Interviews from Warpstock 2000

OS/2 eZine -- Who are you?

AM-- Abel McClendon.

OS/2 eZine -- Occupation?

AM -- Telecommunications specialist.

OS/2 eZine -- Why did you come to Warpstock?

AM -- This year I came because I wanted to hear directly from known sources what I'm facing in the next 6 months to 2 years as far as OS support is concerned, IBM, Serenity Systems and other developers.

OS/2 eZine -- Is this your first year?

AM -- This is number 3.

OS/2 eZine -- What are your impressions? How is this similar to previous Warpstocks? How different? What were your expectations? Were they met? Exceeded?

AM -- Attitude this year seems a little more purposeful. Not quite as joyful . . . people this year are a little more focused on the business aspect of it rather than the camaraderie. I really did not know what to expect this year. There wasn't quite as much information out there as there usually is . . . either that or my contacts are rusty.

OS/2 eZine -- Where is OS/2 heading? Is it going in a direction that you can follow?

AM -- From my perspective, OS/2 is heading in a direction that's going to force me to work smarter, harder and more cooperatively with other OS/2 users. If I want to continue to use OS/2 as a client OS, I'm going to have to make a significant investment in dollars and time to make it work; without almost total community cooperation, it will probably not be worth the investment required. [I can probably follow it] for another 2 years. From a total cost point of view, OS/2 is cheaper. In 2 years it won't be if a problem arises that you can't resolve through the free channels (web pages, Usenet, etc.).

OS/2 eZine -- Where do you want OS/2 to go? If you could realize your wildest fantasy (about OS/2), what would it be?

AM -- An affordable, complete SOHO package, remote-booted off of a DSL to a service provided for either a fixed annual or monthly fee.

OS/2 eZine -- If you could send one message to IBM, if you could send the people directly involved with continued OS/2 development one short e-mail and know that that message would get read, what would you say?

AM -- In the spirit of Philadelphia and to mangle a quote from Patrick Henry, "Give me O/S 2 or give me death."

OS/2 eZine -- What do you use your OS/2 machine for? What do want to do with OS/2 that you can't?

AM -- I use OS/2 for development & SOHO apps & Internet service. I want to serve up live media.

OS/2 eZine -- What does the OS/2 community mean to you?

AM -- They're a great bunch of people. They just need to loosen up a bit. They mean a lot to me; it's almost like a kinship; it's a neat feeling to know that there are others out there that are in the same boat I'm in.

OS/2 eZine -- Why do you do what you do?

AM -- I've always been particular about using the best equipment & tools. Right now, OS/2 is the best tool for the job I'm doing. [As for my work in the community] I need to do what I can to increase [OS/2's] longevity. If someone doesn't, it won't be here in 5 or 6 years.

OS/2 eZine -- Are conventions like Warpstock, Warptech, etc., important to you? Why?

AM -- Yes, they're important to me. It's something concrete that you can see and it's evidence that there's activity; it's the opposite of vaporware; when you make a deal with someone you get to shake hands with them and look them in the eye and you're done; it's the contact that makes a difference.

OS/2 eZine -- What application(s) do you want to see in development for OS/2?

AM -- [laughs] I don't want to see any in development: I want 'em done.

OS/2 eZine -- Is there a killer app for OS/2? If so, what is it?

AM -- No. There could be; Mesa 2 is close, Staroffice is close, but really can't give any of them a cigar yet. We need one.

OS/2 eZine -- How has IBM helped you?

AM -- I've been able to purchase OS/2 since '94--'95 & I can still purchase it today and it doesn't crash.

OS/2 eZine -- How has Big Blue hindered you?

AM -- They've allowed their 'child prodigy' to be treated like a redheaded stepchild in the market place.

OS/2 eZine -- What is OS/2's relationship to the community? What is our community's relationship to OS/2?

AM -- OS/2 is like a reliable friend & vice versa. You want to do everything you can to allow your friend to survive in a good state.

OS/2 eZine -- What is your single biggest frustration as an OS/2 user?

AM -- Having to search for answers to questions or problems for hours & hours & hours.

OS/2 eZine -- Do you ever envy Windows users? Why (or why not)?

AM -- Absolutely not. I've been advised by my attorney not to answer the 'why not' part of that question. [While Abel didn't exactly laugh, the sly look on his face after he answered this question leads me to believe that he was being a tad facetious.]

OS/2 eZine -- Any parting comments/thoughts?

AM -- There needs to be a single source/support infrastructure for the OS/2 community. Join VOICE.