Unless otherwise noted in the product description, as long as you have a qualifying product and proof as required by the developer, upgrades may be purchased through Arca Noae, even if your original purchase was from another vendor.
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How can I stay informed of ArcaOS development status?
The easiest way is to register for an account on our website, here. This will subscribe you to email notifications from our blog. Note that there is no purchase required to register on the site, and we will never sell or otherwise share your information with any third parties (see our Privacy Policy for more details).
How much does ArcaOS (Blue Lion) cost?
Please see the Arca Noae store for pricing and edition details.
I’ve heard that ArcaOS (Blue Lion) includes an updated kernel. Can you tell me more about this?
In short, the last kernel (core of the operating system) for OS/2 had some remaining issues, several of which have been addressed in ArcaOS 5.0. Essentially, these issues involve running DOS windows, unloading modules which have been loaded into high memory, and some other areas affecting stability.
ArcaOS includes a new loader making it possible to run ArcaOS 5.0 on systems which might otherwise only see 512MB of memory instead of the full compliment of RAM installed. In addition, this new loader allows the configuration of memory above 4GB as a RAM disk and includes a handy utility for creating and managing such virtual disks.
Arca Noae is looking at additional ways of enhancing the OS/2 kernel, as well, so look for more improvements over time.
Can ArcaOS (Blue Lion) be used as a Windows replacement?
Generally, no.
ArcaOS (Blue Lion) is meant to be a replacement for an existing OS/2 or eComStation installation or where a customer desires to switch away from Windows, Linux, Mac, or some other platform. While Blue Lion fully supports running 16-bit MS Windows applications, we realize that these are becoming scarce, and that modern Windows apps are fully 32 or 64-bit (such as would run natively under Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, or 10).
With the use of Odin32, ArcaOS has some limited ability to run select 32-bit Windows applications, and with the use of VirtualBox running on ArcaOS, it is possible to run an entirely virtualized modern Windows implementation, however neither of these solutions is a true replacement for Windows running on bare metal or on a dedicated hypervisor, such as VMWare.
It should also be noted that ArcaOS is a 32-bit operating system.
When will the next version of ArcaOS be available?
ArcaOS 5.0 shipped on May 15, 2017, with maintenance releases made available at varying intervals thereafter:
5.0.1 – July, 2017
5.0.2 – February, 2018
5.0.3 – August, 2018
5.0.4 – July, 2019
5.0.5 – June, 2020
5.0.6 – August, 2020
5.0.7 – December, 2021
5.0.8 – June, 2023
We anticipate a 5.1 release in 2023, with continuing 5.0.x releases for some time, as well as 5.1.x releases.
For prior release announcements, we recommend reviewing our archives.
Why do you ask for my address at the time of checkout or when creating an account? Are you selling my information to anyone?
Your information is completely confidential, per the terms of our Privacy Policy (the Policy). Per the terms outlined in the Policy, we collect certain information from you at the time of registration and at the time of purchase. In the case of a purchase, this information is used to process the transaction. For example, in order to process a credit card payment, we use the mailing address to verify the card number. Such verification reduces the incidence of fraud, thereby lowering our risk. This translates to lower per-transaction fees, which in turn means lower cost to you.
In the case of check, where we don’t need to verify the address to complete the transaction, this information is used as an alternate form of contact, in case something goes wrong with the email address provided.
We do not share any of your information with disinterested third parties, nor do we sell any of your information. In some instances, we provide name and email address to a third-party supplier in order to properly generate a permanent license key for you or to identify your order in case you need support in the future.
I’d like to pay via check. Is there anything special I should know?
We will gladly accept your personal or business check for your purchase. Please select the check payment option at time of checkout, and mail your check in US funds to:
Arca Noae, LLC 7 Loudoun Street, SE, Suite 2B Leesburg, VA 20175-3012 USA
Please include your order number on the memo line of the check.
Upon clearing, you should receive a notification via email that your order is complete. If you do not hear from us within ten days, please feel free to contact us.
What forms of payment does Arca Noae accept?
Currently, Arca Noae accepts:
- Major credit cards (via Stripe)
- PayPal
- Personal or business checks (USD only)
- Direct bank transfer (US funds; $15 fee applies)
As of January, 2023, we are no longer accepting any form of cryptocurrency.
I already have a software subscription from Mensys for eComStation. Does that entitle me to your subscription content?
In short, no.
We have nothing to do with Mensys, XEU, or IBM, for that matter. Our software subscription service is unique. In many ways these subscription and support services complement each other, however, so there should be little overlap of entitlements. A software subscription for eComStation does not include our unique content (drivers and software developed by us), nor is ours likely to include any of their content. Thus, the two subscriptions are completely different.
Warp 4 users will likely find much of our content useful. We do not limit the systems on which our drivers may be installed simply because of branding, but rather, only due to capability (minimum kernel requirements and other functional prerequisites).
eComStation users will find content here which they cannot get anywhere else, even with a fresh install of the latest beta version of the next eComStation release.