Why Do I Use OS/2 Warp?

By Ron Mirasol‎‎

Although I use OS/2 Warp both at home and at work, I do not consider myself a "power user." My computing needs are simple and common. I believe that in both the home and work environments, OS/2 Warp is the best computing platform available today! Here are my reasons why:

I use OS/2 Warp at home because:

Warp has built-in Voice Navigation
Nothing beats saying "Jump to my portfolio" and getting my stock quotes from the internet, or saying "Empty the trash" and having Warp do it! (Not the real trash -- I have a trash folder where I temporarily store files before I really shred them.)

Imagine opening and closing folders by saying "Open" and "Close," or playing solitaire with "Move Jack of Hearts to Queen of Spades." (VoiceType Klondike is included on the Application Sampler CD.)

Practically everything I used to do with a mouse I now do verbally -- I can even teach Warp to listen for and obey very complex, Ron-only types of commands!

I get the best connectivity to the Internet
If you're like me, you're a candidate for WebAholics Anonymous. Unfortunately, my internet habit is not free; if my modem is idle while I'm reading a web page or a news group, I'm wasting money.

Luckily, with Warp, I can have multiple browsers running, while my news reader, ftp client, and gopher (ok, so I don't use gopher that much) are going in the background. So, as I am reading one page, Warp is busy loading another page, sending and receiving e-mail, even downloading files.

Warp handles all these tasks at once just fine, even over a 14.4K modem (even better, I have 28.8K!)

I have peer connectivity without a LAN
No more diskette swapping for me. When I need to share files with someone else (imagine creating diskettes for the shareware version of Quake!), I hook the PCs up via my parallel port, and make my PC a peer server.

With Warp's Peer capabilities, I can share my files, a printer, or a modem at home since I have a multiple PC household. If I take my PC on the road, I can hook into other peer-to-peer networks, such as Artisoft LANtastic or Windows for Workgroups.

Warp runs all of my applications
Let's face it, I've got applications for personal productivity, personal finance, the Internet, and entertainment. Since Warp runs OS/2, Windows (practically all programs that run on Windows 3.11 run in OS/2), and DOS applications, I'm covered.



Even if I have an app that will run only in DOS or in Windows 3.11, Warp has a "True Mode" capability, which will drop you right into real DOS or Windows. No problem!

Lots of great apps come with Warp
All the voice, internet, and peer capabilities I've mentioned are bundled into OS/2 Warp. In addition, Warp comes with a BonusPak that includes IBM Works (a full-fledged productivity suite), FaxWorks for OS/2, VideoIn (a video editing tool), and much, much more.

Warp also comes with an Application Sampler CD which lets you preview a lot of Warp-exploitive applications, so you can really make the most of your Warped system.

And since all my existing software ran unchanged under Warp, I didn't have to spend any money upgrading my other apps to have them run under a new operating system!

I use OS/2 Warp at work because:

Warp has built-in Voice Dictation
I get bombarded daily by e-mail. Most of these require quick response. Unfortunately, I never took a typing class, so this used to be really time-consuming for me. Now, I just open a dictation window, and dictate my responses!

Warp interprets my speech and even puts words in context. Tongue-twisters like "Write a letter to Mrs. Wright right now" are no problem at all.

Best yet, my applications don't even have to know I am dictating instead of typing! Warp enables any of my applications that take standard text input.

I can connect to anything at work
If your company is like mine, you have all these "islands of technology" that have popped up in the ocean MIS calls the "enterprise." In the past, to talk to all these islands, you may have needed 2 or more devices, cluttering up your desk.

I have even worked with companies that had 3 PCs on some of their desktops, each dedicated to get to separate host systems on separate networks!

Warp has the "bridges" to get to practically anything. And because Warp can handle multiple networking protocols over a single network adapter, I only need one PC. So, whether it's Token Ring, Ethernet, 802.2, Netbios, IPX, TCP/IP, file-and-print, host, AS/400, UNIX... You name it, I just need Warp!

I can do all my work from home
Ever get a call in the middle of the night and have to drive 45 minutes to the office just to print something? With Warp's Remote Access capabilities, my PC thinks I'm at work on the LAN, even though I am dialing in from home. I can access all my resources, including files and printers, as if I were there. Now, if Warp could only pick up that printout and drop it in my boss' mail slot!

Warp runs all of my work applications
Did you say homogeneous? I don't know if there really is such a thing in the computing workplace, outside of the dairy industry. At my work, we have a mixed bag of off the shelf and in-house applications. Warp's OS/2, Windows, and DOS support makes fitting into this environment a lot easier.

Now it seems as if everyone is moving towards Java applets. (If you surveyed the Silicon Valley, you'd see that the majority of the software startups are into Java.) Since Warp is the first Intel-based operating system to have an integrated Java Virtual Machine, I can continue to run my existing applications, and I'm poised to take advantage of the next wave of Java-based applications. I've got the best of both worlds!

The connectivity is built in to Warp
OS/2 Warp truly is a connected client. Warp comes with clients for file-and-print, systems management, and remote access. It comes with all the Internet/Intranet applications, including LotusMail and Personal Communications (which allows 3270 and 5250 emulation).

In addition, all the client software necessary to connect to the host is available. Even though the industry thought the host was going away, a lot of our business data is still up there. With Warp, you can add the client and middleware components to get that data, whether it's via a database, transaction processing system, communications server, what have you.

None of my data is out of reach!