating system based on OS/2 Warp for
390-435: A variety of manufacturers ( Dell , HP , ASUS , Acer , Lenovo , Wistron , Inventec , Supermicro , Compal Electronics , Quanta Computer , Foxconn , Pegatron , Jabil , Flex , etc.). These OEMs commonly use a procedure known as System Locked Pre-installation , which pre-activates Windows on PCs that are to be sold via mass distribution. These OEMs also commonly bundle software that is not installed on stock Windows on
429-471: Is a popular example of a company that issues its Windows operating systems for use by OEM computer manufacturers via the bundling of Microsoft Windows . OEM product keys are priced lower than their retail counterparts, especially as they are purchased in bulk quantities, although they use the same software as retail versions of Windows. They are primarily for PC manufacturer OEMs and system builders, and as such are typically sold in volume licensing deals to
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#1732787188947468-428: Is support for AHCI disk controllers , via a newly developed device driver. The second is the replacement of the old IBM Boot Manager with the open-source Air-Boot software, which does not require a primary partition and is therefore easier to install on disks with pre-existing operating systems. eComStation 2.1 also updates some of the included applications, notably Mozilla Firefox , and has some minor improvements to
507-473: Is tied to the PC motherboard which it is initially installed on, and there is typically no transferring the key between PCs afterward. This is in contrast to retail keys, which may be transferred, provided they are only activated on one PC at a time. A significant hardware change will trigger a reactivation notice, just as with retail. Direct OEMs are officially held liable for things such as installation/recovery media, and as such were commonly provided until
546-644: The IBM WebSphere Application Server , and the Lotus Domino Go Webserver. When it became clear that IBM would not release any new retail version of the OS/2 Warp client operating system after version 4 in 1996, users began to consider other alternatives. IBM released a final version of its server edition, IBM OS/2 Warp Server for e-Business or WSeB , internally called version 4.5. IBM also continued updating
585-567: The OpenOffice.org office suite (provided on a separate CD). The Application Pack which had been available for previous versions was discontinued. eComStation 2.0 was available in English only; the release of all other language versions was deferred until version 2.1. eComStation 2.1 was released only a year after version 2.0, in May 2011. Version 2.1 has two significant new features. The first
624-494: The 32-bit x86 architecture. It was originally developed by Serenity Systems and Mensys BV under license from IBM . It includes additional applications, and support for new hardware which were not present in OS/2 Warp. It is intended to allow OS/2 applications to run on modern hardware, and is used by a number of large organizations for this purpose. By 2014, approximately thirty to forty thousand licenses of eComStation had been sold. Financial difficulties at Mensys in 2012 led to
663-603: The English edition was released, efforts turned to making other language editions (called National Language Versions, or NLVs) available. However, the first non-English NLV targeted, German, was not released until the end of 2001, due in large part to the greater-than-anticipated effort of localizing the redesigned installer and other new materials. Ultimately, no further non-English NLVs were released for eComStation 1.0; other languages would not become available until eComStation 1.1 or 1.2. eComStation 1.1 included several major new features compared to version 1.0. The largest change to
702-588: The OEM parts. Other-brand parts would be considered aftermarket, such as Champion spark plugs, DieHard batteries, Kinsler fuel injectors, and BMP engine blocks and heads. Many auto parts manufacturers sell parts through multiple channels, for example to car makers for installation during new-vehicle construction, to car makers for resale as automaker-branded replacement parts, and through general merchandising supply chains. Any given brand of part can be OEM on some vehicle models and aftermarket on others. Microsoft
741-414: The applications, including Lotus SmartSuite 1.7 and HOBlink X11 Server, were packaged separately in the eComStation Application Pack. Multi-processor support was not included in eComStation Entry, due to the additional license fees required by IBM at the time. Instead, an SMP package was available from eComStation retailers as a paid extra. With the release of eComStation 1.1, an eComStation Server Edition
780-481: The client and merged parts of it with the server, so it was proposed by Bob St. John of Serenity Systems, that an OEM company could and should create its own client, using the existing OS/2 client with IBM enhancements and adding its own improvements where needed. But Serenity as an IBM business partner had done a similar thing with OS/2-based vertical applications like the Serenity Managed Client,
819-434: The construction of a new vehicle. In contrast, aftermarket parts are those made by companies other than the OEM, which might be installed as replacements or enhancements after the car comes out of the factory. For example, if Ford used Autolite spark plugs , Exide batteries, Bosch fuel injectors , and Ford's own engine blocks and heads when building a car, then car restorers and collectors consider those to be
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#1732787188947858-536: The development of eComStation stalling, and ownership being transferred to a sister company named XEU.com (now known as PayGlobal Technologies BV), who continue to sell and support the operating system. The lack of a new release since 2011 was one of the motivations for the creation of the ArcaOS OS/2 distribution. Version 1 of eComStation, released in 2001, was based around the integrated OS/2 version 4.5 client Convenience Package for OS/2 Warp version 4 , which
897-406: The images of Windows that will be deployed with their PCs (appropriate hardware drivers , anti-malware and maintenance software, various apps, etc.). Individuals may also purchase OEM "system-builder" licenses for personal use (to include virtual hardware ), or for sale/resale on PCs which they build. Per Microsoft's EULA regarding PC manufacturers and system-builder OEM licenses, the product key
936-526: The installation CDs, the official release dates may be different. Release dates refer to the US English editions unless otherwise noted. eComStation 1.0 was built on the 2000 release of IBM's Convenience Package for OS/2 Warp version 4 (commonly referred to as MCP or MCP1). Additionally, several commercial applications were bundled with the operating system package, most notably Lotus SmartSuite for OS/2 and IBM Desktop On-Call. The IBM OS/2 install routine
