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From: sip1@quads.uchicago.edu (Timothy F. Sipples)
Newsgroups: comp.os.os2.misc
Subject: Experience in Shopping for OS/2 (Long)
Message-ID: <1991May29.062117.9353@midway.uchicago.edu>
Date: 29 May 91 06:21:17 GMT
Sender: news@midway.uchicago.edu (NewsMistress)
Distribution: na
Organization: University of Chicago
Lines: 95

I thought the netfolk might like to hear of my experience today in trying
to obtain information on OS/2 from my local campus computer store.  Ready?

I walked in and was immediately confronted with twin NeXT stations --
quite reasonably priced now.  But I looked the other way and asked one of
the fellows behind the desk whether he knew anything about OS/2.  He
asked, "What do you want to know?"

"Do you sell it?"

"Hmmm...  Let me see."

And I was astonished when he asked,

"Does that run on the Mac?"

I patiently explained that OS/2 runs on the PC.  (Er, some of them.  The ones
without CD-ROM drives.  The ones without most SCSI devices.  The ones without
"exotic" display adapters -- like Hercules.  But I didn't feel like compli-
cating the issue.)

And he went to his price list.  Sure enough, the
price list confirmed that OS/2 was available.  For $153.00.  Three dollars
more than IBM's full list price, never mind the educational discount.

So that my visit was not totally fruitless, I offered,
"Do you have any information on OS/2 -- a spec sheet, perhaps?"

"Well, let me see.  Tom!  Where would information on OS/2 be?"

Tom, another employee, points to the IBM file drawer.  A minute or two later
I was handed a spec sheet.  For version 1.2.

"I believe 1.3 is the latest version -- do you have anything available on
that?"

"Well, let me check.  You know, I've never sold one of these OS/2s before.
If you had asked me about Macs I would have been able to help you out.
I'm glad you know something about this."

He plods through the files a bit more.

"How about this sheet?"

The salesperson waved a sheet describing 1.3's LAN potential.  I patiently
explained that I was not interested in LANs.  Then he found a shrinkwrapped
package of brochures -- unopened.  He pulled one of the brochures out and
gave it to me.  Information on 1.3.

"Do you have OS/2 in stock or will it need to be ordered?"

"Well, that I can check for you right away.  I'll check the computer."

It seemed somewhat ironic that the inventory system was Mac-based.  Nonethe-
less, the Macintosh quickly produced the following information:

"Hmmm.  It says here that that catalog number is no longer valid.  Hold on.
I'm going to call the warehouse."

A few minutes later he has an answer.  "Yes, I can get it for you.  It'll
take about a week to come in."

"And you're sure the price is $153?"

"Oh, yes.  Quite sure."

"Even for the 5.25 inch version?"

"Yes."

Needless to say, I said my thank yous and walked away.  And I felt lucky to
get ahold of the brochure which, in true IBM fashion, would provide more
information than I needed to know, right?

Wrong.  The only mention of driver support is the following sentence:
"Several popular device drivers are included with OS/2 Standard Edition
Version 1.3."  Fantastic.  Even my Windows upgrade notice came with a full
list of tested, compatible hardware.  Perhaps IBM cannot mention non-IBM
products.  But even a small list like "VGA, EGA, CGA, XGA, 8514, ..."
would have been helpful.

Not a word on required disk space.  For all I know OS/2 gets along splendidly
with a single 360K floppy disk drive.  Passing reference to a 2MB memory
requirement.  No information on the fonts included with ATM.  In fact,
the sheet is almost numbing in its lack of information.

To summarize, OS/2 is a great product, but who is marketing it?  AT&T?
Just a few more drivers, built in miniapps, a $99 price tag, and a Borland-
esque marketing campaign ("if you own Windows, you can upgrade to OS/2 1.3
for just $49"; just like "if you own Lotus 1-2-3, send us the first page
of your manual and upgrade to Quattro Pro for just $99") and IBM would
sell a million copies.  Or is it too late?

T.F.S.						sip1@quads.uchicago.edu
Timothy F. Sipples				sip1@sam.spc.uchicago.edu