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OS/2 WARP MONTHLY NEWSLETTER http://www.austin.ibm.com/pspinfo/newsletters.html Volume 7: December, 1995 Welcome to the OS/2 Warp Monthly Newsletter Welcome to the last issue of the OS/2 Warp Monthly Newsletter for 1995. This year has been an exciting one for OS/2 Warp. We've seen lots of development activity culminating in betas and new products -- OS/2 Warp Fullpack ( the blue spine version of OS/2 Warp), OS/2 Warp Connect, the Attach Pak, the Family FunPak for OS/2 Warp, betas for OS/2 Warp Connect PowerPC Edition and the very successful beta of OS/2 Warp Server -- to name just a few. We've had some "interesting" times as well. We shadow-boxed the Windows 95 hype and then watched to see if it was all that it was cracked up to be. It wasn't! We endured misinterpretations by the press and rumors of our alleged intent to drop our commitment to OS/2. Now, we are in the midst of consolidating in Austin and restructuring our business to make it stronger, more responsive and more successful. With all that's gone on, we're stronger than ever. Indications of our growing momentum are all over the place. Just recently, two new on-line OS/2 magazines appeared. The US Navy signed a contract with us for tens of thousands of OS/2 Warp workstations. So many people have requested the Just Add OS/2 Warp kit that we keep needing to add capacity to its server. The response to the OS/2 Warp Server beta has been overwhelmingly positive. ISVs are clamoring for OpenDoc toolkits. So, it really is the season to be jolly for OS/2 Warp supporters and fans, with the best yet to come. And in this issue, we continue to tell you what's coming. I wrote an article entitled OS/2 Warp Plans: Commitment, Competence and Communication. (I do love those alliterations in my titles.) Anyway, the article covers OS/2 Warp plans with a bit of a strategic flavor. In keeping with the spirit of the season, Maxine Senn-Yuen looks at the retail industry and how they use OS/2 Warp. If you want to see a practical implementation of object technology, take a look at this article. IBM's StorePlace applications are an excellent example of object technology at work. With a less cynical view of the season, we also: * share some OS/2 Warp gift ideas * profile an OS/2 Warp consultant who advertises with an OS/2 Warp-only software and handmade gift store * check out Christmas on the web. Then there's the usual assortment of product reviews and product tips. Thanks for your support in our first year. We're looking forward to an exciting 1996. Seasons Greetings, Jeri ================================================================ SHAREWARE AND COMMERCIAL SOFTWARE Games for OS/2 Warp * by Collin Summers This month,, to add a little holiday fun to my life, I grabbed a couple of new OS/2 games that promise to keep my keyboard warm for long periods of time. The first game, a port of a DOS game that was ported from an Amiga game, is called Lemmings for OS/2. It's billed as a combination of the classics Lemmings and Oh, No! More Lemmings!. If you're not familiar with the Lemmings series, it is a thinking person's series of strategy games. Lemmings for OS/2 is based on the premise that lemmings will blindly follow their leaders. You are responsible for getting as many of those poor (but lovable) lemmings safely through each level as possible. To do this, you are presented with a variety of lemmings with different skills. They include climbers, parachuters, exploders, stoppers, bridge builders, tunnelers, and diggers. You are given a limited number of each type to use depending on the level you've reached, and the skills needed to complete that level. You use the skill types by selecting the skill you need and double clicking on the little lemming you want to take on that skill. Your goal is to get as many lemmings on to the next level. You need to remember two things to excel at this game: 1.Think 2.Sometimes you have to sacrifice some lemmings for the good of the whole. As the levels progress, you need more and more skill combinations to move on. If you write down the code for each level you complete, you can always restart at the level you left off. This game is supposed to have around 100 levels when it comes out. (I am basing this review on the 8-level demo which you can find on the Web at http://157.182.174.110/Henry/lemmings.html or http://expert.cc.purdue.edu/~toma/games/lemmings.html.) Overall, this is a great time-killer and lots of fun. The only downside is that while the game is running, system responsiveness when you switch to other tasks is slow. However, Lemmings did not seem to disrupt anything besides the user interface, and you'll probably never do anything else until you solve all the levels anyway. Those of you who enjoy shoot 'em up arcade classics like Asteroids and Missile Command will have a blast with a shareware game called Ferbal. I used to love playing Missile Command until my hands hurt. Well, Ferbal can be just as demanding on your body if you don't play it in moderation . It's simple to play the game -- just use your mouse to blast up the ships, asteroids and whatever else heads towards the cat-like people (called, you guessed it, Ferbals) that you're trying to protect. Your enemies, the dog-like Fleeballs, come from the planet Fleeb to attack the Ferbals. You need to stop the Fleeball attack waves from hitting the Ferb planet until all the Ferbals get off the planet. (It takes 50 waves or levels of attacks to complete). Each wave gets progressively harder. As the game gets faster, the ships change their attack strategies, so you have to learn how to use your weapons arsenal to hit the different type of attack ships. The game's graphics aren't incredible, but the game is addicting. I think this is a definite must for killing time during those long file transfers off the 'Net. Ferbal is available from a number of sources, including the Hobbes and Walnut Creek OS/2 archives. * This article is based on the author's personal review of the product and should not be viewed as an IBM endorsement of such product. Review: Impos/2 Version 1.2 * by Jose De Jesus Impos/2 is an image-processing program for OS/2 developed by a German company called Compart Systemhaus GmbH. Impos/2 is a powerful program that is a major player in the OS/2 graphics market. I'll explain what it can do, but first, let me give you the bottom line: the product costs $99 and offers features and performance found in much more expensive software. You won't be sorry if you buy it now, but you may want to wait for the next version, coming soon. Impos/2 lets you capture images from the screen, from a scanner, from a video overlay board, or from the OS/2 clipboard. The software supports the major graphics file formats, including OS/2 and Windows Bitmaps, Graphics Interchange Format (GIF), Z-Soft's PCX, Tagged Image File (TIF), IBM IOCA (IMG), JPEG (JFIF), OS/2 Metafile (MET), Kodak Photo CD (PCD), TrueVision Targa (TGA), and PBMPLUS 'anymap' (PNM). It supports major scanners like Hewlett Packard's ScanJet series and Logitech's ScanMan 32 and ScanMan256. Impos/2 contains many powerful features that you can use painlessly. For instance, you can easily convert an image to and from black-and-white, 16 or 256 colors, grayscale, or true color. To convert a file from one format to another, all you have to do is save it as the new format. More than anything else, though, Impos/2 excels in image-editing capabilities. Once you load an image, you can do virtually anything with it, from adjusting its contrast and brightness, to color swapping, edge detection, mosaic and embossing modifications, and noise filters. The graphics tools provided in the package include brushes, air-brushes, erase, smear, color cloning, and line and freehand drawing, among other things. Overall, Impos/2 features a full set of tools that perform flawlessly, and at an excellent speed. Impos/2 version 1.2 is a good product, but Compart must continue to enhance it. Impos/2 is a solid start. It just needs polishing. The makers should keep an eye out for those little details that can make a world of a difference. For example, the program's Undo function is in the window's title bar instead of in the main menu bar or in the toolbar -- no wonder I couldn't find it! And wouldn't it be great if there were multiple levels of Undo? The User's guide and the online documentation need rewriting. The text is not exactly terrible, but contains too many grammatical errors and reads like a rough draft. Also, the chapters should have numbers instead of just titles. I heard that much of the text's quality was lost during the German-to-English translation. What a bummer! Software like this deserves a better manual. Some of the enhancements they made in version 2.0: * More selection capabilities. You can select portions of graphics using a magic wand, a circle selection tool, a square selection tool or freehand. You can then use all tools and filters on your selections. * A fully configurable toolbar. Users can choose the icons they want to appear in the toolbar. You can also create your own icons to associate with REXX commands. The entire user interface (not just the toolbar) in version 2.0 is programmable using REXX. * An enhanced user interface. The new version is more WorkPlace Shell-oriented. Every image you load is its own object, and you can load multiple images in one application frame. * Improved scaling options. Every image can be displayed and edited in all display ratios (compared with version 1.2 in which they can only be displayed in specific, fixed ratios like 1x2 or 2x4). This gives you almost unlimited scaling abilities. * Multiple views. You can open multiple views of the same image -- for example, a stamp size view and a full screen view. If you edit the image in the full screen view, your changes are automatically reflected in the stamp size view. Overall, the developers of Impos/2 got it right. If version 2.0 includes some of the fine tuning mentioned earlier, and Compart manages to keep the price down, I think we'll be seeing a lot more of Impos/2 in the years to come. Impos/2 version 2.0 will be available in North America from Indelible Blue, beginning December 20. Indelible Blue will also provide the first level support for Impos/2. * This article is based on the author's personal review of the product and should not be viewed as an IBM endorsement of such product. =============================================================== BOOK REVIEWS Your OS/2 Warp Consultant * by Darryl Everett I work out of my home two or three days a week, and I travel one to two weeks a month. This situation forces me to be very dependent on my computer, and my operating system. Because I am away from the office for extended periods, it's important for me to be as knowledgeable about my system as I can be. The key to my survival when I'm out here and on my own is a good reference base. I get a substantial amount of data and know-how off the Web and various BBSes, but nothing replaces a good book. When you're on an airplane, squeezed tighter than a sardine, getting to your laptop can be like scaling Mt. Everest. Nothing beats a good book for convenience and transportability. If you carry a good book with you, the time you spend at the airport and on an airplane can be a great opportunity to learn about your system. If you've visited the computer section of your local bookstore lately, one of the things you will notice is how many books there are about OS/2 Warp. This abundance is both a blessing and a curse, because some computer books can be very frustrating to read. However, if you are an OS/2 user, then there is one book you should have -- Your OS/2 Warp Version 3 Consultant, by Herb Tyson. This book is a great reference, even for those who think of themselves as power users. The book is divided into eight sections, starting with Cracking the WorkPlace Shell. Did you ever wonder how to select multiple objects that are not adjacent? With keys? This book provides answers that are clear, concise and useful. Do you know how to retrieve a folder when the title bar is off the screen? You can find the answer on page 13. Almost every page in section one has a note, tip or shortcut, all presented in question-and-answer style. There are over 550 pages of questions and answers (table of contents, indexes and introduction not included). Chapter 10 is devoted to DOS Settings: the how's and why's are explained in detail, along with step-by-step instructions. I especially recommend chapter 22, Communications and Networking Setup and Troubleshooting, if you're trying to install communication devices or software. There are more books about OS/2 Warp than you can read in a lifetime, and certainly more than your pocketbook can sustain. If you allow yourself to buy only one book, this book should be it. At US $25, it's a bargain for such good, solid advice on the do's and don'ts of OS/2 Warp. Your OS/2 Warp Version 3 Consultant, published by SAMS, is better than all the other books I've read because it gives well-written answers to real-life questions. * This article is based on the author's personal review of the publication and should not be viewed as an IBM endorsement of such publication. =============================================================== PRODUCT TIPS Direct from a Support Techie: OS/2 Warp Connect Tips by Karla Myers Here are some tips and hints that I have learned while supporting OS/2 Warp Connect customers from around the world since it's April debut. If you use your WebExplorer a lot and you want to significantly improve its performance, highlight the Web icon and click on the right mouse button to access settings. Go to the parameter and change it to -t 8 to increase the threads to eight. Next, go into the TCP/IP configuration notebook and click on the advanced button. Change the MTU size to 4000. Click on the next button and select the first and third boxes. Go into the MPTN\BIN directory and edit the setup.cmd file. Look for the line that deals with the ifconfig. It should show you the MTU 4000 that you just changed. Insert a space then add, -use576 with a space after it. With these changes, you should see a dramatic improvement when you use the WebExplorer. If you've been using OS/2 Warp Connect for a while and now you want to install another of the networking options, you can have control over the installation process using the PRODINST command. (NOTE: Before installing your option, you need to determine whether you have Multi-Protocol Transport Services (MPTS) installed because it provides the transparent transport layer for all options except Netware Requester.) In an OS/2 window, change to the drive letter designation of your CD-ROM. At the prompt, type PRODINST and press enter. A screen appears with a list of the components that you can install. The list includes Ask PSP, IBM LAN Distance, IBM LAN Requester, Multi-Protocol Transport Services, Novell Netware Requester, NSC/2, Peer and TCP/IP. (Note: You have the option to easily make diskettes all of the products listed here except Ask PSP.) At this point, you can choose the option you wish to install. The advantage of this installation method is that users are aware of the progress of the installation. For novice users, most of the commands you used in DOS-based systems function much the same way in OS/2 Warp and OS/2 Warp Connect. However, there are a few exceptions including "e" and "dir". To edit a file in OS/2 Warp Connect, just type "e" instead of "edit". Also, the dir command works a little differently. To find all of the files of a particular type in any directory, in OS/2 Warp, type dir *.xxx /s where xxx is the extension for which you are looking. This is really a handy feature when you're looking for log files. If you're going to add or change a network adapter in your system, make sure you have the most recent drivers for the adapter. While a large number of drivers come with OS/2 Warp Connect, it is impossible to have the most recent drivers for the hundreds of network adapters on the market. As you get ready to install the card, be sure to have the diskette that came with the card handy. It will contain drivers for the card. If the card is not new, the best way to obtain the drivers is from the card manufacturer. Most network adapter manufacturers maintain bulletin boards for just this reason. If the manufacturer cannot be located, steer clear of the card since it's probably not supported. Also, when configuring your adapter card, watch out for the plug-and-play feature, the transceiver type and modem speed settings. OS/2 Warp Connect works well with different kinds of network adapters, but if you don't have the right setting you may run into trouble. For example, you must set the transceiver type to match the actual type of cabling in use. The mismatch can occur because some manufacturers tie the auto configuration option to the transceiver type. This results in the card trying to set features during boot up that OS/2 Warp Connect expects to be static. To select the correct cabling, refer to the documentation that came with the card. If no diagram is provided, contact the manufacturer's technical support line for assistance. Also, you must disable the plug-and-play feature. (I expect this to change on the next revision of OS/2 Warp Connect). Plug-and-play is an innovation in computer components where the component automatically searches the system for open interrupt requests (IRQs) and port addresses to avoid a conflict with other cards. The final setting to check is