The OS/2 WarpFlash - 12

THE OS/2 WARPFLASH -  Issue #12 (April 24, 1995) A Weekly Update On The World Of OS/2 and LAN Server

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CONTENTS

1.     PARTITIONMAGIC TAKES OFF! 2.     MULTIQUEST ANNOUNCES S-CASE 2.0 FOR OS/2 3.     KID PROOF/2--EASY DESKTOP PROTECTION FOR OS/2 4.     SOFTWARE DEVELOPER HOME PAGE - OPEN FOR BUSINESS! 5.     IBM LAUNCHES CHINESE OS/2 WARP 6.     WOOLWORTH GOES OS/2! 7.     IBM WWW SITES 8.     J.M. THOMPSON'S REPLY TO THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

FLASH!!! NEW OS/2 WARP SALES FIGURES

At the IBM Consultant's Conference in Orlando, John M. Thompson said in his speech that IBM has sold over 1.7 million copies of Warp since introduction.

This number does *NOT* include NFS (not-for-sale) code or employee code.

1.     PARTITIONMAGIC TAKES OFF!

PowerQuest, the File System Experts, began shiiping PartitionMagic for OS/2 just last month, and already it is one of the best selling OS/2 applications in the market!

PartitionMagic for OS/2, the one and only software utility that permits users to visually shrink, expand, move and convert their hard disk partitions, is now shipping. OS/2* Warp users who used the easy install option were forced to accept the FAT file system. PartitionMagic** is the only product available that allows these OS/2 users to automatically convert their FAT partitions to OS/2's High Performance File System.

"PowerQuest's early customers are advanced users that recognize the immediate benefits of dynamic partition management." said John Christensen, V.P. of Marketing. "This market includes software developers, system administrators, technical support staff, VAR's and system integrators. There is tremendous pent up demand in this market for the functionality provided by PartitionMagic.  Eventually PartitionMagic will be a mandatory utility for anyone who wants total control of their hard disk."

Founded in March 1993 by Eric Ruff, author of QDOS, Backit and Optune, PowerQuest is a privately held corporation located in Orem, Utah. PartitionMagic for OS/2 retails for $129.95.

PowerQuest Corporation is a member of IBM's Developer Assistance Program. For more information about their products contact them directly at:

PowerQuest Corporation 1380 West Center Orem, Utah 84057 Tel: (801) 226-8977 Fax: (801) 226-8941 CIS: 74601,354

* OS/2 is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation.
 * PartitionMagic is a trademark of PowerQuest Corporation

2.     MULTIQUEST AANNOUNCES S-CASE 2.0 FOR OS/2

Schaumburg, IL (April 18, 1994) - MultiQuest Corporation has announced the release of S-CASE 2.0 for OS/2, an object-oriented analysis and design tool that uses the Booch notation to graphically illustrate and model software systems. S-CASE satisfies the demand for visualizing complex software architectures prevalent in today's demanding applications. High quality C++ code can be generated directly from the models. S-CASE allows iteration through the design, code and test cycle while keeping the models and code in sync. This iterative approach allows developers to enhance their design through successive refinement without worrying about outdating their models.

S-CASE 2.0 Features:

- Booch's latest notation (1994) - Iterative C++ code generation - Class specification reports - Real time rule checking - Hierarchical project manager - Heterogeneous multi-user support

Available immediately, S-CASE 2.0 for OS/2 lists at $495. Evaluation versions can be downloaded via anonymous ftp to ftp.netcom.com, directory /pub/sh/showcase/demo_os2.

MultiQuest Corporation, based in Schaumburg, Illinois, was founded in 1989 to provide innovative and affordable software engineering tools to software developers worldwide.

For further information, please contact:

MultiQuest Corporation 1931 N Mecham Road, Suite 318 Schaumburg, IL 60173, USA Tel: (708) 240-5555 Fax: (708) 240-5556 Email: 72531.2510@compuserve.com

3.     KID PROOF/2--EASY DESKTOP PROTECTION FOR OS/2

Pinnacle Technology announces a new level of protection and administration for OS/2* computers. Kid Proof/2 allows OS/2 users to create an ideal desktop, take a picture of it, "hide" certain applications (or simply restrict capabilities such as "copy" and "delete") and associate the desktops created with certain users. When you sign-on to an OS/2 machine with Pinnacle Technology's products, you get your desktop. Other people, of course, get theirs. It's up to you, the administrator.

