CONNECT THE WORLD UPDATE #9
July 24, 1996

Dear "Connect the World with Merlin" (CtWwM) volunteers,

PROJECT STATUS

1.  VOLUNTEERS

    The number of volunteers keeps growing.  As of this writing, we 
    now have over 600 volunteers from 40 countries (welcome Argentina).

    Again, I am including the latest e-mail list (EMAIL.TXT) and
    telephone book (PHONES.TXT) in the attached zipped file
    (MERL0724.ZIP).  Please advise me accordingly of any changes or 
    corrections.

2.  COUNTRY/REGIONAL COORDINATORS:

    SOUTH AFRICA - Francois van der Merwe - (za2mhnwg@ibmmail.com)
    Greetings from Cape Town.  All is well and starting to move in
    South Africa.  I've got 19 volunteers (only 2 IBM'ers!) in 4 cities
    with about 7 demo sites so far.  Our biggest problem is getting
    hardware to run the demo on, but we're working on it.

    BRAZIL - Angelo Klin in Sao Paulo - (aklin@ibm.net) or 
    (aklin@embratel.net.br)

    ISRAEL - Rann Glaser - (feglaser@sgoptics.weizmann.ac.il)

    NETHERLANDS - Reinout van Schouwen - (r.m.van.schouwen@caiw.nl)

    AUSTRALIA/NEW ZEALAND - Terry Kemp in Dandenong, Victoria,
    (terry@emerald.cns.net.au)

    SWITZERLAND - Joelle Nebbe in Bleiken (jnebbe@ibm.net)

    CANADA:
    QUEBEC - Luc Roseberry - (lrosebe@ibm.net) or 
    (Luc.Roseberry@ibm.net)

    BRITISH COLUMBIA - John Phillips (teamos2@islandnet.com)
    and David Stevenson (stevenson@pacificcoast.net)

    We would like to thank the Country/Regional Coordinators for
    their assistance in this project.  If you reside in any of
    these areas, be sure to contact your local Coordinator at the
    e-mail address listed above.

 >> WE COULD USE MORE COORDINATORS:  Particularly in the UK,
    Scandinavia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, Belgium, Germany,
    Italy, and Spain.  Basically, the Country Coordinator is
    the local liaison for the project and facilitates custom
    tailoring the demo for their area.  If you would like to
    volunteer your services, please do not hesitate to contact
    Tim Bryce at TimB1557@aol.com

3.  NEW WEB PAGES

    At the regional level, volunteers have developed their own Web 
    pages to discuss project activities and download files.  Be sure 
    to check out:

    http://web2.spydernet.com/merlin
    Oliver McDonald of Victoria, BC (oliver@spydernet.com)

    http://www.os2ug.techpta.ac.za/OS2User/merlin_connect.html
    Anthony van Zyl of Gauteng, South Africa (antman@iafrica.com)

 >> FEEL FREE TO ESTABLISH LINKS TO THESE PAGES (HINT, HINT).

4.  DEMO SITES

    Site Forms are just beginning to come in.  The following list
    represents the first few demonstration sites registered for the
    event:

    ARCTUR d.o.o. - Nova Gorica, Slovenia

    BCD Computers - Tampa, FL, USA

    Beitz Computers and Software - Kitimat, BC, Canada

    CompAct Line Ltd. - Rimavska Sobota, Slovakia

    Dialog Systems Ltd. - Tel-Aviv, Israel

    Orimex s.r.o - Usti nad Labem, Czech Republic

    Rapport Servicos e Marketing - Recife, PE, Brasil

    NOTE:  The attached file contains a bitmap (MAP0724.BMP)
           showing the current registered CtWwM demo sites.

    Obviously we're expecting a lot more, but it is very
    encouraging to see the volunteers beginning to send in 
    "Site Forms."

 >> PLEASE REMEMBER:  THE "SITE FORMS" ARE DUE NO LATER THAN
 >> SATURDAY, AUGUST 31, 1996.  Site Forms can be obtained from
 >> Part I of the Script (SCRIPT1.INF) (attached).

5.  ACTIVITIES

    A.  ZERO HOUR

        It must be remembered that the CtWwM demo is a worldwide
        event that although scheduled for 24 hours, will actually be a
        35 hour event.  We will work with a business day of 9AM to 10PM
        (to accommodate store hours).  This is not to suggest we anticipate 
        that the volunteers will demonstrate the product during this entire 
        period; instead, it represents a window when we expect volunteers 
        to demo Merlin in their time zero (anytime within that time frame).  
        With this in mind, there are two other variables to consider:

        *  New Zealand represents the farthest eastern time zone we have
           to accommodate (the first to start).

        *  Hawaii represents the farthest western time zone (the last
           to stop).

        Consequently, our times will be:

        STARTING

         9 AM, Saturday, Oct 26  - New Zealand
         9 PM, Friday,   Oct 25  - London (GMT)
         4 PM, Friday,   Oct 25  - New York (Eastern) / Tampa
        11 AM, Friday,   Oct 25  - Honolulu
 
        STOPPING

         8 PM, Sunday,   Oct 27  - New Zealand
         8 AM, Sunday,   Oct 27  - London (GMT)
         3 AM, Sunday,   Oct 27  - New York (Eastern) / Tampa
        10 PM, Saturday, Oct 26  - Honolulu

     >> NOTE:  Our only concern at this point is the allowance for
     >>        Daylight Savings Time (DST).  Currently, the United
     >>        States is on DST but is scheduled to come off it early
     >>        Sunday morning, October 27th.  What we're not certain
     >>        of is when NEW ZEALAND starts DST.  We would like to
     >>        hear from any of our New Zealand volunteers when this
     >>        will occur.

