IBM Launches Chinese OS/2 Warp Announces support, training, channel programs, 16 software vendors, 6 OEMs announce support for OS/2 Warp BEIJING, 19 April 1995 . IBM today announced the immediate availability of the Chinese version of its award-winning operating system, OS/2 Warp Version 3.0, the first simplified Chinese 32-bit operating system. At a major launch event in Beijing today, six major Chinese and international computer manufacturers (OEMs) announced their plans to support Chinese OS/2 Warp, and 16 Chinese and international software developers (ISVs) announced commitments to develop native OS/2 Warp applications. IBM also announced comprehensive support and channel programs to help advance the Chinese software market, including a new software distribution structure, certification and training programs in partnership with 12 Chinese universities, and a software service and support infrastructure. The announcement in Beijing was celebrated throughout the city, with OS/2 Warp hot air balloons in the university and computer districts, hundreds of OS/2 Warp kites flying near Tiananmen Square and thousands of OS/2 Warp balloons given away in Beijing's business district. The launch event in Beijing is the fifth in a series of major international OS/2 Warp launch events, following the February launch in Japan, and last October's events in New York, London and Sydney. IBM has shipped more than 2 million copies of OS/2 Warp worldwide in less than six months on the market, bringing OS/2's installed base to well over 8 million. The Beijing event today was attended by more than 1000 people, including representatives from the Chinese Ministry of Electronics Industry (MEI), university faculty and staff, customers and business partners. It will be followed by events in Shanghai and Guangzhou in the next two weeks. "IBM has made a long-term commitment to the Chinese software market," said Mr. Bob Timpson, general manager of IBM Greater China. "We are working with partners in all aspects of the software business, from development to distribution, as well as government ministries and customers, to ensure we build a world-class software infrastructure appropriate to China's needs." The Chinese version of OS/2 Warp was localized and manufactured in mainland China, in partnership with Great Wall, a Beijing-based software development company, and tested by Tsing Hua University, one of China's most prestigious universities. Sixteen ISVs were present at the launch event,to announce and demonstrate applications developed for the Chinese version of OS/2 Warp. Simplified Chinese applications announced include desktop productivity software, mission-critical applications and application development tools. Several major PC manufacturers announced their support for Chinese Warp today. The IBM PC Company announced that OS/2 Warp will be available in either English or Chinese versions on all 8MB systems shipped in China by the summer of 1995. Legend, the largest PC manufacturer in China, announced that OS/2 Warp and IBM PC-DOS will be preloaded on all of its midrange and high-end PC systems. STI Certified Products also announced plans to preload OS/2 Warp on its multimedia systems. In addition, AST, Hewlett-Packard and Compaq made statements announcing that their PCs shipped in China are ready to run the Chinese version of OS/2 Warp. At the event today, IBM China announced a comprehensive certification and training program partnership with an initial group of 12 Chinese universities, by which it will provide Certified OS/2 Warp Instructor training to hundreds of university professors over the next two years. IBM will establish Authorized Training Centers at 20 key universities to train software professionals in servicing and supporting IBM OS/2 Warp and LAN Server products by the end of 1995. To ensure that Chinese software customers get access to IBM's industry-leading service and support, IBM China also announced the establishment of three regional support centers in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. IBM's support infrastructure in China is designed to provide customers with easy access to technical help and product information, while minimizing their costs. The support system features phone-in and fax-back services, with plans to offer electronic access consistent with that used by IBM customers worldwide. IBM will ensure customers have ready access to OS/2 Warp and other IBM software products with a newly-established software distribution structure. IBM has named Crownhand Devlopment Ltd. and Beijing HOPE High-Tech Group as software distributors, and Nantian Software Engineering Ltd. and Beijing Read Technic & Trade Developement Co., as authorized dealers. The distributors will work with IBM to provide product education, service and support, marketing and other activities to dealers. OS/2 Warp is the third version of IBM's award-winning 32-bit OS/2 operating system. OS/2 Warp can run in as little as 4MB of memory, and allows users to run DOS, Windows and OS/2 applications on the same desktop when installed on top of Windows. Each copy ships with a BonusPak of native 32-bit OS/2 applications, including a word processor, database, spreadsheet, fax program and Internet access. OS/2 Warp P3.0 for Windows is now available from IBM dealers and distributors throughout China at a list price of RMB 1350. OS/2 Warp P3.0 with WIN-OS2, or "fullpack" version, will be available in China in June.