Porting to OS/2 – GitPius
16 days ago
- #Database Management
- #Software Conversion
- #OS/2
- Microrim converted R:BASE System V from DOS to OS/2 in six months to meet IBM's OS/2 announcement deadline.
- The conversion was facilitated by R:BASE's modular design, isolating OS-specific calls to a small set of procedures.
- Microrim decided against a family application approach, opting for separate DOS and OS/2 versions to fully leverage OS/2 features.
- The conversion involved a language switch from FORTRAN to C, using a translator and manual tweaking to optimize the code.
- OS/2's larger memory space and multitasking capabilities improved R:BASE's performance by eliminating the need for overlays.
- Microrim plans to enhance R:BASE further with OS/2-specific features and support for the upcoming Presentation Manager.
- The company remains committed to supporting DOS users while expanding its product line to include OS/2 versions.