A Letter to the Readers of WarpOnline. Final Letter

Effective March 15, 1997, WarpOnline has ceased publication. I have decided to stop publishing because WarpOnline has consumed too much of my personal energy, and I am expecting my first child in a few short weeks.

I need the spare time that has been consumed by this project to devote to her. I am sure that any of you who have had newborn children in your home can relate.

My home Internet service provider has pushed me off of their system – the hit rate on WarpOnline was just too high. While I think it is poor business on their part to adopt the policy of shutting down the most popular sites on their system, that has not been the case for the other mirrors of WarpOnline around the world. They should be commended, and supported with your business.

More importantly however is how powerful a testament that is to the vitality and widespread support of OS/2. You should be proud of this.

I am not abandoning OS/2. I am not frustrated with IBM. I have not installed Windows NT on my OS/2 system. I believe in IBM's strategy linking the future of OS/2 to Network Computing. It is the only one that can work, and there are thousands of IBMers around the world that will only put food on the table if it does.

Please do not read more into this than my needing more time for my family – I remain 150% behind OS/2. Hopefully I will have the chance to write an occasional article for one of the other fine OS/2 online magazines – they have all developed so well over the last few years, and I am very proud to be a part of this community.

You should know that I have received many hostile messages over the last year about our magazine, none of which have ever seen the pages of WarpOnline. The choice of a desktop operating system has become much like a religion – you believe strongly in what you are doing, and are willing to fight to the end to make sure you are right. Don't fall into this trap. In a few short years, operating systems will become unimportant as new Internet access devices and technologies bring movies, music, software and content right into your living room. Your allies inside IBM understand this, and are positioning OS/2 to be at the heart of that shift. Don't fall prey to this false "religion" – keep your eyes and your mind open to what is coming next in the computer world, because it is mighty exciting. Don't fall into the Microsoft cult, blindly accepting what they say the future is. Believe me, you do that, and you will miss it.

Thanks for the fun time, and I will see you around.

Sincerely,

John McDonald

Editor, WarpOnline