OS/2 Magazines - Review

From OS2World.Com Wiki
Revision as of 05:14, 25 May 2020 by Martini (talk | contribs)
Jump to navigation Jump to search

EXCERPTS FROM: COMMENTS ON OS/2 MAGAZINES AND PERIODICALS

By: Richard E. Hodges


1. TRADITIONAL PRINTED PERIODICALS

1.1 DESCRIPTIONS AND COMMENTS

1.1.1 OS/2 Professional

       This is a monthly periodical which has been around for just over
       one year. OS/2 Professional is a slick, color glossy magazine
       which typically runs about 100 pages. It features regular columns
       by noted industry pundits such as William Zachmann and Jerry
       Pournelle. Editor Edwin Black does a fine job of pulling together
       a professional publication targeted primarily at the corporate
       OS/2 user, MIS Manager, developer, etc.
       OS/2 Professional is organized into four major sections:
       Articles, Products & Reviews, Tech Talk, and Departments &
       Columns.
       The feature article section typically contains such categories as
       "Special Report", "User Profile", "Vendor Profile" and "Feature".
       Typical articles tend to run in two veins. One recurring
       theme is coverage of OS/2-specific developments. Articles such as
       "The Future of OS/2", "Integrating OS/2", "Windows Version of
       OS/2--a Solid Integrating Platform", etc. The other theme tends
       to highlight various corporations and individual OS/2 users.
       These articles typically show examples of how OS/2 has helped
       make someone a success, or solve some problem.
       Black often conducts a Q&A interview with some industry
       leader who is significant in some way to OS/2. For instance,
       a recent issue featured an interview with Corel CEO Michael
       Cowpland.
       OS/2 Professional is relatively weak as a source of solid
       information related to applications programs: this is not the
       place to look for a comparison of the latest productivity apps.
       Shareware, no matter how good, would scarcely be expected to
       appear in an OS/2 Pro review. It doesn't appear that OS/2 Pro has
       established or utilizes any benchmarks for OS/2 programs.
       The editorials in OS/2 Professional have a decidedly political
       edge. Edwin Black generally offers some market analysis ranging
       from doom and gloom to cautious optimism. Zachmann's View is
       usually gazing over the broad architectural landscape of IBM
       operating systems vis a vis Microsoft's. Predictably, Zachmann
       is inclined to put on the binoculars and focus attention on the
       latest smokescreen from Microsoft. This politico-IBM orientation
       also spills over into some articles and interviews.
       Jerry Pournelle's recent addition, "The View From Chaos Manor"
       brings a much needed end-user perspective to the magazine. For
       instance, Jerry has discovered many obvious quirks in OS/2
       (such as the idiotic "Find" and "Locate" commands). Hopefully,
       if someone of Pournelle's reputation identifies these problems
       the OS/2 developers (or someone!) will get around to doing
       something about them. Unfortunately, Jerry still seems to view
       OS/2 as a platform for running Windows programs. He can't resist
       the ever present temptation to send IBM some more good advice...
       Overall, I regard OS/2 Professional as a worthwhile publication.
       It has plenty of advertisements, reports of new products, some
       useful tips and REXX programming hints. Unfortunately, I sometimes
       find the political tone of magazine tiresome and almost depressing.
       Indeed, even the photos of the authors look gloomy. Nobody smiles.

1.1.2 OS/2 Magazine

       OS/2 Magazine is a new monthly periodical which appeared last
       December (1993). It is a glossy color periodical which
       (so far) runs about 85 pages. OS/2 Magazine provides coverage
       of OS/2 that is distinctly oriented toward the end-user. The
       articles and editorial copy are aimed at _average_ end users,
       a welcome perspective. Discussion of software products is
       typically prefaced by some plain-language description of
       why one would need it. Acronyms are always defined, and the
       magazine seems to consciously avoid paragraphs that look like
       they were taken from an IBM service manual, or a game of techo-
       scrabble. It is enjoyable reading.
       OS/2 Magazine is divided into four sections: Articles, Reviews,
       Departments and Columns. The articles on OS/2 are typically
       in the "how to" vein or else are tutorial in nature. Examples
       include, "Customizing your OS/2 Desktop", "While You Wait" (a
       very readable explanation of why multitasking is useful for an
       average end user), "OS/2 on a Laptop". So far, the cover story
       has tended to focus on OS/2 itself, rather than products for
       OS/2. For instance, the March issue features, "OS/2 for Windows".
       One thing I found distinctive about OS/2 Magazine is the honesty
       of the product reviews. The reviews give a straightforward view
       of the author's experience with the product. There is evidently
       little bias shown to native OS/2 products -- for instance, the
       March issue's review of word processors flatly states that
       Windows word processors are better than the current crop of
       native OS/2 word processors. On the downside, the product
       reviews are not as precise and detailed as one would like.
       In some cases, the reviews are a bit sloppy. There is little
       _quantitative_ comparison of products (although, admittedly
       these kinds of tests can often be misleading). Bottom line:
       the magazine provides useful information about applications
       software and how it performs.
       Long-time OS/2 users will recognize some ex-IBMers among the
       authors in OS/2 Magazine. They are unequivocally _NEW_ IBM. The
       authors of editorial and opinion columns in OS/2 Magazine
       avoid the geo-political-operating-system-war-game-strategy
       attitude that is prevalent in many periodicals. Although
       the editorials and opinions columns do not shrink from
       complaining about problems (again, end-user viewpoint), the
       overall tone is positive. All of the authors are smiling!
       Another unique aspect of OS/2 Magazine is the column by Amy Wohl
       (in fact, she's the only "big name" writer). This provides a
       welcome departure from the male dominated computer press.
       Columns in OS/2 Magazine are filled with useful "how to"
       information. How to code REXX macros. How to find an OS/2
       user group. How to find the latest OS/2 books. There's a
       helpful "Tips and Tricks" column with useful information to
       help a person set up and customize the system. Etc, etc, etc.

Overall, OS/2 Magazine is a very valuable resource, particularly for NEW OS/2 users. It has plenty of advertisements and listings of new products. The tone is positive and the magazine properly focuses attention on how to solve problems and make things work for you. The product reviews should improve over time (bear in mind, this is only about the third issue -- VERY impressive quality for a startup). One useful addition would be a regular review of good shareware programs.

SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION:

OS/2 PROFESSIONAL (Monthly)                     OS/2 MAGAZINE (Monthly)
International Features                          Miller Freeman, Inc.
172 Rollins Avenue                              600 Harrison Street
Rockville, MD 20852                             San Francisco, CA 94107
Subs: $39.95/yr                                 Subs: $39.95/yr
(301)770-3333                                   (800)765-1291
                                                CIS:71572,431