Parents can set up their machines so they have access to Personal Finance and other private applications. Kids, however, may have access on the same machine to their multimedia games and word processor for school without any capability to delete, shred, or simply access the C Prompt. Set it up the way you want. Kid Proof/2 protects your vital applications at home or at work.

At the suggested price of $ 59, Kid Proof/2 is the perfect solution for home, small office, or school environments using OS/2. Companies using networks should consider Pinnacle's products for delivering similar centralized desktop control and security capabilities over a LAN. Volume discounts are available and qualified educational institutions receive additional discounts on upgrades.

Pinnacle Technology makes a line of upgradable products that are used by cost and security-conscious customers using OS/2. Products include The Desktop Commander (centrally controlled networked desktops) and The Desktop Observatory (centrally controlled networked desktops with a powerful security daemon). Customers include many large banks, insurance companies and governments worldwide.

Further information can be obtained from your software retailer, by calling Pinnacle Technology at (317) 581-6262, or by writing to Pinnacle via the internet at info@pinnacletech.com.

Customer Relations Department Pinnacle Technology maker of The Desktop Observatory line of products Phone: 317-279-5157 Fax: 317 279-8039

* OS/2 is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation.

4.     SOFTWARE DEVELOPER HOME PAGE - OPEN FOR BUSINESS!

The Solution Developer Support home page on World Wide Web is OPEN FOR BUSINESS! The SDS home page is a central place for information from IBM designed especially for solution developers. It's world-wide, fast, and up-to-date.

The SDS homepage, owned and implemented by SDO, first went "live" on the Internet in February of this year. Since then it has expanded rapidly, with the addition of more items each week.

Some of the key items AVAILABLE TODAY include: - Hot News Items of interest to solution developers. - Events and Workshops. - Developer Assistance Programs. - A Main Library containing items such as the SDO Support Newsletter, AIXpert, the Client/Server Newsletter and technical papers. - Pages with topics such as Object Technologies, OS/2, AIX, AS/400 and S/390. Each of these pages points to extensive information for developers related to each of these product areas. - Catalogs of Solution Developer programs for OS/2 and AIX. - "Tell Us What You Think" feedback process.

Although the SDS home page is already packed with information for developers, it will continue to be expanded and improved.

PLANS FOR THE NEXT 90 DAYS include: - Enhanced and expanded OS/2 section...expanded library, more details about developer programs, and links to relevent information outside the SD web. - Improved Solution Developer Catalogs...combined AIX and OS/2 Catalogs and user search/display facilities. - Registration/entitlement process...developers can request participation in Developer Assistant Programs and access Q&A data bases 24 hours a day over the Internet. - General design and usability improvements...including more content designed specifically for WWW, graphics/animation, and pointers to other related articles.

To access the Solution Developer homepage directly the URL is: http://www.austin.ibm.com/developer

The Solution Developer Support home page can can also be accessed from the IBM home page via the "Products, services and support" icon. Then page down to the bottom of the Products, service and support page, and click on "Support for solution developers".

To contact us, please use our "Tell Us What You Think" facility on the SDS homepage; or send an email to sdo@austin.ibm.com;

5.     IBM LAUNCHES CHINESE OS/2 WARP

BEIJING, 19 April 1995. IBM today announced the immediate availability of the Chinese version of its award-winning operating system, OS/2 Warp Version 3.0, the first simplified Chinese 32-bit operating system.

At a major launch event in Beijing today, six major Chinese and international computer manufacturers (OEMs) announced their plans to support Chinese OS/2 Warp, and 16 Chinese and international software developers (ISVs) announced commitments to develop native OS/2 Warp applications.

IBM also announced comprehensive support and channel programs to help advance the Chinese software market, including a new software distribution structure, certification and training programs in partnership with 12 Chinese universities, and a software service and support infrastructure.

The announcement in Beijing was celebrated throughout the city, with OS/2 Warp hot air balloons in the university and computer districts, hundreds of OS/2 Warp kites flying near Tiananmen Square and thousands of OS/2 Warp balloons given away in Beijing's business district.

The launch event in Beijing is the fifth in a series of major international OS/2 Warp launch events, following the February launch in Japan, and last October's events in New York, London and Sydney. IBM has shipped more than 2 million copies of OS/2 Warp worldwide in less than six months on the market, bringing OS/2's installed base to well over 8 million. The Beijing event today was attended by more than 1000 people, including representatives from the Chinese Ministry of Electronics Industry (MEI), university faculty and staff, customers and business partners. It will be followed by events in Shanghai and Guangzhou in the next two weeks.

