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Feedback from May 6

From one reader to another

This letter is in response to Ulrich Guenther's letter in issue #6

Ulrich, unfortunately your logic is a bit flawed. First, DeScribe was by absolutely no means "extremely popular" with OS/2 users -- the majority of OS/2 users are still using Windows programs for their word processing, and DeScribe was only in use by a tiny fraction of OS/2 users. Second, it is clearly not a lack of OS/2 market presence that caused DeScribe to fail -- StarDock recently announced that they had sold their *one millionth* OS/2 game. A market which can support a million games can certainly support a word processor -- provided, of course, that the word processor in question is both worth using and effectively marketed. Unfortunately, while DeScribe has its appeal (I use it, for that matter), it pales in comparison to the Windows word processors (DeScribe does not even support colored text), and I should not even have to get into how badly its marketing was bungled. Any problems that DeScribe, Inc. is having are entirely its fault -- other companies which make OS/2 software do not seem to be having the same problems. Lotus WordPro will be the telling piece of software. If *that* fails, your statements are justified. Of course, it won't ;-).

Ethan Royael Nicholas


No software here either...

Here in Middle America, one has to be persistent in order to obtain OS/2 software. I have found one source, E*****d, (where I bought my first copy of OS/2 2.1) to have become so hostile, they will not even order OS/2 software without pre-paying for it! They offer weak explanations about getting "stuck" with orders, but I sensed a real hostility. I don't understand it at all. My money is green as anyone else's yet they really wanted me out of the store.

Fortunately, the retail chain Babbages is willing to take orders for anything in their distribution catalog (plenty of OS/2 apps) and you pay for it when you pick it up.

budmarks@tyrell.net


Press reaction to Merlin

I just had to pass along to you what I see as the press reaction to Merlin. InfoWorld and PC Week are both basically ignoring the entire series of IBM announcments (at least as of the April 29 issues). This is disgusting.

If it had been a MS OS that was being announced and shown off it would have been front page news for the last month and REAL BIG front page news since the Tech Interchange.

Of course, it may be too early to say they are ignoring Merlin. However, if there isn't any mention of it, esp as front page news (with all the first's announced to be in Merlin) by the May 6, 1996 issues, then it's time to make some noise.

Scott Surbrook


EMX fix version numbers

I just wanted to point out that the latest fix for emx 0.9b is emxfix02.zip, not emxfix01.zip as indicated in Murray's article [Issue #6, Gnu part 2].

Utsav Ratti


- Actually, the most recent fix is emxfix03.zip, however, neither fix #2 or #3 is on the hobbes archive at present.

Murray Todd Williams


Trevor's Rant in Issue #6

I Couldn't agree more about "free" upgrades. I Would like to add a bit though. After purchasing a product, I'd like a fairly good price break on the next version of the software. Stardock's approach in upgrades from 1.0 to 1.5 seems right on target. I don't appreciate it when a company provides a very small price break to me, as a past customer, but a large break to users upgrading from competing products. Also, I think the approach used by some companies of increasing the upgrade cost if the upgrader is skipping versions is appropiate (i.e. if the company releases version 3.0 and a user is upgrading from version 1.0)

Mike


Windows driving the hardware market

I'd just like to take a minute and voice my frustration with the way Windows is driving the hardware market. As the MIS person for a restaurant chain I buy and configure computer equipment for our stores on an ongoing basis. 14.4k modems are an integral part of the systems I set up and, to my horror, the ones I've been receiving recently have fewer capabilities built into the hardware than those of the past. I'm talking about error-correction and data-compression. The modems now come with those features _only_ available by running the accompanying windows software (which is why they call them 'Winmodems' nowadays). Our systems run DOS and use monochrome TTL monitors. We have no need for GUI's for the work we do with these machines and have no intention of moving to such a platform in the forseeable future (although the multi-tasking possibilities of a command-line OS/2 environment are attractive).

For myself, I run OS/2 Warp at home and have a couple of external 28.8k modems hanging off of it. I shudder to think, though, about what pitfalls I will have to watch out for in the future when I do any hardware upgrading. What's next? Sound cards that rely on a fast cpu and windows software to drive the DSP?

David Ellis


- You're completely Right David. We, as users, must tell the hardware companies that we will not stand for it. Then we must back this up by not purchasing their products. If we do not, then all consumers will eventually have only one choice--the mainstream OS, whatever it happens to be.

IBM's acronyms

I am 66 years old so I wasn't born into the "Computer Generation" and I am wondering why IBM or whoever is responsible, makes it so difficult for someone like myself who is self-taught in computers, to migrate to WARP? For example. The arcane acronyms that IBM uses confuse the living daylights out of me. APAR's CD this and that, and when you go to look for them there is no simple English explanation of how to apply them. To me, some of this appears to be sort of snobbery. They are smart, and I am not, type thing, and the truth is that in spite of everything over the past 18 months I have made a relative successful upgrade to Warp. I just wish that I had a computer science background.

So I guess what I am saying is; maybe there might be a way to promote this great operating system without making the change so terrifying. And maybe the Gods could provide labels for fixes etc. that had more meaning to mere mortals like myself.

Dave Dobson


Coming alive?

If the market is going the way it is going, with great quality being rewarded little, it is because the majority of users are definitely not interested in great quality, but more interested in runnning 15 different Word Processors.

I hope Merlin will succeed in getting a share of the market. I share the same feeling as you do as far as how OS/2 is being viewed lately (finally it is considered alive, and not as the walking dead!) but I am aware that it will remain the OS of choice only for a few of us, that always privilege the best against the standard.

Anthony Tonizzo

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