THE OS/2 WARP WEEKLY - A production of PSP Worldwide Marketing Support Covering information relevant to OS/2 Warp and LAN Server 6/23/95 ISSUE ( A real collector's item) ----****----$$$$----****----$$$$----****----$$$$----****----$$$$----**** ----****----$$$$----****----$$$$----****----$$$$----****----$$$$----**** CONTENTS 1. OS/2 WARP: PART OF THE FABRIC OF THE UNITED STATES 2. SOME GREAT NEWSCLIPS ON OS/2 WARP CONNECT 3. WORTH A PEEK: CICS ENABLED WWW SERVER SOFTWARE 4. NEWSCLIPS: A PLUG FOR IBM'S BESTeam 5. NEW OS/2 APP: UNINSTALLER FOR OS/2 6. IBM SIMPLIFYING SOFTWARE LICENSING 7. LAN SERVER NEWSCLIP: SERVER OF THE FUTURE 8. OS/2 WARP CHOSEN PRODUCT OF THE YEAR BY PC WORLD 9. IBM PAYS FOR 3RD PARTY APPLICATION COMPATIBILITY TESTING WITH OS/2 10. SOMETHING GNU FOR OS/2 11. WARP'D HUMOR ----****----$$$$----****----$$$$----****----$$$$----****----$$$$----**** ----****----$$$$----****----$$$$----****----$$$$----****----$$$$----**** 1. OS/2 WARP: PART OF THE FABRIC OF THE UNITED STATES This online conversation from some Internet newsgroup should warm the cockles of our collective OS/2 heart. It is nice, when scoffers predict that IBM is dropping support for > OS/2, to ponder, "gee, I wonder what the State of Texas, the > Wisconsin Dept of Transportation, FedEx, Sears & > Allstate, ...etc., will do if IBM deserts them?" How about this ... * Many ATMs in America uses OS/2. * Many airline ticketing systems use OS/2. * A major railroad transportation system is converting to a joint OpenDoc application on OS/2. * A large number of the prisons in the United States are run by OS/2. * The federal judicial system in many states is run on OS/2. * Many computers in police cars across America run OS/2. * The Olympics, Indianapolis 500, and other major sporting events are run on OS/2 and LAN Server. * OS/2 runs more multimedia kiosks than any other OS. * Blockbuster Video is using OS/2 for their video-on-demand system. If IBM were to drop OS/2, we couldn't get money, Kentucky Fried Chicken or Big Macs, couldn't buy an airplane ticket or book freight on a train. The criminal system would bog down and police would be less responsive. Sports records would be harder to track, keep, and break. Companies who've invested millions in kiosks would have to start over again and Blockbuster would end up years behind the competition. ----****----$$$$----****----$$$$----****----$$$$----****----$$$$----**** 2. SOME GREAT NEWSCLIPS ON OS/2 WARP CONNECT IBM OS/2 WARP WRAP-UP Jeff Ubols, Midrange Systems, 6-16-95 "It clearly has a good collection of network connectivity features, and I expect enterprise consumers will appreciate that. At the same time, it offers a small business operating environment." IBM AIMS FOR 10 MILLION BARRIER WITH CONNECTION The Australian, 6-20-95 IBM is selling OS/2 Warp Connect as an upgrade from any other operating system for $213. CONNECT SIMPLIFIES NETWORKING Sydney Morning Herald, 6-20-95 OS/2 is starting to hit the shelves at software dealers and retail shops. WELL-CONNECTED IBM LUNGES AT MICROSOFT WITH ALL-IN-ONE WARP Computer Daily News, 6-15-95 ...Not so understated is IBM's determination to topple Microsoft's Win95 market dominance. "The battle is just beginning," said IBM networking systems manager, Mark Latchford. PEER-TO-PEER NETWORKS Linda Wilson, Communications Week, 6-19-95 "OS/2 Warp Connect allows eight levels of permission to be set directly from a workstation, including read, write, execute, delete, none or some combination." IBM's OS/2 WARP CONNECT GETS YOU IN TOUCH WITH YOUR PEERS Steve Rigney, PC Magazine, 7-95 "OS/2 Warp Connect is the first mainstream operating system designed to automate and control your access to a wide variety of networks as well as to the Internet." ZANY LAUNCH FOR WARP CONNECT Canberra Times, 6-19-95 Comedian and entertainer Rod Quantock launched IBM's OS/2 Warp Connect. ----****----$$$$----****----$$$$----****----$$$$----****----$$$$----**** 3. WORTH A PEEK: CICS ENABLED WWW SERVER SOFTWARE Check out: http://www.hursley.ibm.com/ It has information on IBM upcoming CICS enabled WWW server software. (due July for OS/2 and AIX). Front-end legacy apps with a platform independent GUI. Why rewrite legacy CICS apps in Visual Basic (thus locking your company into Win-everything) when you can use HTML and allow your users to continue using the platform that best suits their needs? (even if it's not Windows). ----****----$$$$----****----$$$$----****----$$$$----****----$$$$----**** 4. NEWSCLIPS: A PLUG FOR IBM'S BESTeam SOFTWARE CHANNELS WARMING TO IBM'S BESTeam STRATEGY Adam Pletsch, Computer Dealer News, 6-14-95 "BESTeam is an aggressive program IBM developed to give marketing and technical support to systems integrators, VARs and consultants." ----****----$$$$----****----$$$$----****----$$$$----****----$$$$----**** 5. NEW OS/2 APP: UNINSTALLER FOR OS/2 The first UNINSTALLER for OS/2, UniMaint version 4.0, will be shipping in mid June. According to Rick Jones, President of SofTouch Systems, "UniMaint satisfies a dire need for OS/2 users to improve system performance and reliability by cleaning up their system and user INI files. System performance degrades over