Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!think.com!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!mips!daver!tscs!tct!jim From: jim@tct.com (Jim Kunzman) Newsgroups: comp.os.os2.misc Subject: Re: Experience in Shopping for OS/2 (Long) Message-ID: <2843BB65.5DDE@tct.com> Date: 29 May 91 14:32:02 GMT References: <1991May29.062117.9353@midway.uchicago.edu> Distribution: na Organization: Teltronics/TCT, Sarasota, FL Lines: 83 According to sip1@quads.uchicago.edu (Timothy F. Sipples): >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 believe 1.3 is the latest version -- do you have anything available on >that?" > >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. > Sadly, IBM didn't realize that anyone would actually want to run OS/2 on anthing but an IBM machine. Marketing hype indicates that they have seen the folly of their ways and have now decided to provide much better support for non-IBM periperals, but we won't see much until OS/2 2.0 is released. >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 No, it is not too late, but IBM must realize that their distributors are often their own worst enemies. The above situation must occur hundreds of times a day. But what alternative does IBM have? If they use direct marketing, they run the risk of alienating their distributors. If they try to educate their distributors about their products, it will cost them millions of dollars and the price of OS/2 will rise. Actually, I believe the direct marketing route is proper for certain products and OS/2 is one of them. As you stated, it works well for Borland and I might add it works well for Microsoft, too. I prefer to buy mail order because the average sales droid does not know their products. IBM must also overcome the negative impression which OS/2 achieved in the days of EXPENSIVE ram, inadequate video cards, and slow disks. OS/2 has a lot going for it; threads, generally consistent system calls, an adequate GUI, and a preemptive scheduler. There is also a lot of baggage, but that is the price we pay until we get a lot smarter about OOP. We need to encourage IBM to open up a direct marketing channel. The price reductions were a step in the right direction. Now we need development tools such as a C++ compiler, object libraries, browsers, on-line man pages, etc. and all of these at DOS prices! If OS/2 is to replace DOS, the prices MUST be competitive with DOS prices. I'm optimistic about OS/2. Even if it is renamed something else, the OS has a solid core and is far ahead of all competing PC OS's except for UNIX. UNIX has it's own problems, however. It is certainly not the OS for the casual user, i.e. the typical home, school, mom and pop business user. And I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for Microsoft NT. OS/2 is available now, it works, and it's waiting for some new apps. So, it's off to programming land... -- Jim Kunzman at Teltronics/TCT , !(This space intentionally left blank.)