the modem speed setting. It should not exceed 9600 BPS. About 80% of the cards we deal with are softset, that is, software configurable. With these cards, you access the configuration program through the diskette provided by the card. The other 20% are older technology that don't include any of these three options. In the area of system performance, two tips come to mind. To optimize system performance, make sure the keyboard line is placed in the first few lines of the config.sys file. The line syntax is: Devinfo=kbd,US,C:\OS2\keyboard.dcp. Also when using IBM Peer and Novell Netware Requester together, you can enhance performance by using the ODINSUP network driver instead of the ODI2DNI driver. The ODINSUP driver is found on the OS/2 Warp Connect CDs. If you use an IBM Thinkpad unit and an IBM PCMCIA Token Ring card, you can get new network card drivers off the Internet. You get the file, TRCC.ZIP, by going to ftp://testcase.software.ibm.com, then going to /ps/fromibm/lan. The drivers in this file support all current IBM Token Ring PCMCIA adapters, including the new auto-sensing adapter. I hate to sound like your computer mother, but since I'm providing tips and hints, let me conclude the article by getting on my archive/backup soap box. It is very important with ANY operating system to keep a separate copy of key files, in case a problem arises. Key files in OS/2 Warp Connect include your config.sys, startup.cmd, and protocol.ini files. These are not monstrous files and should easily fit on one diskette. Under ideal circumstances, I recommend a periodic full system backup (or at least data files) at least monthly. So take my advice, even if you usually don't do what your mother tells you to do. =============================================================== ENTREPRENEURS Cory Hamasaki: Big Iron and OS/2 by Steve McNally Cory Hamasaki is an independent consultant who's been in the computer business for more than 25 years. His background is mainly in OSes for the big machines: He runs CMS on an XT/370 and MVS/370 on a 2.1 MIPS S/370 at home (and my wife yells because I won't throw out my old PS/2 ). He reads and writes machine language, and has been programming in C since 1984. When Cory needs to do some computing that doesn't involve browning out the neighborhood, he still wants something with the power he's gotten used to. He runs OS/2 Warp. Cory and his wife, Nancy Hoyt, decided to pool their assets and open Kiyo Design, Inc. (Kiyo is their daughter's middle name), an "OS/2 ONLY Software Store" in Annapolis, Maryland. Nancy's avocation is sewing, so Kiyo Design has two separate parts: one for the OS/2-only software store, and the other for a gift shop featuring her crafts. Kiyo Design opened with 32 products on the shelves and now has 48. "We have more OS/2 apps in stock than any other store I've seen, and we plan to keep adding. I can stock 200 products and still display them face-on." "I've priced all the software at an aggressive discount. In most cases, we match or beat mail order prices. I can do this because we are not trying to make a living off the store. I make my living doing high tech consulting. The store is advertising for my consulting business. Buying DB2/2? Need some help with workflow automation? Every OS/2 sale is either a potential client or another consultant to team with," says Cory. As a way to advertise his services, Kiyo Design is already successful. Nancy runs the day-to-day operations of both sections of the store; Cory comes in to help weekends. They have found Kiyo Design will soon be a money-maker in its own right, as well. They've been open only a few weeks, and already they have a good stream of customers. "The US. Navy buys 400,000 copies of OS/2 Warp from EDS? Great, Kiyo Design is 2 blocks from the Naval Academy in Annapolis." They've already begun to see some Navy people scouting out which applications they want for themselves. And Cory can see the bigger picture, too: "If the Navy becomes an OS/2 organization, it will change the consulting business and software retailing in Washington. Any Navy town -- Norfolk, San Diego -- will become an OS/2 town." And we'll see an increase in Naval productivity too. OS/2 Warp -- a wise investment for your tax dollars. "The purpose of the store is also to promote OS/2 and OS/2 apps. I have a 486DX120 with OS/2 Warp, Object Desktop, VX-Rexx, DB2/2 for customers to play with. I have flyers from SPG, Stardock, Clear&Simple, and others. Micro Central sent a nice OS/2 Warp sign; I put that up." People come in and test-drive applications. Nancy and Cory try to set them up with software that fits their needs. Back with his consulting hat on, Cory told me the story of a client he'd worked with for years who decided they were going to migrate from OS/2 2.1 to Windows NT in two years. Cory pointed out the error of their ways and offered some alternative solutions. He obviously did a good job, because "they're converting three thousand machines from OS/2 2.11 to OS/2 Warp starting in January. I intend to show the MIS managers Object Desktop, DeScribe, Mesa 2; it's not over yet." Go get 'em, Cory. Always the solution provider, Cory sees Kiyo Design as a one-stop holiday gift shop. "Our spin on Holidays and gift shopping is get the guys who're in buying software to take a look at the sewing store and get something for their Significant Other." He and Nancy are also looking forward to the flow of customers increasing. "We'll be bringing in more low-cost products like shareware CDs. I'll also be running some sales. Though I can't see someone buying DB2/2 Client/Server, having us gift wrap it and putting that under the tree. " Ah, yes, I can picture it now ... "Gee, Dad, Santa got Bobby the DB2/2 Client/Server multi-license Pak and all I got was the IPX over SNA for OS/2." "Don't worry, Jimmy; I'm sure your brother will share." IBM's Family Fun Pack is a big winner at Kiyo. "I can't keep it in stock. IBM's put a lot of stuff on it. It has the Star Emperor game, Sim City, a couple other games, In Charge!, an abridged dictionary, a paint program. This is your best bargain." With any new business, as all entrepreneurs are aware, you spend the first few months trying to recoup startup costs and build a customer base. But all this has been figured into the plan for Kiyo Design. "My long term goal is to sell consulting, site licenses, and complete system installs. To do that I have to promote OS/2." This is easy because he uses it in his personal and professional life, and he knows it's the most powerful personal operating system around. Cory frequents the Usenet group comp.os.os2.advocacy (which is, for the most part, well worth checking out). You can find wise words from him and many other knowledgeable people there. Cory can also be reached at hamasaki@capaccess. Drop him a line if you'd like Kiyo Design to stock your applications, if you need some consultation (computer-related only, please), or if you're in the market for some fine, hand-sewn gift ideas. =============================================================== ELECTRONIC 'SCAPES I'm Dreaming of a Web Christmas by Jeri Dube During the Christmas season, there's a certain energy in the air. Places all over the world go through some sort of transformation that changes them and generates that special holiday feeling. With these thoughts in mind of how the Christmas spirit can change the ambiance of a place, I thought I'd see what Christmas on the Web was like. Well, the first few "Christmas" sites I visited disappointed me. My first choice was the Christmas Songs homepage (http://ccwf.cc.utexas.edu/). I thought I could download some songs or hear a few bars but it turned out the homepage author was a songwriter advertising some Christmas songs he had written. This wasn't exactly the Christmas spirit I was after. I suppose I shouldn't have expected much from the Don't Trust Santa Claus homepage. (http://www.holli.com/~pelicore/santa.html) But with such a title, how could I not visit? It was really a nothing homepage -- a few sentences suggesting Santa has a secret life and is hanging out with the wrong government organizations. After writing those wannabe clever thoughts the author must have stopped thinking but not typing because he just repeated "Santa Claus" for about 10 lines, then "Christmas", and finally "North Pole". Save yourself some hook up time, don't bother visiting this one. After that disappointment, I thought for sure that Mediabridge's New York Christmas (http://www.mediabridge.com/nyc/xmas/) would be a winner. Wrong! This page was still talking about Halloween activities in the Big Apple. As of November 15, 1995 (when I visited to make the deadlines for this issue) they had not yet added the Christmas events. I'm sure they have them by now. If you are