So, I purchased the hardware and the software, downloaded the ArcaOS ISO, and waited for the hardware to arrive.īefore running the ArcaOS install on my new box, I booted the CD on a couple of my other machines. I figured that would make a great system for trying out ArcaOS, with lots of CPU cores to utilize the ACPI SMP support, and an excess of RAM over 4GB, to try out the PAE RAM disk feature. You can still find similar systems on NewEgg and Amazon, although not at such a great price. I ran across a great hardware deal: a Dell Precision T3500, with a six core / twelve thread Xeon W3690, with 12GB of RAM, for only $339 and free shipping.

Soon after the release of ArcaOS 5.0, the Memorial Day sales started. In addition to ArcaOS 5.1 being in the planning stages, there will be 'point release' updates for 5.0 the first of them, version 5.0.1, was released on July 9, 2017, which included a handful of fixes, primarily for the installation process. While this did not make the cut for version 5.0 (perhaps it will be ready for 5.1?), I believe all of the other features previously mentioned made it into the release. The original goal was to create an installer which does not require optical media, with support for installation from USB and possibly network installs. It all started with the announcement at Warpstock 2015 that Arca Noae had a license from IBM to create a new OS/2 distribution code-named ' Blue Lion', with a tentative release scheduled for Q3 2016, approximately 10 years after IBM officially axed OS/2 development (having met their '10 more years of OS/2' promise they had made in 1996).Īs is standard fare in the software development world, there were a number of release delays, but we were tantalized with details of the features to come along the way.

ArcaOS 5.0 marked the first full update since eComStation 2.1 in May 2011 (or since eCS 2.2 beta 2 in December 2013, if you count beta releases). On May 15, 2017, OS/2 users were at last greeted by a new release of our favorite operating system.

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