Hi there all you OS/2 fanatics.
OK, OK, OK - now I know there are a lot of utterly mad OS/2 users out there. Sorry, I just can't reply personally to everyone that took up my plea to see if there is life out there. From all over the world you guys filled up my e-mail box. Thanks a lot and many happy OS/2 wishes. I just want to include one letter (with permission from the author) that I really enjoyed. Here it is:
Just letting you know I read your report.
You mention that IBM is not loading OS/2 on any of its PCs now. How fortunate I was that I bought my IBM PC330 a year ago [yesterday] with Windows 3.11 and something else nobody had ever heard of called OS/2 Warp.
I had never seen so much as a Word Processor before and I'm a middle aged woman, but I soon got frustrated and bored with Windows 3.11. So I began migrating to OS/2 Warp. Still frustrated but never bored! It was doing the things I had thought a computer was supposed to do with files. Love the WPS.
Replaced Windows 3.11 with Windows 95 expecting Nirvana. Very pretty, but I could never love an OS that has a start button and where you have to use Windows Explorer and, as I describe it, 'go into' applications.
So here I am back home again. I had to become a bit of a geek to use OS/2 but it gives me wonderful delusions of power over the computer, and it has made me fascinated by computing itself.
Just a little rave to let you know someone's out there. By the way, I discovered a little coven of middle-aged ladies who are Warp fanatics. It must be said, however, that we were probably born before our time and are natural geeks. For most of my friends, I have to, regretfully suggest the Disneyland OS, Windows 95.
Bye, BAB
Now is that not absolutely wonderful. Happy computing ladies!
Just a comment on Tim's last editorial. Does anybody really think that M$ will use standard JAVA? In my opinion, not in a million years. The moment they do that and a lot of other very loyal M$ ISV's etc. start to write to standard Java, a big percentage of current Windows and especially 95 users will switch to something else. Maybe the 95 users will go back to 3.1 and maybe OS/2 - or something else like a Network PC. Remember - M$ wants to keep the status quo, many PC's with Micro$oft software and ONLY Micro$oft software on it. Why do you think are there so many Windows API's that are not open to everyone out there, only to M$ programmers?
Think pal, think!
SOUTH AFRICAN OS/2 USER GROUPS
Due to popular demand, I'm giving the details and contact persons for South African OS/2 user groups.
The Johannesburg group (Gauteng OS/2 User Group) meets every first Wednesday of the month in the IBM auditorium.
The Cape Town OS/2 user group meets every first Tuesday of the month. I know this server was down since November, but it will be back very soon, thanks to a very big OS/2 fan in J'burg, Eddie Dunkley. But there are problems with the Cape Town group. It is almost as if the group is not so "sharing" these days. We've got problems getting some of the members to share their experiences and to get presenters for topics. The group is now running for just over five years, so maybe it is just a natural decline. At the last meeting we saw a very interesting talk by a company called ENF. They are developing a software product called Amicus that will do marginal electricity accounting, planning etc. for municipalities. They gave us lots of information on why they are using OS/2 etc.
Bill Gates visited South Africa in March. Well, apparently he is still good. He made lots and lots of promises (nothing about when the next Windoze is coming out) and I must say he has a big following. Some journalists even reported that he is the CEO of the biggest computer company in the world. We showed them the truth very fast, but unfortunately the message is now out there again. Agjaa-aaaa Boet - what can I say!
And yes, the big news in Cape Town this month was that we are one of the last five cities in the run for the 2004 games. What a party, and for those that do not know, 95% of the bid's PC's are running on OS/2.
If anybody need more information - please ask me and I'll try and answer.
Have fun and support the Cape Town Olympic bid for 2004!
Please do not hesitate to send me any news and information pertaining to South Africa you would like mentioned in this column.
Francois van der Merwe was the South African Country Coordinator for the "Connect the World with Merlin" project. He is also an active member of the OS/2 Users Group in Cape Town and Team OS/2.