going to be in the New York City area around Christmas, I would check this one out. I then found the typical mail order Internet catalogue pages. I expected those and to tell you the truth I didn't spend much time exploring the shopping but I'm sure you can find something you want using a search engine. Overall, shopping on the Internet is a great way to go. You not only avoid the mobs at the malls; but, your house can be less cluttered because you can trash the holiday mail order catalogs. Finally, when my hopes of finding the Christmas spirit on the Internet were just about dashed, I found a wonderful Christmas page, Christmas Around the World (http://christmas.com/xmas/christmas.html). This homepage simply exuded the holiday spirit, making good use of all the power and potential the Internet provides. You could: * E-mail a message to Santa * Take a look at Santa's Cybersleigh * Learn to say "Merry Christmas" in 33 languages * Get some holiday decorating tips including some ideas to do with children * Click to go shopping (This didn't work for me though because it didn't recognize my server.) * Download a holiday postcard. The part I liked the best is that it kept track of the months, days, hours, minutes and seconds left until Christmas. To help curb any anxiety brought on by looking at the little time you have left, you could click to the shopping site right from there. I highly recommend a visit to this page. If you get there and don't like it, they let you send your negative comments to Scrooge. There lots of other pages that came up in my search using the Webcrawler search engine. (http://webcrawler.com) Some of those that looked worthwhile to visit were Uncle Bob's Christmas Page (http:/ gagme.wwa.com/~boba.christmas.html), Christmas at the White House, (http://www.whitehouse.gov/white-house/eop/first-lady/html/holida ys-out.html) and Sticky Web Christmas (http://www.mindspring.com/~kmims/xmas.html). I wanted to explore some more but if I had, I'd still be doing it and wouldn't have had the time to write this article. Enjoy the holidays wherever you celebrate them! =============================================================== FEATURES O/2 Warp Plans: Commitment, Competence, and Communication Unquestionable Commitment Forget the innuendoes, misinterpretations, and speculations. The IBM Corporation is fully committed to the OS/2 Warp brand of products. The commitment to OS/2 Warp stems from IBM's commitment to its customers to protect their investments in IBM products. OS/2 customers depend on OS/2. Many OS/2 commercial customers have bet their business on the reliability as well as the viability of OS/2. Businesses continue to show confidence in OS/2. In the third quarter, international businesses such as QBE Australia, Banca Commerciale Italiana and Sumitomo Japan chose OS/2 Warp over NT. In the US, NationsBank began their second regional rollout of its OS/2/ Warp based Model Banking System. Even more recently, the US Navy chose OS/2 Warp for over 400,000 workstations. How can we possibly let OS/2 die when these new customers depend on OS/2 being around for a long time? And we certainly can't abandon our long standing, loyal customers either. Obviously our commitment to our customers comes first; but it also makes business sense to keep developing and supporting OS/2. OS/2 has significant and measurable successes and there are numerous indications that momentum is continuing to build at a healthy rate. October, 1995 was OS/2 Warp's best month ever -two months after Windows 95 finally made it out the door. This is on top of a great track record: * Shipping 4 million copies of OS/2 Warp in its first year * Shipped more than all UNIX variants combined in the last 12 months * Outshipped Windows NT for clients and servers in 1H95 per IDC. LAN Server 4.0 and OS/2 as application servers both are doing well in the market. We're building more and more OS/2 business partners too. We are shipping OS/2 Warp preloaded on PCs built by major computer manufacturers such as Vobis, NEC and IBM PC Company. During 1995, more than sixty ISVs committed to build and ship over 180 new applications for OS/2 Warp. These vendors include Oracle, Sybase, and PictureTel. So it's not only IBM that's committing to OS/2. Businesses around the world are showing their confidence in the OS/2 Warp brand of products. Proven Competence There's never been any question that the OS/2 Warp brand of products are technologically superior to other products. The plan is to continue building on our areas of strength and competence to widen the technology gap even further between OS/2 Warp and its competitors. The main area of focus is now network-centric computing. OS/2 Warp's award winning history of open, integrated connectivity solutions is the foundation for the network-centric computing for individuals, clients, servers, groupware and future distributed applications. For individuals, the Internet access capability within OS/2 Warp opens the door for the quickly emerging consumer commerce opportunity. Merlin, the code name for the next OS/2 Warp client release, serves the connected client in both the home and business markets. This reduces the number of OS/2 Warp versions, thereby simplifying channel logistics. The next release answers the twin challenge posed by Windows NT and Windows 95 by creating a secure, robust computing environment that is easy and intuitive to use. We are making many enhancements to appeal to connected consumers. First, the new user interface will set the state-of-the-art interface standard. Besides adding more surprises in the BonusPak, we're improving the multimedia and game capabilities. It will also include a network aware shell that will let Internet users connect to their favorite Web sites faster and more easily than using a quick list. To get started with OS/2 Warp more quickly, the next release will include the upgrade advisor to simplify the preparation work for installation. OS/2's next release will please power user and corporate customers too. It will correct the problems associated with the I/O queue and enhance resource management capabilities for better support of plug and play adapters. Corporate customers will find Merlin includes new levels of security enablement that will get them to full C-2 security by adding one of several inexpensive, out-of-the-box security applications. Both corporate and independent developers can take advantage of new APIs for creating advanced 3-D, compute intensive, speech and telephony enabled applications. Developers can also change from writing difficult to maintain and debug monolithic applications to writing small, functionally rich, compatible OpenDoc components. With the delivery of Developer Connection Volume 9, our goal of making it easier to write multi-platform applications falls in place with support of OS/2 Developer API extensions. This set of APIs lets developers create one code base for OS/2 and Win 32 applications. Merlin is the first OS/2 release to support these APIs. At this time, we have no explicit plans for supporting Win 32 binaries. However, we've done enough work developing and including the more than 700 Win-32 APIs and 300 messages in the OS/2 Developer API extensions that we know for sure that we can do it, if we need to. The plans for OS/2 Warp servers follow the integration path so successful in the OS/2 Warp Connect product. Following on the heels of OS/2 Warp Server, currently in beta, we will offer specialized, integrated application servers. These servers include database, transaction, Internet, systems management, Lotus Notes, and communications functions. The point of all these integrated solutions is to simplify installation, operations, management and maintenance. This reduces client/server computing costs as well as complexity for customers, resellers, and system integrators. These servers have an open architecture. Customers can keep the applications that they use today but have a truly open platform to build on in the future. The first of these tightly integrated servers is the directory and security services server, now in beta. The last major product focus area is the IBM Microkernel. Microkernel technology simplifies system software by making operating system scaleable, portable and modular. IBM is licensing the IBM Microkernel as well as the IBM Microkernel Development Environment. Several major corporations such as Digital Equipment Corporation and Komatsu as well as a number of major universities are among those with whom we have licensing agreements. The first product that IBM is bringing to market based on microkernel technology is OS/2 Warp Connect PowerPC edition. We will deliver this by the end of the year. Focused Communication Both our commitment to OS/2 Warp and our future product plans become