time when critical INI files expand to hold obsolete or unused application entries, which are often caused by installing and subsequently deleting unused software. For many users, the only option has been to periodically reinstall OS/2. With UniMaint, they can clean up their system files quickly and efficiently." The new Uninstall feature of UniMaint removes all application components from the user's system, including executable files, application directories, DLLs, OS/2 user INI file (OS2.INI) entries, and associated help and information files. Additionally, UniMaint will deregister any classes created by the application. The entire process is fully automated and is as simple to use as dragging and dropping a program object to the Uninstall Dialog. UniMaint is a complete suite of utilities which includes the IniMaint, SysMaint and MultiMaint products previously marketed by Carry Associates, Marco Island, FL. The IniMaint component permits the user to view and modify OS/2 INI files; the SysMaint section permits the same for Extended Attributes ( EAs); and the MultiMaint utility provides facilities for backing up and restoring the Desktop. In addition to simple backups, UniMaint enables the user to port the Desktop to another machine. Users can now replicate their customized desktop on home machines, portables, or other machines in the workplace. UniMaint for OS/2 is available for the special introductory price of only $79.95. Special upgrade prices are available for current IniMaint/SysMaint/MultiMaint customers, ($39.95, $29.95, and $19.95 respctively , plus shipping and handling). A special introductory price of $49 is available to registered owners of the GammaTech Utilities, GammaTech Power Pack, GammaTech File Secure, GammaTech REXX SuperSet/2, and FileStar/2 for OS/2. Orders are now being accepted for UniMaint, Version 4.0, at SofTouch Systems, ( 800) 944-3028. ----****----$$$$----****----$$$$----****----$$$$----****----$$$$----**** 6. IBM SIMPLIFYING SOFTWARE LICENSING IBM is making a significant announcement regarding our client/server software. We are simplifying our software licensing, software acquisition offerings, and our software remarketer and distribution agreements. As a result, it is easier to acquire and license IBM software anywhere in the world. These improvements are focused on workstation software -- both PC and UNIX operating system based -- and our customers and remarketers around the globe. In addition some changes are cross platform and also apply to OS/400 and S/390. ----****----$$$$----****----$$$$----****----$$$$----****----$$$$----**** 7. LAN SERVER NEWSCLIP: SERVER OF THE FUTURE IBM EXEC MAPS LAN SERVER'S FUTURE Joanne Cummings, NetworkWorld, 6-19-95 "IBM is best positioned to be the premier server solution provider in the future because the paradigm shift from basic file-and-print servers to application servers to distributed computing is real and it's here." said Phil Powers, director of LAN Systems in IBM's PSP division. ----****----$$$$----****----$$$$----****----$$$$----****----$$$$----**** 8. OS/2 WARP CHOSEN PRODUCT OF THE YEAR BY PC WORLD IBM's OS/2 Warp 3.0 was selected as the 1995 Corporate Product of the Year by PC World. ----****----$$$$----****----$$$$----****----$$$$----****----$$$$----**** 9. IBM PAYS FOR 3RD PARTY APPLICATION COMPATIBILITY TESTING WITH OS/2 IBM, in a limited time offer, will pay for your applications to be tested by NSTL (National Software Testing Labs) for OS/2 compatibility. When the application passes, it must carry the "Ready for OS/2 Warp, NSTL tested" mark on the boxes and literature. This program is a no fee, no risk opportunity for vendors to gain incremental sales of their product(s), exploit IBM promotions and rebates for OS/2 Warp, and gain greater awareness of application availability. If you are committed to serving the 9 million OS/2 users, please call 1-800-285-2936 to get in on this program. ----****----$$$$----****----$$$$----****----$$$$----****----$$$$----**** 10. SOMETHING GNU FOR OS/2 At the GNUSTEP web site at http://fvkma.tu-graz.ac.at/gnustep/index.html, they have announced that they're porting the Openstep platform to OS/2. It will include the development environment, NeXTMAIL and other goodies that make NeXT such an interesting platform. They say it will replace the PM interface. No word on how long it will take, but it is supposed to run PM and Openstep programs together. ----****----$$$$----****----$$$$----****----$$$$----****----$$$$----**** 11. WARP'D HUMOR Top 10 Reasons IBM is buying Lotus ---------------------------------- 10. IBM Finance could not run their Visicalc spreadsheets in OS/2 Warp. 9. IBM wants to show Microsoft that they have better Antitrust lawyers. 8. IBM thought they were buying the auto company. 7. Lotus CEO Jim Manzi mooned Lou Gerstner on the Lotus Home Page. 6. IBM's own email product, ccProfs, never caught on. 5. It was the easiest way for IBM to acquire copies of Windows 95. 4. Bill Gates double-dared Lou Gerstner. 3. Lotus Warp rhymes with basketball guard Otis Thorpe. 2. IBM will rename Lotus' spreadsheet program to 1-2-3.3 billion. 1. The Notes server in Armonk is down.