Software Vault: The Gold Collection/Software Vault - The Gold Collection (American Databankers) (1993).ISO/cdr25/watch3.zip/WATCH.003

Text File | 1993-03-05 | 12KB | 223 lines

From OS/2 Monthly Magazine Volume 1, Issue 3.

    (c) Copyright 1992, Bertram Glenn Moshier. All rights reserved.

                             Watching OS/2
                            By Bert Moshier

One of the following three sentences does not apply to OS/2 2.0 for
March 31.  (a) Is it soup, yet?  (b) Are we there, yet Mommy?  (c) But
Mother, I can do it myself!  The answer, of course, is (c).  IBM had to
finish OS/2 2.0 and everyone was wondering on March 31, if IBM and OS/2
2.0 were really ready.

You are reading this column after the launch of OS/2 2.0 that occurred
at the Spring COMDEX.  You have knowledge about the fate of OS/2 many of
us (back in February) were desiring to know.  Did it go out by the end
of March?  Did first day orders ship on April 10?  Is it stable?  Is IBM
advertising and marketing it to the person using the personal computer?
What new features (since the last beta drop) did IBM add, if any?  Did
all the features that caused the last delay ship?  How are the press and
the public receiving OS/2?  Are OS/2 1.x end-users still waiting for
their upgrade to 2.0?  How long will the upgrade process take to
complete?  Will IBM have a new upgrade procedure or will it be the same
old tune?

Today is April 20, and for many people these questions remain.  We have
some answers, but these answers create new questions.  IBM is
advertising OS/2, but not widely.  OS/2 Marketing is happening, but
slowly.  Shrink wrap OS/2 exists, but in very low numbers.  Many stores
say they will not carry OS/2 on their shelves.  The Corner Store and the
IBM 800 number together sold in the first two weeks over 280,000 copies
($49, $99 and $139).  This tells us that word of mouth and computer
networks (IBM BBS, Compuserve IBMOS2, Fidonet, Bitnet, Internet, and
Usenet to name a few) are doing a good job.  Reliable sources say IBM is
selling 4,000 copies an hour as of April 28.

Originally, this column was going to be on a question.  Is OS/2 2.0
really "The Integration Platform" IBM claims?  After much consideration,
I felt we needed to take care of some administrative details.  In the
previous columns, we got right to work reviewing our desire for IBM to
market and advertise OS/2 aggressively.  Normally, a first column
discusses the columnist, column goals and other housekeeping details.
With Spring upon us and a moment of time, we should cover these areas.
Before we delve into these details, a word from our sponsor.

-------

Hi!  My name is Susan.  I am a sophomore at The Ohio University.  I just
don't understand computers.  Why are they so difficult?  They just don't
work like other things in my life.  For example, when I lived at home my
mother had me doing chores around the house.  To get them all done, and
still have time to go out in the afternoon, I'd have to do several of
them at the same time.  I'd start a load of clothes and dishes, start
mowing the lawn.  After fifteen minutes, I'd come back inside, move
clothes to the dryer, refill the washer, and return to the mowing.  Come
in later and unload the dishwasher, do the weeding, and so on.

Why can't my PC let me start up unattended work and interactively work
at the same time?  I tried using a window application to download a file
while doing my homework, but the download failed because of lost
characters.  The download did work when nothing else was running.
Another time when doing work, my roommate needed some diskettes
formatted.  My work came to a halt.  A friend told me about changing
configuration files.  All I am asking is for the computer to serve me,
instead of me serving it.  Is this too much to ask?

This commercial brought to you by End-Users For A More Productive
Environment.  We believe the computer is mankind's servant.  Isn't it
time the computer started working on our level, instead of us working on
its level?

Now back to our show.

------

Hello, my name is Bert Moshier.  I am a computer specialist employed by
an U.S. supercomputer manufacturer working in the network development
group.  My job has nothing to do OS/2.

I grew up in a small rural Southern Ohio town (now a city) reared by my
mother who is also the artist for this column.  The first computer I
used was a Wang programmable calculator with a card reader and an IBM
Selectric typewriter.  From it, I discovered my love for computers.
This occurred in 1974 while I was attending Rio Grande College, after
skipping my senior year of high school.

My Grandmother had a fit when she heard I liked computers.  She did not
like computers, since her bank was changing over at the time.  I was to
be an accountant, period.  Later, she changed her mind saying I should
learn about computers.  Why did she change her mind?  To quote her,
"Bert, You can help the other accountants get rid of computers."

I graduated in 1979 from The Ohio University at Athens, Ohio with a BGS
degree.  My major was Computer Science (104 quarter hours of computer or
related classes).  My area of interest was operating systems, VM/370.
My project, "An Internal Study of VM/370 and Computer Study," gave me an
interesting, hard, and rewarding senior year.  Since graduation, I
discovered there are many jobs dealing with computer internals
(including assembler and now C) and they pay well.

My first job as a VM systems programmer was with Texas Instruments at
the Lewisville Interactive Computer Center (LICC).  The Rolling Stone
tongue was our unofficial logo.  I left TI for a 35% pay raise and to
stay a VM systems programmer.

My second job was with Owens Corning Fiberglas as the lead VM systems
programmer.  While there, I became involved with Share (an IBM mainframe
user group) as a project officer.  I discovered, with the help of Phil
Howard, two methods to permit a class G user to read and write real
memory.  IBM fixed one of these holes and declined to fix the other one.
My significant work was the development of an incremental backup system.
I learned an important fact at OCF.  I want to help all people to use
their computers, not one company.

