IBM WorkFrame/2

The IBM WorkFrame/2 is an integration tool for developers that allows them to integrate their existing development tools in an object-oriented fashion. Tt is conceptually slightly different to most software development tools and that might be why it never set the world on fire but it is somewhere between an IDE and a configuration management tool with the difference being that Workframe/2 helps you integrate your existing OS/2 (both 16 and 32 bit), DOS and Windows 3.x sets of tools into the WorkFrame rather than supplying a new set of tools for you, the idea was that most developers already had tools such as editors that they preferred over new alternatives and since OS/2 v2 and up ran DOS and Windows 3.x programs seamlessly they could all be integrated into the WPS to a degree and used to develop software for all three platforms with.

WorkFrame/2 has facilities for explicit support of Compilers, Editors, Linkers, Make like utilities and Debuggers, on top of that the Workframe/2 supplied project management features, you could also have WorkFrame control utilities like static source code checkers and indexers and other programming utilities but there was no direct support for them.

The package was originally released to coincide with the release of OS/2 2.0 and IBM C Set/2, it had also been included with most beta and pre-release versions of OS/2 2.0 including the limited release OS/2 1.99 that also contained C/Set.

There is a tendency with old OS/2 heads to refer to all IDE type products a "workframe".

Add on packages

Integration Kit for IBM Workframe/2

Compatible products

In general all command line and the bulk of GUI applications can use the various versions of Workframe/2, however a number of products explicitly support integration with the toolkit including:

• IBM C Set/2
• IBM C Set++ for OS/2
• Watcom C/C++
• Watcom FORTRAN 77

Please note that this list is woefully incomplete.

The following packages come with a version of Workframe or a replacement built in:

• Visualage C++ v3 IBM VAC 3.0 Workframe
• Visualage C++ v4 IBM VAC 4.0 Workframe

Bundles

While available separately the product was more frequently sold bundled with other applications such as is shown by the 1993 advertisement on the right but in that case IBM is offering it alongside a copy of IBM C Set++ for OS/2 and KASE:Set from Kaseworks.

But in addition to that the company offered Workframe/2 alongside or in bundles with most of the development systems they were selling at the time and in the case of some of the more expensive development system it was supplied for free.

Versions

• Workframe/2 v2 (1992)
• Workframe/2 v2.1 (1993)

Licence and availability

Discontinued commercial software, Workframe/2 was sold for USD 90 in 1992 but in most cases was actually sold bundled with other applications rather than on its own.

Publisher

• IBM