[Gem-dev] Re: [DigitalResearch] Re: OpenGEM and New Graphical OS

[Shane M. Coughlan]

> Hola a todo el mundo de Digital Research!!!!!
> Llevo subscrito unos años a esta lista porque soy un
> apasionado de los productos de Digital Research desde
> mi juventud.
> Nunca antes había escrito ningún mensaje, pero creo
> que ahora estoy en disposición.
> Empecé a manejar GEM com mi Amstrad PC1640 y la verdad
> me cautivó por su secillez y por sus grandes
> posibilidades. Rápido, pequeño y estable. Era 1988.
> También me instalé, más tarde, DR-DOS 6.0, además de
> tener el CPM en máquinas Amstrad y Sinclair.
> Con respecto al GEM y viendo el mágnifíco trabajo de
> Shane, mi más sincera enhorabuena, creo que aún hay
> mercado para sistemas como GEM.
> En muchas situaciones no es necesario sistemas
> multitarea u otrso sistemas mucho más avanzados y
> potentes. COn sistemas más sencillos y que realicen
> esas tareas es suficiente.
> Comenta Shane, sobre NEtBSD. En la empresa que fundé,
> realizamos soluciones con FreeBSD, los BSD son los
> mejores sistemas que he conocido, pero echamos de
> menos sistemas más sencillo para aplicaciones
> sencillas y sin muchos requisitos.
> Desde hace años, y sobre todo desde que se liberó GEM,
> hemos estad dando vueltas a dar un nuevo impulso a
> GEM, optimizándlo para sistemas empotrados, box,
> quioscos, etc, portarlo a UNIX, etc. Quizás para ello
> hay que dar un nuevo enfoque.
> Shane comenta que seguramente se acabe la vida de
> OpenGEM. Nosotros, desde la empresa que fundé,
> Inventuris Company, y más concretamente, desde
> Softwarix Company, la división de software, continuar
> el trabajo y seguir evolucionando GEM, dotándole de
> una fuerza suficiente para que siga sirviendo en el
> mercado.
> Con respecto a la GPL, no creeemos que sea un
> obstáculo para desarrollar GEM comercialmente.
> Estoy particurlarmente interesado en seguir dando vida
> a GEM y OpenGEM, creo que todavía puede dar mucho
> juego.
> Esto ha sido una primera aproximación.
> Un saludo a todos,
> Samuel ÁLvarez Abad "Sammy"
> Inventuris Company Sociedad Limitada
> www.inventuris.com

According to Altavista this translates roughly into:
Hello to everybody of Research Digitalis!!!!! I take subscribed years to
this list because I am an enthusiastic one of products Research Digitalis
from my youth. Before no message had never written, but I believe that now I
am at readiness. I began to handle to GEM com my Amstrad PC1640 and the
truth captivated me by its secillez and its great possibilities. Express,
small and stable. He was 1988. Also I settled, later, DR-DOS 6,0, besides to
have the CPM in machines Amstrad and Sinclair. With respect to the GEM and
seeing mágnifíco work of Shane, my more sincere enhorabuena, I believe that
still there is market for systems like GEM. In many situations otrso is not
necessary systems multitask either advanced and much powerful systems the
more. COn simpler systems and than makes those tasks is sufficient. Shane
comments, on NEtBSD. In the company that I founded, we made solutions with
FreeBSD, the BSD are the best systems than there am well-known, but we
missed systems simpler for simple applications and without many
requirements. For years, and mainly since GEM was freed, we have been having
you are giving returned to give to a new impulse to GEM, optimizándlo for
embedded systems, box, kiosks, etc, to carry it to UNIX, etc. Perhaps for it
it is necessary to give a new approach. Shane comments that surely the life
of OpenGEM finishes. We, from the company who I founded, Inventuris Company,
and more concretely, from Softwarix Company, the software division, to
continue the work and to continue evolving GEM, equipping to him with a
sufficient force so that it continues serving in the market. With respect to
the GPL, noncreeemos that is an obstacle to develop GEM commercially.
Particurlarmente I am interested in continuing giving life GEM and OpenGEM,
I believe that still it can give much game. This has been one first
approach. A greeting to all,

Interesting!  Hello Samuel Álvarez Abad, and thank you for your email.
I gather that you are interested in continuing development of GEM through
your company, and believe that it has the potential to deliver commercial
products.  I would agree that it has commercial potential, and I would be
delighted to see futher work on GEM being done.  There are bindings
available to program GEM through DJGPP, TurboPascal and WatcomC.  There is a
programming toolkit, and documentation on how to do things.  To simplifiy
tasks there is an application called GDS which allows a sort of batchfile to
execute through GEM (graphical interface).  This means that for some tasks
you can skip the complex programming and just use batch files.  GEM is ready
to develop, and should be easy to deploy.  It is also very easy to change
the language of GEM applications.  They all use seperate files for dialogs
called *.RSC, and there is a simple RSC editor.
The GPL license of GEM may seem restrictive at first, but it need not be.
You can still develop commercial applications that run on GEM.  It's just
that GEM itself is free.  You could also ask SCO (the owners of the GEM
intellectual property) to negotiate a non-GPL license for your use.   GPL is
non-exclusive.
I think GEM could be used as an embedded GUI, and it runs on FreeDOS, so you
could have an entire free OS on which to develop applications.  The utility
of GEM/FreeDOS would be that the footprint needed to run the thing is less
than 1meg.  Sure, NetBSD can boot in 400kb, but it's not going to have a GUI
in that kind of space.
My suggestion is to work on GEM under the GPL and release the code you
change and update under than license.  For embedding GEM develop new
applications and add-ons which are not GPL, and thus have a way to charge
for them.  This way you do not have to pay a license fee to SCO, and you can
still end up with a commercial product.
The Softwarix Company website does not appear to be active yet.  Can you
tell me more about your company?  I would be very interested in working with
you to extend the life of GEM, and to perhaps create some commerical
applications for it.

Regards

Shane Coughlan
http://gem.shaneland.co.uk

You can contact me by phone at +447773180107
My address is
Shane Coughlan
Flat 2
9 Stanmore Road
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B16 9ST
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An alternative email to contact me through is shane at shaneland.co.uk