"IBM has made a long-term commitment to the Chinese software market," said Mr. Bob Timpson, general manager of IBM Greater China. "We are working with partners in all aspects of the software business, from development to distribution, as well as government ministries and customers, to ensure we build a world-class software infrastructure appropriate to China's needs."

The Chinese version of OS/2 Warp was localized and manufactured in mainland China, in partnership with Great Wall, a Beijing-based software development company, and tested by Tsing Hua University, one of China's most prestigious universities.

Sixteen ISVs were present at the launch event,to announce and demonstrate applications developed for the Chinese version of OS/2 Warp. Simplified Chinese applications announced include desktop productivity software, mission-critical applications and application development tools.

Several major PC manufacturers announced their support for Chinese Warp today. The IBM PC Company announced that OS/2 Warp will be available in either English or Chinese versions on all 8MB systems shipped in China by the summer of 1995. Legend, the largest PC manufacturer in China, announced that OS/2 Warp and IBM PC-DOS will be preloaded on all of its midrange and high-end PC systems. STI Certified Products also announced plans to preload OS/2 Warp on its multimedia systems. In addition, AST, Hewlett-Packard and Compaq made statements announcing that their PCs shipped in China are ready to run the Chinese version of OS/2 Warp.

At the event today, IBM China announced a comprehensive certification and training program partnership with an initial group of 12 Chinese universities, by which it will provide Certified OS/2 Warp Instructor training to hundreds of university professors over the next two years. IBM will establish Authorized Training Centers at 20 key universities to train software professionals in servicing and supporting IBM OS/2 Warp and LAN Server products by the end of 1995.

To ensure that Chinese software customers get access to IBM's industry-leading service and support, IBM China also announced the establishment of three regional support centers in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. IBM's support infrastructure in China is designed to provide customers with easy access to technical help and product information, while minimizing their costs. The support system features phone-in and fax-back services, with plans to offer electronic access consistent with that used by IBM customers worldwide.

IBM will ensure customers have ready access to OS/2 Warp and other IBM software products with a newly-established software distribution structure. IBM has named Crownhand Development Ltd. and Beijing HOPE High-Tech Group as software distributors, and Nantian Software Engineering Ltd. and Beijing Read Technic & Trade Development Co., as authorized dealers. The distributors will work with IBM to provide product education, service and support, marketing and other activities to dealers.

OS/2 Warp is the third version of IBM's award-winning 32-bit OS/2 operating system. OS/2 Warp can run in as little as 4MB of memory, and allows users to run DOS, Windows and OS/2 applications on the same desktop when installed on top of Windows. Each copy ships with a BonusPak of native 32-bit OS/2 applications, including a word processor, database, spreadsheet, fax program and Internet access. OS/2 Warp P3.0 for Windows is now available from IBM dealers and distributors throughout China at a list price of RMB 1350. OS/2 Warp P3.0 with WIN-OS2, or "fullpack" version, will be available in China in June.

6.     WOOLWORTH GOES OS/2!

Woolworth Corporation signed a contract for 10,000 OS/2 licenses. OS/2 will the operating system for their Point-of-Sale systems. They will be running IBM's StorePlace application. The rollout to Woolworth stores worldwide will continue through 1996.

7.     IBM WWW SITES NOTE: Unless otherwise noted, all destinations begin with 'http://'.

IBM's main home page www.ibm.com/

IBM OS/2 Warp Homepage www.austin.ibm.com/pspinfo/os2.html

IBM's LAN Server Homepage www.austin.ibm.com/pspinfo/lansrvr.html

IBM's PC DOS Homepage www.austin.ibm.com/pspinfo/pcdos.html

OS/2 Warp Migration Assistant pscc.dfw.ibm.com/warpmi/

OS/2 WarpTv Drivers www.europe.ibm.com/getdoc/psmemea/prodcat/opsys/wtv

IBM Personal Computers www.pcco.ibm.com/files.html/

IBM's User Group Relations www.austin.ibm.com/pspinfo/ibmpcug.html

IBM European Services www.europe.ibm.com/ Also home to the largest OS/2 Device Driver repository.