meaningless without effective communication. Our goal is to build on the current awareness of OS/2 Warp. We have retail channel promotions and brand television advertising planned to reach the connected consumer segment. We will gear our media campaign primarily to MIS and business influencers through the PC, MIS, networking and reseller press. From a statistical perspective, we expect to reach 75% of the business influencers at least three times a month and 95% of the MIS community at least six times per month. In general, we will match our product advertising investments to the different target audiences. We had a strong presence at Comdex from OS/2 Warp Connect advertisements on hotel room keys, publisher roundtables focused on the OS/2 Warp products and the giving away of thousands of Just Add Warp kits. We'll kick off the new year with a worldwide TeleSeminar communicating our messages and commitment to OS/2 Warp. Many factors combine together to make a product set successful. Continued success requires commitment, competence and communication. That is, commitment to customers and to the product, competence in delivering the right products and leaving no doubt in anyone's mind of your intentions. IBM has every intention of continuing the success of the OS/2 Warp brand of products. Great OS/2 Gift Ideas for the Holidays * by Maxine Senn-Yuen With all the new OS/2 Warp software apps being released, it's easier than ever to find the perfect entertainment titles for the OS/2 users in your life. Here are a few great gift ideas for the holiday season: The Family FunPak for OS/2 Warp is a collection of 12 entertainment, education and financial management titles. This collection from IBM includes something for every member of your family. Adults can organize their finances with InCharge at Home, then relax with SimCity Classic. Kids can paint masterpieces with Magic Canvas, while teens rule the galaxy with Star Emperor. The Family FunPak also includes OS/2 Poker, OS/2 Black Jack, MicroLearn Game Pack 1, TD-Gammon, Havoc for OS/2 Warp, the American Heritage Dictionary Concise edition, Child Development Guide and Rapid Assault. For a limited time, you can download a free copy of TD-Gammon from the OS/2 home page at http://www.austin.ibm.com/pspinfo/os2.html. The Family FunPak should be available from OS/2 resellers everywhere for about $50. Maxis is releasing two new OS/2 titles for children and one for adults. SimCity 2000 ($54.95), a complex city simulation game, lets you plan, lay out, zone, build and manage your own city. You must govern a population of rowdy citizens and balance the city's budget, while maintaining the business environment and quality of life. SimTown ($39.95) is a scaled-down version of SimCity geared toward children. It brings the concepts of city planning, economics and ecology down to a kid-friendly level. SimTown lets children ages 8-12 design, build and manage their own neighborhoods, complete with people, pets, houses, pizza parlors and video arcades. Widget Workshop ($34.95), designed for ages 8-12, lets kids explore the basic principles of science and conduct experiments on their computer. They can use mechanical, biological or "just-plain-fun" parts like light switches, gravity chambers and even pulsing hearts to create inventions. SimCity 2000 and SimTown will ship in early December, in time for Christmas. Maxis expects to ship Widget Workshop in late December. All three titles can be pre-ordered directly from Maxis (800-33-MAXIS). OS/2 retailers and resellers will carry the titles once they are released. Stardock Systems (313-782-2248) has updated Galactic Civilizations, the top-selling OS/2 strategy game. GalCiv version 2.0 ($59.95) is another exciting and complex space simulation that includes enhanced graphics and full sound and music support. This game has a lot of depth and usually takes weeks to complete. If you prefer a faster-paced game that you can start and finish in a couple of days, then you should consider Star Emperor Advanced Version ($44.95 on CD-ROM). In Star Emperor Advanced, you try to convince neighboring star systems to join your galactic empire peacefully, or prepare to fight. Stardock also plans to release Avarice Preview in time for Christmas. Avarice is a virtual reality adventure/mystery set about 20 years in the future. Avarice Preview ($29) is a complete game in itself that allows you to sample the Myst-like, 3-D world of the full version of Avarice. The full version, scheduled to ship next February, will be a different adventure with different puzzles and a different ending than the preview. If you want to give more than one game, try the MicroLearn Game Pack Volume II ($64 on CD-ROM) This collection of eight action, strategy and logic games feature terrific graphics and multimedia support. In MirrorMan, you help two characters find their homes, a task that is tricky because they each move in a mirror-image direction from the other. If you miss the arcade classic Pong, then you'll love Sauron's Eye which works under the same principles. ML Memory is like the classic card-matching game Concentration, but includes joker cards, bonus chances, a gambling mode, a time limit and other features that make it even more challenging. You can customize the backgrounds, animations and sounds for all the games. You can also set the difficulty level for seven of the eight games in the Game Pack II. The English version of the Game Pack II is available now from OS/2 retailers, with German, Swedish and Danish versions currently under development. To prevent confusion, MicroLearn has withdrawn the Game Pack Volume I from the market. If you missed Game Pack 1, you can still get it through the IBM Family FunPak for OS/2 Warp. If you prefer to try your software before you buy, you can download many OS/2 shareware games from the Hobbes archives at ftp://hobbes.nmsu.edu/pub/os2/games, or from Walnut Creek at ftp://ftp.cdrom/com/pub/os2/32bit/games. In addition, you can purchase the complete Walnut Creek (800-786-9907) collection of OS/2 shareware on CD-ROM (recently refreshed) for $29.95. Accurate Research (408-748-9988) also ships a CD-ROM of OS/2 shareware games, called Playmate for OS/2, for $24.95. Playmate lets you sample the shareware games directly from the CD-ROM, without installing them on your hard drive. The shareware games range in complexity from simple card games, board games, puzzles and brainteasers to sophisticated multimedia action and strategy games. The quality of the games also varies a great deal. A few of the better shareware titles available from Hobbes worth special mention: * OS/2 Entertainment Pack: 14 colorful games including Othello, Tetris, Pegged, Tic Tac Toe and Memory ($28). * FM Cards: Eight card games for OS/2 * VPoker: A talking version of video poker (freeware). * Lemmings: An eight-level demo of the popular game series. * Columns: Match the colors of the falling blocks (freeware) * Roids: Like the arcade classic Asteroids, with great sound ($6) * Nik Nak: Tic Tac Toe with a twist * SeaHaven Towers: A solitaire game, like Freecell ($15). * Rollball: Roll the ball for points * Bummer: The board game Sorry comes to your computer, with sound ($5) * Aquanaut: Like the arcade action game Defender, including digital sound and music ($10) * Toyland: Great graphics and sound in a puzzle game ($25). Of course, games and entertainment software are not the only possible kinds of software gifts. For a more studious gift, you'll find the DUX Bookshelf a terrific resource for students of all ages. The DUX Bookshelf includes the Concise Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, an up-to-date reference application full of images (but no video or sound). The Concise Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia covers politics, law, international relations, history, art, sports, geography, science and medicine in 17,000 entries. The DUX Bookshelf also offers The American Heritage Dictionary Deluxe Edition integrated with Roget's II Thesaurus. This CD allows you to search over 200,000 words in the dictionary with cross references to the more than 500,000 synonyms in the thesaurus. You can find definitions, abbreviations, etymologies and parts of speech for most words in the English language. Through the end of the year, DUX (800-548-4999 or 415-473-1800) is offering the DUX Bookshelf plus SimCity Classic on three CD-ROMs for $99. For an out-of-this-world experience, try The COSMOS for OS/2 ($89) from Mensys. This astronomy guide lets you view stars and planets from anywhere angle on earth. The program gives you multiple viewing options, and provides information on any celestial object you click on with your mouse. The COSMOS is now available from OS/2 resellers. Many OS/2 productivity titles are also suitable