975-476: The installer. As of version 2.1, much of the former branding by Serenity Systems has been removed from the released product, and replaced by that of Mensys BV. eComStation 2.1 is currently available in English and German NLVs. A preview release of a Japanese NLV is also available to certain customers. Other NLVs, including Dutch and Italian, are reportedly under development. eComStation is also complemented by several open source applications that are included in
1014-402: The installer: Minimum hardware requirements for running eComStation (any version) are: 160MB to use Demo CD Original equipment manufacturer An original equipment manufacturer ( OEM ) generally refers to a company that produces parts and equipment that may be marketed by another manufacturer. However, the term is ambiguous, with several other common meanings. It sometimes means
1053-412: The late-2000s. These were phased out in favor of recovery partitions located on the primary storage drive of the PC (and available for order from the manufacturer upon request) for the user to repair or restore their systems to the factory state. This not only cut down on costs, but was also a consequence of the gradual obsolescence and phasing out of optical media from 2010 onward. System builders also have
1092-425: The maker of a system that includes other companies' subsystems, an end-product producer, an automotive part that is manufactured by the same company that produced the original part used in the automobile's assembly, or a value-added reseller . When referring to auto parts, OEM typically refers to the manufacturer of the original equipment, that is, the parts which are then subsequently assembled and installed during
1131-525: The need for IBM's proprietary SMP-enablement driver. Consequently, starting with eComStation 2.0, SMP support was included in the base product at no additional cost. The other major feature introduced in version 2.0 was an enhanced version of the Journaled File System which allowed the operating system to be booted directly from JFS-formatted partitions. (Previous versions of JFS had only been usable on non-bootable data partitions.) Installing
1170-562: The operating system as installed was a package of wide-ranging functional enhancements to the desktop environment (Workplace Shell), based on the open source XWorkplace project from NetLabs.org. These included desktop folder enhancements such as status bars and improved sorting options, a new virtual desktop feature, a customizable desktop toolbar with support for programmable " widgets ", and expanded configuration options. Various other enhancements such as built-in support for PPPoE and PPtP Internet connections were also provided. In addition,
1209-506: The operating system onto JFS allowed a significant performance improvement, due to the much larger cache sizes supported by JFS, as well as reduced CHKDSK times in the event of a non-clean shutdown. The eComStation pricing model was revamped significantly with version 2.0. The standard consumer version was the Home & Student Edition. This edition had a lower recommended retail price than previous versions of eComStation; however, one customer
VX-REXX - Misplaced Pages Continue
1248-451: The slack (through a combination of in-house, contract, and community/open source development efforts) in terms of keeping the operating system usable on current hardware. The results of many of these efforts are included in version 2 of eComStation; among others: A server version of eComStation is available, which is based on IBM OS/2 Warp Server for e-business (WSeB) 4.52. It includes the same set of software bundled with WSeB, which includes
1287-549: Was also made available, based on the OS/2 Warp Server for e-business product. Besides English, there were also German and Russian NLVs released for eComStation 1.1. The principal new feature of eComStation 1.2, as advertised, was revamped desktop multimedia support. Updated versions of various bundled components, both IBM and non-IBM, were also included. eComStation 1.2 was released in English, German and Dutch NLVs. Serenity Systems announced its intention to provide
1326-404: Was based on the 2001 release of IBM's Convenience Package 2 for OS/2 Warp version 4 (also known as MCP2), with subsequent IBM service updates integrated. With this version, Serenity Systems separated the base operating system product from the major commercial applications that were bundled with it in eComStation 1.0. The base eComStation 1.1 product was sold under the title "eComStation Entry"; and
1365-418: Was limited to five purchases. The Business Edition was targeted at commercial customers, with no limit on the number of purchases. The Business Edition also came with telephone support, whereas Home & Student Edition customers were limited to e-mail and online assistance. Software-wise, the two products were identical; only the license terms differed, as noted above. Both editions of eComStation 2.0 included
1404-447: Was no longer used; instead, a rapid-deployment system based on Cheung's WiseManager product was utilized to install the operating system components. In addition, a number of enhancements to the OS/2 user interface had been integrated, including a revamped desktop layout with entirely new icons, customizable graphic effects in a number of windowing components, redesigned system dialogs, and an enhanced, user-extensible system shutdown. Once
1443-539: Was released by IBM in 2000. The latter had been made available only to holders of existing OS/2 support contracts; it included the following new features (among others) compared to the final retail version of OS/2 (1996's OS/2 Warp version 4 ): eComStation provided a retail channel for end users to obtain these updates. In addition, from the beginning it bundled a number of additional features and enhancements, including (but not limited to): As IBM began to wind down OS/2 development, Serenity and its partners began to take up
1482-446: Was released in English, German, and Italian NLVs. Additionally, a beta release of a Traditional Chinese NLV was made available via download for registered customers. eComStation 2.0 had a longer-than-usual development cycle. The first beta was released on December 21, 2005, with the first "release candidate" being announced on June 18, 2007; the final GA release was not available until May 2010. The biggest change in eComStation 2.0
1521-421: Was the addition of ACPI support, which represented the first major update to the core operating system to be developed specifically for eComStation (and not by IBM). The benefits of ACPI included support for modern hardware, including advanced power management features, as well as support for IRQs above 15. In addition, the new ACPI driver allowed access to OS/2's symmetric multi-processing support, obviating
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