EMEA Developers Assistance Program Homepage www.europe.ibm.com/psmemea/progserv/dap/

IBM RISC System/6000 Products and Services www.austin.ibm.com/

IBM's Internet Connection www01.ny.us.ibm.net/

IBM Personal Software Marketing - Europe, Middle-East and Africa (EMEA) www.europe.ibm.com/psmemea/

Software Quarterly (an IBM magazine) pscc.dfw.ibm.com/sq/

AS/400 Products www.ibm.com/products/as400/

Large Scale Computing lscftp.kgn.ibm.com/

IBM Hursley Park, UK            www.hursley.ibm.com/

Almaden Research Center www-i/almaden.ibm.com/

Optical Storage eagle.almaden.ibm.com/optical/

IBM's Global Network www.ibm.com/adv/

Thomas J. Watson Research Center www.watson.ibm.com/watson/

Taligent www.taligent.com/

IBM Zurich Research Lab www.zurich.ibm.com/

IBM Service InfoNetz Deutschland www.mainz.ibm.de/

IBM UK AIX Business Unit www.europe.ibm.com/aix.uk/

IBM Norway www.ibm.no/

IBM POWERparallel Systems lscftp.ign.ibm.com/pps/

IBM International Technical Support (Redbooks) www.redbooks.ibm.com/redbooks/

IBM Networking www.raleigh/ibm.com/nethome.html/

IBM PC Software Direct www.ibmlink.ibm.com/pcdirect/

Mwave Technology & Information on IBM Microelectronics watson.mbb.sfu.ca/

IBM New Mexico Federal Web Server ibmwww.lanl.gov/

Person to Person www.hursley.ibm.com/p2p

REXX Language rexx.hursley.ibm.com/rexx/

8.     THOMPSON'S REPLY TO THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

The following was sent to the Editor, The Wall Street Journal, by John M. Thompson, IBM senior vice president and group executive, in reply to an article about a Dataquest report questioning IBM's commitment to OS/2. April 11, 1995

Mr. Robert L. Bartley Editor, The Wall Street Journal 200 Liberty Street New York, NY 10281

Dear Mr. Bartley:

As your reporter Jim Carlton notes in the April 6 article, "Will     IBM and Apple Operating Systems Fall to Microsoft?", IBM certainly does disagree with the conclusions attributed to     Dataquest analyst Robert Enderle concerning IBM's future plans for the OS/2 operating system.

Contrary to Mr. Enderle's views, IBM is firmly committed to OS/2 -- we have no plans to "pull the plug" on OS/2 in 1996 or to     adopt Apple's Mac OS. We are encouraged by growing customer and software developer interest in OS/2, especially the enthusiastic response we've had to the latest version, OS/2 Warp.

We would question how Mr. Enderle can express so much certainty about the future of Windows 95 -- Microsoft's ambitious attempt to transform its outdated technology into a robust, multi-tasking, 32-bit operating environment. In essence, to match what IBM already provides in OS/2. While we, too, fully expect Microsoft to deliver a marketing blitz if it manages to ship its product as     expected in August, it remains to be seen whether the stability, reliability and performance that users require -- and can get today from OS/2 --- will be there. Until Windows 95 ships, and until there are 32-bit applications to exploit it, any conclusions about its future are premature.

--- -- Important Disclaimer ---

I do this newsletter in my spare time. Please respect that I will sometimes make typographical errors that result in in- correct phone numbers and/or e-mail addresses. I would appreciate it if you would contact ME and let me know before firing off e-mail to the general IBM in-box. This will help me continue to work at IBM and therefore, continue this informal newsletter.

Although notices within this newsletter may be IBM press releases, the OS/2 WarpFlash as a whole is not an official IBM communication and should not be treated or represented as such.

All efforts have made to internationalize the OS/2 WarpFlash where possible; however, it is entirely possible that certain information with OS/2 WarpFlash may be applicable only in the US and Canada.

If you know someone who might be interested in WarpFlash, feel free to forward this document, provided you forward it in    it's entirety, as per the copyright notice below.

INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THIS DOCUMENT IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF    MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND FREEDOM FROM INFRINGEMENT. The user assumes the entire risk as to the accuracy and the use of this document. This document may be copied and distributed subject to the following conditions: 1) All text must be copied without  modification and all pages must be included; 2) All copies must contain relevant copyright notices and any other notices provided therein; and 3) This document may not be distributed for profit.                                    