for holiday gift-giving. For more gift ideas, see the Miller Freeman OS/2 products directory at http://www.mfi.com/softwareguide/OS2-Solutions/HomePage.html, or request a catalog from your favorite OS/2 reseller. * All prices in this article are Manufacturer Suggested Retail Prices. These products are not necessarily endorsed by IBM. =============================================================== StorePlace Solutions for Retailers The next time you go shopping, try paying some attention to the point-of-sale (POS) system that processes your purchase. As consumers, we often take these systems for granted. But they are worth a closer look, especially around the holiday season when throngs of impatient shoppers rely on their speed and accuracy. Retailers use POS systems to enhance the holiday shopping experience. Most modern department stores and supermarkets maintain a database with the current prices of their merchandise. These computerized databases make it are easy to update price changes, changes to the product line, and inventory levels. Cashiers enter the Universal Product Code or item number of your purchase into their registers at check-out, and in a fraction of a second, the current cost of that item is added to your bill. This process is faster and more accurate than manual check-outs. Some stores even use laser scanners to read the product's UPC barcode, reducing the possibility of human error even more. Laser scanners and instantaneous price retrieval are important, but they represent just a small part of retail Information Technology. POS systems are more than just souped-up, high-tech cash registers. They can be a vital part of a retail store's operations. Retailers use their POS systems to: * Automate inventory management * Provide sales analyses to improve product mix * Enable personalized services such as giving special incentives to preferred customers. With so much riding on these systems, it's no wonder that retailers have come to depend on solutions from IBM. IBM is the world's largest supplier of point-of-sale systems to the retail industry. To meet the growing needs of retailers and their customers, IBM recently unveiled a new suite of offerings called StorePlace. StorePlace is a family of products that provides retailers with new levels of flexibility and functionality for their POS and in-store information systems. The current StorePlace POS offerings run on OS/2 Version 2.1 and OS/2 Warp. OS/2 was the environment chosen to support the initial StorePlace components because of: * Its power, stability and multitasking capabilities * The availability of a wide range of off-the-shelf applications * Its support of leading-edge technologies such as multimedia and wireless communication * Its suitability as an object-oriented development environment The products in the IBM StorePlace family truly exploit these capabilities. StorePlace for OS/2: Another Step Toward Openness One key StorePlace element, Distributed Data Services (DDS) for OS/2, serves as a task manager for all in-store functions. It gives POS transactions top priority over back-office functions while providing fast price look-up. To ensure data integrity, DDS includes file mirroring and full data redundancy. DDS builds on the strengths of OS/2 to provide the extra high degree of reliability and performance needed to keep POS terminals running. In addition, it has optional features that permit users to run legacy controller applications for the older 4690/4680 POS terminals on an OS/2 Server. This preserves retailers' investments in hardware and software while moving them up to new, more powerful, open OS/2-based technologies. The combination of OS/2 and the StorePlace DDS retail services layer results in a full-fledged, retail-tuned operating system able to handle the rigorous retail requirements. StorePlace Relies on True Multitasking StorePlace POS applications take advantage of OS/2's true multitasking. For example, they let a cashier complete a checkout while viewing multimedia instructions on how to change the receipt paper roll. The POS application can also interact with other in-store applications, such as time and attendance. Using StorePlace Objects to Customize Point-of-Sale Applications StorePlace provides powerful and versatile new point-of-sale applications that run under OS/2. The initial focus for this suite of applications is general merchandise retailers. Since many of the object-oriented building blocks remain the same across retail categories, IBM uses these components to create solutions for supermarkets, drug stores and mass merchandisers. StorePlace retail applications are not traditional, end-user applications that you take out of a shrink-wrapped box and use. Instead, IBM and select business partners work with each retail customer to deliver custom applications that meet their specific needs. Exploiting OS/2's object-oriented technologies give StorePlace applications several advantages, including: * A common look and feel for all applications * Easy modifications using StorePlace tools * The ability to share data between applications, regardless of where the data is physically located. To create a customized StorePlace POS application for each retail customer, IBM uses the StorePlace Application Function Library for OS/2. The library contains more than 2000 pre-tested, reusable objects that can be assembled into a comprehensive, user-specific application. All StorePlace applications operate seamlessly, share data and can be easily modified. Complementing the StorePlace POS applications are a family of in-store processing (ISP) applications that manage and measure various aspects of store performance and productivity. Like the POS applications, these ISPs exploit OS/2's object-oriented technology. They include: * StorePlace Inventory Management for OS/2, which tracks movement and manages replenishment of store stock; * StorePlace Workforce Planner for OS/2, a labor scheduling and forecasting tool that can schedule employees in 15-minute increments; and * StorePlace Time and Attendance for OS/2, which records employee clock-in and clock out on each terminal, eliminating time cards. The Importance of Object-Oriented Technology If you read the last issue of this newsletter, then you know how important OS/2 Warp's object-oriented technology can be to computer users. It's worth revisiting that topic to show how StorePlace puts the power of that technology in the hands of retailers. A software object is simply a package that contains both data elements (called attributes) and a set of procedures (called methods) for acting on that data. In the retail world, tender could be an object, its attributes might be the amount or type of tender and the methods could be "process tender" or "void tender." Because objects incorporate not just the "what" (attributes) but the "how" (procedures) they realistically represent business processes. In addition, since each object is largely self-contained (a concept called encapsulation), its data is protected. Encapsulation also simplifies interactions between objects. A class is a set of objects that share the same methods and attributes. Through a code-sharing mechanism called inheritance, new classes can re-use all or some of the operations and data attributes of existing classes. The new classes can also add elements to the "inherited" behavior. So a retailer might define "money" as a class, with "cash" or "charge" as sub-classes. Both sub-classes could inherit procedures like "process tender" or "refund tender," but the "charge" sub-class might add an additional function such as "verify charge number." The following example demonstrates why object oriented-technology is important to retailers. Consider a clothing goods chain that wants to make four changes to its layaway system. The changes are: 1.To let customers do layaways year-round instead of just atthe holiday season 2.To accept new tender types like a new kind of credit card 3.To do layaways from the main checkout terminals in addition to the layaway counter 4.To delete the layaway application completely from the chain's single discount outlet With a procedural (not object-oriented) system, a programmer would have to take apart the application and rewrite the source code. Any future modifications would have to take into account those changes. A programmer must even be careful when deleting the layaway function from one store because it could affect other functions. With a fully object-oriented system based on StorePlace products and OS/2, you could treat "layaways" as an object. Therefore the object would contain all relevant information about the layaway function, including the necessary procedures, customer data and store-specific information. Programmers could easily make the desired changes