The comparison between OS/2 and the Star Trek television series goes way beyond the obvious reference to "Warp." Star Trek originally ran from 1965-68 in the United States. It was eventually cancelled by NBC executives who thought the show's market had evaporated. They obviously had not anticipated the number of devotees, called "Trekkies," who began to organize their own international conventions dedicated to the show. It was not at all uncommon for Trekkies, who were originally written off as a bunch of "kooks," to attend the conferences dressed in Star Fleet uniforms and wear Vulcan pointed ears at these well attended conferences. A quick search on the Internet will reveal hundreds of Star Trek related web pages from fanatical followers. Enthusiasm grew to the point that Paramount Pictures wisely released a series of profitable Star Trek movies and television clones. Today, more than three decades after its initial release, Star Trek is still very much a part of our culture; all because the fans of the series "kept the faith."
OS/2 has also had its day in the sun and, although it is certainly still a viable product, its producers have basically allowed it to slip away into obscurity. To illustrate, IBM no longer markets or supports it as a general consumer product. So much so that IBM PC User Group Relations has been disbanded and the future of the Team OS/2 program is in doubt. Even the latest IBM Shareholders Annual Report fails to make any reference to OS/2 anywhere in the publication (yet Windows and NT is prominently mentioned).
Nonetheless, OS/2 "Trekkies" live on. Even though IBM no longer actively supports Team OS/2, independent "Teamers" are still very much active worldwide. And even though OS/2 user groups have struggled, they are still very much alive. For example, VOICE (Virtual OS/2 International Consumer Education) still holds regular IRC user group meetings in cyberspace. (For a complete list of web pages of OS/2 user groups and Team OS/2 locations, please see our Internet Web Sites page.) Enthusiasm for OS/2 by its devotees shows no sign of abating either. For example, American users have already announced their second annual Warpstock conference to be held October 16-18 in Chicago, and Warpstock Europe is scheduled for December 18-20, 1998 in Osnabrück, Germany. OS/2 paraphernalia is still in demand as well, such as the OS/2 bumper stickers and t-shirts available from Tom Nadeau's OS/2 Headquarters. Who knows, maybe the OS/2 "Trekkies" attending the Warpstock conferences will wear their uniforms and pointed ears.
The parallel between OS/2 and Star Trek is truly "fascinating." All puns aside, it means interest in the product is being perpetuated by its users rather than the vendor and, as such, has attained cult status and will remain alive as long as its users keep it alive. As long as users remain active, the vendor cannot ignore it for long; Star Trek is a prime example of this. Maybe the users can boldly go with OS/2, where IBM has not gone before.
RICHARD SEIBT
Last month I mentioned I would solicit an interview with the new OS/2 General Manager, Richard Seibt. Although I have yet to hear from Mr. Seibt, it looks like the German magazine c't has beaten me to the punch by publishing a rather interesting interview with him. This interview should be considered must reading by the OS/2 faithful and can be found at: http://www.heise.de/ct/english/98/06/088/. A German version is also available.
MORE CHANGES TO OS/2 CONNECT
If you are a frequent visitor to the OS/2 CONNECT web site, you may have noticed some subtle changes over the last 30 days. During this time we have been quietly updating the e-zine on a much more frequent basis. As changes to the OS/2 world are encountered, we have been updating the listings and calendar sections as soon as possible, as well as the "Sound Off!" section and breaking news (not one month later as we did in the past). Our "What's New" section will represent the changes we have introduced since the last issue. This means OS/2 CONNECT will now be an even more reliable source of information regarding OS/2. However, it should be noted that the Editorial Page, the World Reports, and the Graphic of the Month will be updated on a monthly basis as before. We will also continue to post a package set of the HTML files on a monthly basis. Thanks for your suggestions and comments, particularly in the "Sound Off!" section. Please keep those cards and letters coming!
Keep the faith!
Copyright © MBA 1998