I joined Cray Research, Inc., in 1983 working on the Cray VM Station.  I
became the VM Station project leader in 1990.  Between 1990 and 1992, I
was also the RQS (Remote Queuing Subsystem) for OS/2 project leader.
Duties included looking at the justifications of a Cray OS/2
communications product.  I joined the Network Support section when a
group reorganization occurred in January 1992 and am now working on DCE
(Distributed Computing Environment).

My interest in OS/2 began in 1989.  My manager was complaining that I
was spending more time getting my PC/AT to work than doing work for him.
I reviewed why I needed the PC to do my job:  3270 communications, word
processing, grammar checking, TCP/IP (electronic mail, Cray access, NFS,
etc.), file editing (Kedit), REXX development and presentation graphics.
All this real work could run under OS/2.  Finally, no conflicts existed!
In early 1990, I went to OS/2 and never looked back.

I first used OS/2 as I had been using DOS, one application at a time.
About six months later, it dawned on me that my mind set was changing.
I was multitasking my projects on the computer.  I was actively looking
for work to do and to overlap work.  I seriously felt restricted by CMS
and its ability to do only one command at a time.  Today, OS/2 2.0 is
integrating DOS and Windows back into my computers.  I use several DOS
programs (Risk, Correct Grammar, RightWriter, SimCity, ChessMaster 3000,
Manage Your Money, and The Word Processor by Bible Research, Inc.).  I
even have a Windows program (ChessMaster 3000).

I am, though, being selective in choosing DOS and Windows programs.  If
an OS/2 version exists, I'll strongly consider it.  An example is
DeScribe instead of WordPerfect for Windows.  Another example is
Freelance for OS/2 instead of Powerpoint.  The OS/2 versions run faster
than their DOS or Windows counterparts and support descriptive file
names.  For example, which file name is the better, given one manually
enters a name only once using DeScribe,
Watching-OS2.Volume-One.Third-Issue or Third.Iss?

The name for this column came from my desire to let Carole Patton write
less about OS/2 and more about Windows.  Ms. Patton, last year, wrote a
column called Watching Windows for PC Week.  I was writing to PC Week
suggesting a Watching OS/2 column, when Joel Siragher approached me
about writing for OS/2 Monthly.  Reality said PC Week was not going to
off-load OS/2 from Ms. Patton by creating a Watching OS/2 column.  I
agreed to write for this magazine to help advance OS/2.  To my surprise,
PC Week shortly afterward stopped carrying Ms. Patton's Watching Windows
column.

Column direction

This column watches OS/2 and its many facets.  Topics range from
marketing and advertising, to technical directions, to product reviews,
to whatever is of interests.  No one is safe from getting coverage.  It
maybe a pat on the back or a swift kick in the ....

Input comes from many sources, including the mentioned above networks.
I am finding many of you are on these networks.  Your input allows me to
discover what is going on with OS/2, for this subject is greater than
one person can cover.  I am simply a small town boy who, is reporting
what many see, feel and discover about a very productive and useful
computer tool.  I use the word "we" to represent network users and me.
For example, we believe IBM must aggressively market and advertise OS/2
to the person using the PC.

The writing style is informal and is blunt, when necessary.  I prefer to
use real life examples, stories, and analogies since they help people
visualize meanings and reduce ambiguities.  Content comes first and
grammar second.  Grammar is extremely important for it conveys the
content.  It is the transport layer, the communications path.  As Joel
learned from last issue (see no one is safe), grammar can break but not
make a piece.  I strive for straight forward (simple sentences) and
active (voice) columns.  The motto is don't make the reader search for
the meaning.

In conclusion, many positive and wonderful events are starting to occur
for OS/2.  People are realizing what IBM service really means!  IBM is
discovering it can bring business to the masses and the few.  People can
work with their computer on a peer basis.

The President of Stac Electronic, while at the IBM Press briefing,
related an experience.  He was working late (7 PM), and thought he was
the only one left at the office.  Much to his surprise, he saw running
between offices the Stac Comptroller.  He was typing a few keystrokes on
each machine, and then sitting down to one and typing for a few minutes.
He explained that he was doing the month end accounting and writing a
report.  One machine was doing accounts receivable.  Another machine was
doing accounts payable, while other machines were doing additional
end-of-the-month activities.  Finally, he was writing a report due
tomorrow on his own machine.  Every machine in his department was in
use.  As the Stac Electronic President went home, he realized the
advantage of OS/2 and multitasking.  How much time did this valuable
employee lose that night?  How good could the report be, when the author
got up and ran from machine to machine?

Is everything great for OS/2?  No.  One big problem is the expense of
development tools!  People wonder if IBM really wants OS/2 to be more
than an outstanding DOS and Windows extender.  How IBM treats software
developers, big and small, will tell the tale.

I leave you with this thought from Gordy Miller.  WPS, Where
Productivity Starts!

                                 -- 30 --

Bert Moshier is the president of the Minnesota OS/2 End-user Group.  He
has been working with VM systems since 1977, and as a VM systems
developer since 1979.  He became involved in OS/2 in 1989 when DOS,
MS-Windows, SUN's PC-NFS, Mansfield REXX and KEDIT would not play
happily together on his PC-AT.  You may reach him through this
publication or on the IBM BBS (userid:  Bertram Moshier) at
404-835-6600.