to layaway, using straightforward development tools that include icons, point-and-click simplicity and pull-down menus. They would not need to touch the source code. Since layaway is a self-contained object, the changes would not alter the relationship with other store applications or databases. So deleting the layaway function from a particular store in the chain becomes an easy task. Information technology is of such strategic importance to retailers that few are willing to publicly discuss the details of their systems. As you shop this holiday season, you can be confident knowing that many of the stores you visit are relying on OS/2's reliability, power, and technology. OS/2 Warp object-oriented retail systems are hard at work making sure that the products we want are fresh, in-stock and competitively priced. OS/2 Warp Server - New Member of Family by John P. Albee While the industry unsuccessfully tries to prove that OS/2's future is uncertain, OS/2 Warp Server is emerging through that cloud of uncertainty making a very strong statement. OS/2 is alive and going strong. IBM has followed through on their 10/94 commitment to deliver a server version of OS/2 Warp. The Beta was announced in August, and currently over 12,000 customers worldwide are running it. The reaction from the press and customers has been overwhelming ... it's a great product. OS/2 Warp Server is the premier application server, providing OS/2, DOS, Windows, Windows 95, Windows NT client, AIX and Mac client support for file, communication devices, printers and applications. Warp Server doesn't stop there. It is a complete business server solution that augments the traditional Network Operating System (NOS) services with: * Remote node support (LAN Distance Connection Server) * Advanced printer support * Backup & recovery (PSnS / ADSM). Furthermore it raises the bar by including systems management (SystemView) ... at no extra cost. Systems Management functions include: * license management, * hardware and software discovery, * inventory, * remote control, * alerts, * SNMP/DMI (i.e. simple network management protocol/desktop management interface), and * software distribution. To keep up with the rest of the family regarding Internet support, OS/2 Warp Server includes 'Dynamic IP' services such as Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) and the first commercial 'Dynamic Domain Name Server' (DDNs). (See "Introducing Dynamic IP for OS/2 Warp Server" in this issue.) OS/2 Warp Server is suitable for small to large installations and requires no additional software. Unlike its competitors, OS/2 Warp Server offers rich functionality for client-server based computing. It is also extendible to mini and mainframe environments to leverage customers' existing investment in other platforms. Another extension worthy of note is the IBM Directory Security Server, which is also in Beta. Together with OS/2 Warp Server, it provides application serving, file and print sharing and a directory. The competition can't match that! OS/2 Warp Server is a great product and it's just one more piece of evidence that OS/2 Warp is very much alive!! John P. Albee is the Brand Manager for LAN Server 4.0 and OS/2 Warp Server. John has worked for IBM for 17 years in field, development and marketing positions. His first involvement with Networks was with IBM PC LAN Program. Introducing Dynamic IP for OS/2 Warp Server by Glenn Stump and Pratik Gupta Network administrators face a host of challenges building and maintaining their TCP/IP networks. Typically, they must assign IP (internet protocol) addresses, host names, and other network information at individual computers. This forces them to track changes every time a computer is either added, removed or relocated in the network. Users or administrators must also manually configure computers for network access. These tasks are time-consuming, error prone, and can disrupt network operations. IBM has addressed these challenges with a new networking technology called Dynamic IP. IBM is introducing Dynamic IP in OS/2 Warp Server. Dynamic IP implements a true TCP/IP "plug-and-go" network solution, greatly simplifying both IP network access and IP network administration. Furthermore, Dynamic IP is well-suited for networking mobile hosts and is fully compatible and interoperable with existing IP network hosts and routers. Dynamic IP is the integration of the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) and Dynamic Domain Naming System (DDNS). Both DHCP and Dynamic DNS are new features to OS/2 Warp, and Dynamic DNS is a first in the industry. DHCP and DDNS are complementary open networking standards developed by the IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force). Each protocol implements half of the TCP/IP "plug-and-go" network solution. The DHCP protocol centralizes and automates the configuration of IP hosts, including IP addresses, while the Dynamic DNS protocols automatically record the association between IP hosts and their DHCP-assigned addresses. Using DHCP and DDNS, a host automatically configures itself for network access wherever it "plugs-in" to the IP network. That host can then be located and accessed using its permanent, unique DNS host name. Mobile hosts, for example, can therefore freely move about a network without knowledge of the local IP network addresses or services and without end-user or administrator intervention. The OS/2 Warp Server software package includes a Dynamic IP client, a DHCP server, and a Dynamic DNS Server. The Dynamic IP client consists of both a DHCP and a Dynamic DNS client component. The DHCP client may be configured to operate as a simple DHCP client or as a Dynamic IP client, integrating Dynamic DNS client services with the DHCP client. The Dynamic DNS server is a superset of the industry-standard "BIND" DNS server and may be configured to operate as a traditional static DNS server or a new Dynamic DNS server, or both. Dynamic IP Takes Microsoft to School IBM OS/2 Warp Dynamic IP will no doubt be compared to Microsoft's MS DHCP/WINS (Windows Internet Naming Service) since both claim to implement "plug-and-go" IP networking solutions. However, the two solutions are worlds apart in what hosts they serve and how they scale to meet the needs of large, heterogeneous IP networks. Dynamic IP is designed to serve all IP hosts and to update a host's name and IP address information in the universally-deployed Domain Name System (DNS). Microsoft's DHCP/WINS system, on the other hand, is designed to serve Microsoft clients using NETBIOS-over-IP protocols only, and to update a host's NETBIOS name in a NETBIOS Name Server. In other words, Dynamic IP is a general IP networking solution that has broad application and that scales easily to an entire internet. The Microsoft DHCP/WINS system is a limited networking system that is difficult to scale and that is useful only in the context of NETBIOS-over-IP workgroup networks. Finally, on the important topic of network security: IBM uses fail-safe, RSA digital signature technology to secure all updates to DNS servers to eliminate the possibility of "spoofing", or impersonation, by unauthorized network hosts. Microsoft's DHCP/WINS "security" technology is making sure that two hosts with the same NETBIOS name aren't connected to the network at the same time. (Perhaps calling this "security" is a bit misleading, but you get the idea.) IBM Leadership in Open Networking Standards The introduction of OS/2 Warp Dynamic IP reaffirms IBM's leadership in enterprise networking solutions as well as IBM's commitment to open networking standards. The new OS/2 Warp DHCP client and server implementations are more functional, configurable, and customizable than any other in the industry. Also, the OS/2 Warp DHCP clients and servers will be the first in the industry to support DHCP user classing, a new DHCP extension for administering groups of network hosts with common configuration requirements (e.g., an accounting department), independent of where the hosts in the network are located. The IBM OS/2 Warp Dynamic DNS is the first product of its kind in the industry. IBM is the first company to bring to market a product that implements the emerging Dynamic DNS protocol standard as documented by IETF DNS working committees (DNSIND and DNSSEC). Further, in recognition of the importance of DDNS to IBM customers and to advance the state of the DDNS standard, IBM has donated the source code for the DDNS client and server to the Internet Software Consortium's public implementation of DNS. The Last Word IBM OS/2 Warp Dynamic IP will be a big hit with end-users and network administrators alike. Dynamic IP's true TCP/IP "plug-and-go" networking capabilities affirm OS/2 Warp's position as the premier PC operating system for enterprise