SOUND OFF!

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I DON'T UNDERSTAND

I guess what I don't understand is what IBM was thinking when they put out OS/2 Warp 4 without full WIN32 API support and charges more for it than MS charges for NT. What market are they going after? How do they expect to do market penetration by putting out a product that while technically neat, doesn't run the newer software that most major vendors are selling? The v3 marketing effort was muddy and few people could tell just what were the advantages of the versions, but at least there was an effort. Warp 4 is mostly being sold by word of mouth. I am both a CNE and a Warp server engineer, and work some with NT. Of the 3 companies: IBM, Novel, and MS; MS is still the best at providing information, evaluation copies, support, etc. Novell has been re-energized and is running hard to try to catch up. IBM is just kind of there. If you try hard enough you can get information, and they have many programs, but none seem coordinated. I would suggest the following with next version of Warp:

Use as much common code between server and workstation.
Have one version for the workstation that has full communications capability.
Sell one standard version for the server (only exception would be if you have multi-process or multi user, in other words something easily understandable) (no-one wants to buy a startup, limited version of a server and if many similar versions confuses buyers).
Include with the server a top notch Internet server, mail, proxy server, firewall.
Have it support full WIN32 API.
Sell for less than comparable MS workstation and server.
Have support for the thin client for connections to both the workstation and server and give away the thin client.
Look into multi user version so can support remote control mode as is done with CITRIX Winframe Support PPTP and secure connections.
Clearly define what advantages Warp has, decide who is the market and go after it.
Set up a restricted site like Novell's that can be used to pass information on to you engineers who are your best source for sales. We are in the companies and are asked for advice by the clients. Realize though that your public marketing has to go after the decision makers.

If Warp 5 has no mind share it won't be bought. Mostly go after the market like you want to win it, not that you are just in the game because you think you ought to be doing something in networking because you are IBM.

- Rick Bradley Alexandria, VA, USA

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