networks. Dynamic IP exemplifies IBM's commitment to leadership in enterprise networking solutions and open networking standards. Glenn Stump is an Advisory Programmer in IBM's TCP/IP Product Strategy at Research Triangle Park, NC. Glenn has a BS degree in Computer Science from Penn State University, and is currently the lead designer and program leader for IBM's Dynamic IP products. He has worked in IBM Networking Divisions since joining IBM in '82, and has been a member of the IBM TCP/IP products team since '89. Pratik Gupta is a Staff Programmer in IBM TCP/IP Development at Research Triangle Park, NC. Pratik has a BS degree in Electrical Engineering and an MS degree in Computer Science. He has worked in IBM Network Systems Division since 1994. Prior to joining IBM, he has been Technical Group Leader for designing & operating a distributed control system at the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility, a US Dept. of Energy Research Lab., and Team Leader for designing TREx a real-time, multiprocessor operating system for RISC processors. =============================================================== WARPED ETC. Surf the 'Net with OS/2 Warp Buy OS/2 Warp in December, and start surfing the 'Net right away!! For a limited time, you can get The Internet Explorer Pack, a $75 value, at no additional cost when you purchase OS/2 Warp. The Internet Explorer Pack includes 30 days (up to 30 hours) of free Internet service through the IBM Advantis network plus a waiver of the standard registration fee. You also receive a coupon good for a free copy of the Internet Yellow Pages. This offer is valid through December 31. For additional terms and conditions, visit your nearest OS/2 retailer. Two New OS/2 Magazines Debut on the Web Two exciting new magazines dedicated to serving the OS/2 community are now available on the Web. OS/2 Zone is an online version of a popular Australian magazine. It can be found at http://www.os2zone.aus.net/demo/home.html OS/2 E-Zine is an electronic magazine featuring software reviews and other OS/2-related information. Check it out at http://www.isisnet.com/haligonian/os2/ OS/2 E-Zine is also looking for contributors and sponsors. If you would like to write for E-Zine contact trevor@ mail.isisnet.com. Just Add OS/2 Warp Today Do you want to get the most out of your computer with or without Windows? If your answer is "yes," then get your free copy of the Just Add OS/2 Warp kit today. This kit contains utilities, demos, the OS/2 Warp Upgrade Advisor and lots of great information about OS/2 Warp. You can download a copy of the Just Add OS/2 Warp kit from http://www.austin.ibm.com/pspinfo/os2.html. Staff Biographies Jose De Jesus works as a contractor for IBM, debugging VDM and (soon) WorkPlace Shell applications. He is the author of "Borland Pascal With Objects 7.0," published by MIS:Press in 1993. He can be reached at 73141,317@compuserve.com. Jeri Dube has been working for IBM for 12 years now. She is currently working as a Senior Marketing Support Rep, putting together communication vehicles for OS/2 Warp and LAN Server. She swears this is the best job she has had in a long time. Outside of IBM, Jeri spends time with her family, scuba diving, and practicing Yoga. Her favorite quote is: " Humanity has advanced, when it has advanced not by being sober, cautious and responsible but by being playful, rebellious and immature."Tom Robbins, Still Life with Woodpecker. Contact Jeri at Internet:jdube@vnet.ibm.com. Darryl Everett has been an OS/2 user for 3 years and is a proud member of the OS/2 Bay Area User Group. He is an Area Sales Manager for nCHIP, a supplier of multi-chip module technology. Steve McNally develops promotions with Marketing Reps as the Editor for the IBM US Promotions and Price Actions Board. He spends his free time with his wife Kim and ten-month-old daughter, Olivia Hope, and tries to put in as much time as possible writing fiction of all shapes and sizes. A quote that came to mind while composing his bio was "It's like a sauna in here" -- Cosmo Kramer, in the sauna at a health club. He can be reached at smcnally@vnet.ibm.com Maxine Senn-Yuen joined IBM's Worldwide Marketing Program as an Associate Program Administrator in 1995. Maxine is an incipient yuppie who enjoys golf and shopping at the Gap. She can be reached at msenn@vnet.ibm.com. Collin Summers' company has been contracted by IBM to help in central Illinois with OS/2 LAN Server and all those other PC Software type stuff. Before IBM took up all his time, he did independent computer consulting in many areas, but focused on OS/2 work (Guess that's how he ended up working with IBM). Collin spends his free time, when there is some, tinkering around and looking for new and better ways to use computers. Of course, he only runs OS/2 and OS/2 LAN Server on his business' LAN. Collin is available at Internet: summers@vnet.ibm.com or 73422,3364@compuserve.com. Jerome Yuzyk graduated from the U of Alberta in 1984 with a B.Sc. Psychology, specializing in Human and Machine Vision. In 1993 he set out on his own, forming BRIDGE Scientific Services. He consulted to various large and small business in the Edmonton area. Being an OS/2 user since 1992 in the midst of a sea of ignorance and misinformation Jerome started CAOS/2: Central Alberta OS/2 Users Group in August 1993. The group has grown to 100+ members since then. In October of 1994 he joined IBM Canada as a Retail Marketing Specialist, travelling the prairies talking to retailers, consultants and user groups about OS/2 Warp and OS/2 products in general. He also just started teaching OS/2 courses for IBM Education Services. When he's not doing any of that he's a hobby gardener and amateur landscape designer. And when not doing *that*, he takes apart various rooms in his house and (sometimes) puts them back together again. Jerome can be reached at Internet: jerome@supernet.ab.ca. SURVEY We want to produce a quality newsletter that meets your needs. Please take a few minutes to answer the following questions and send your responses to: - FAX: 407-982-8888 - INTERNET ID: JDUBE @ VNET.IBM.COM - MAIL: Jeri Dube IBM Personal Software Products 1000 51st Street Boca Raton, Fl 334 - IBM VNET: BCRVM1(WARPWIRE) 1. What other information would you like to see published in this newsletter? ________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ 2. Is the length of the newsletter:_____ Too short _____ Too long _____ Just right 3. Does this newsletter improve your product knowledge of OS/2 Warp and LAN Systems products? _____ Yes _____ No 4. Do you currently have an OS/2 Warp or LAN systems product installed? _____ Yes _____ No 5. Do you plan to have an OS/2 Warp or LAN systems product installed? _____ Yes _____ No 6. Optional Name: Address: City, State, ZIP: E-Mail Address: COMMENTS: Please offer any ideas/suggestions to improve the newsletter. _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ Thank you for answering this survey. We make improvements based on what you tell us! =========================================================== OS/2 WARP AND LAN SERVER CUSTOMER REFERENCE FORM If you would like to share your experiences with OS/2 Warp or LAN Server, please fill out the following form and get it back to us. We are especially interested in entrepreneurs who use OS/2 Warp or LAN Server and people who use these products in unusual circumstances. - FAX: 407-982-8888 - INTERNET ID: JDUBE @ VNET.IBM.COM - MAIL: Jeri Dube IBM Personal Software Products 1000 51st Street Boca Raton, Fl 33434 GENERAL INFORMATION: Name: City: State/Province: Country: Fax: Email Address: Street/P.O.Box: City: State/Province: ZIP/Postal Code: INDUSTRY: ____Communications ____Cross Industry ____Distribution ____Education ____Finance ____Government ____Health ____Insurance ____Manufacturing ____Petroleum ____Process ____Transportation ____Travel ____Utilities SIZE: Annual Revenue US$: ____< $5M ____$5 - 50M ____$51 - 100M ____$101 - 500M ____$501 - 999M ____$1 - 10B ____> $10B No. of Employees: ____Small <100 ____Medium 100-500 ____Large > 500 No. of Students if College/University: ____<5000 ____5000 -10000 ____>10000 BACKGROUND: (Briefly describe the business or situation where you used the products.) _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ NEED: (What problem/situation existed which caused you to seek a solution using OS/2 Warp and/or LAN Server?) _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ DESCRIPTION OF SOLUTION: (Please provide a detailed description. Describe any mission critical applications. For a networking solution, include a description of the network.) _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ BENEFITS: (Please describe business or personal benefits.) _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________