    B.  HELP DESK

        The Tampa Bay OS/2 Users' Group (TBOUG) is planning to host
        an on-line OS/2 Help Desk during the 35 hour time frame
        using Revolutionary Software's InterCom Internet Telephone.
        TBOUG is hoping to reserve a local CyberCafe to host the
        Help Desk.  If you have a question about OS/2 or just wish 
        to call us in Tampa to say hello, please call us over the 
        Internet.  We are planning to have both audio and video
        working for the event.  We'll report details on the Help
        Desk in future updates as this part of the project develops.

    C.  SCRIPT 

        I will be working with David Moskowitz to develop the main script
        (Part II) containing the actual presentation.  Recognizing that
        there will be different venues for demonstrating the product
        around the world, we have tentatively agreed to modularize the
        presentation so that it can be conducted in presentations
        ranging in length from 10 minutes, 20 minutes, 30 minutes, 
        60 minutes, and 90 minutes.  We are hoping to complete the
        script by September 30th.

        Part I of the script (attached as SCRIPT1.INF) has undergone
        minor modifications (see "Hardware Requirements").

    D.  PUBLICITY

        The bad news from IBM is that there isn't any advertising
        money available for our event.  This means that there won't be 
        any print advertising or promotional items for this event
        (other than some basic OS/2 brochures included in the
        "demonstration kit").  Instead, we will have to rely on the 
        Internet for ads and press releases (web sites and Usenet 
        Newsgroups).

        However, we do want to develop a poster to be displayed
        in stores announcing that it is a site for the CtWwM
        demonstration.  Fortunately, TBOUG's Al Stephan has stepped
        forward to help us out.  Al works with Graphic Services of
        Florida in Clearwater, a graphics shop that produces
        posters and other printed documentation using (what else?)
        native OS/2 software.

        The poster is awaiting our revised logo which is now
        being prepared by Joel Krautheim of SPG, vendor of the
        popular ColorWorks package.

        I will act as the main press contact at the international 
        level, national level (U.S.), and local level (in Tampa Bay).
        To this end I'm developing a list of media contacts to send
        press releases to via e-mail.

     >> ACTION ITEM:  Please e-mail me media contacts who would be
     >> interested in this story from:

        *  BUSINESS PUBLICATIONS - e.g., Wall Street Journal,
           Fortune, Forbes, Financial Times of London, etc. 
           (concentrate on Technology Reporters/Editors).

        *  GENERAL NEWS PUBLICATIONS - e.g., Newsweek, Time,
           U.S. News & World Reports (again, concentrate on
           Technology Reporters/Editors).

        *  RADIO/TELEVISION - e.g., ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, BBC,
           NPR, etc.  (again, concentrate on Technology 
           Reporters/Editors).

        *  COMPUTER PUBLICATIONS - tell me your favorites and
           concentrate on editors with an interest in operating
           systems and/or the Internet.

     >> Please send me the person's name, company/publication, 
     >> telephone number, and (most important) his/her e-mail address.

        Local Publicity is up to the Country Coordinators and/or
        Site Coordinators to arrange.
 
    E.  WHAT OS/2 CODE WILL WE BE USING?

        I've been asked this question numerous times lately.
        IBM confirmed to me recently they will only be able to ship
        the English version of the "golden code" in advance to CtWwM
        volunteers (in the "demonstration kit").  Timing is important
        here.  There doesn't appear to be a problem getting the English
        versions (UK and USA) of Merlin in the stores by the date of the
        demo.  The big concern is whether the other foreign language
        versions will be ready by then, but it appears there is a very
        strong chance that the following versions will be available in the
        stores:  French, German, Italian, and Spanish.  Other native 
        language versions may not be ready in time for the event.

        What does this mean to the project?  It means that all demo sites
        will get a copy of the English version to rehearse with (and use
        as the default language).  However, if IBM succeeds in their product
        delivery schedule, the volunteers can use French, German, Italian,
        and Spanish versions in the demo (as obtained from IBM locally or
        local computer stores where the demo is to be conducted).

    F.  WEB SITE 

        We have finally been able to reserve a web site to host our
        web page.  Again, another TBOUG volunteer has stepped forward
        to help out, John Meroth or Mersoft in Tampa.  The beauty of using
        John's machine is that:

        *  He has dedicated ISDN lines for his machine.
        *  It's implemented using OS/2 Warp Server (keeping this an
           all-OS/2 show).
        *  It's local (for me) to assure support and implement the
           web page (which we are still trying to complete).

        We will advise you of the address when the site is ready.

        Also, the Central Alberta OS/2 (CAOS/2) Users Group will
        mirror the main site for backup purposes.

6.  MISCELLANEOUS

    A.  HARDWARE SPECS 

        Please be advised of a minor change in the hardware 
        requirements for the demonstration.  In Part I of the
        Script issued in late June, the requirements for "Speech 
        Support" listed the need for a "Pentium Pro 90."  This has 
        been changed to read "Pentium 100mhz (or faster)".

        Also, the Sound Card should only be "Sound Blaster 16" 
        (and not MWAVE).

        Part I of the Script (SCRIPT1.INF attached) has been
        updated to reflect this change.

    B.  INTERCOM INTERNET TELEPHONE 

        I have downloaded the latest version of Jonathan Tew's 
        InterCom OS/2 based Internet Telephone and have been 
        experimenting with it.  On my first call I contacted a 
        gentleman in England.  The audio quality is quite good and 
        I like the text typing feature.  I hope to try the video 
        portion shortly (as soon as I can get a camera).

        We are planning on using InterCom in the CtWwM demo, particularly
        for the 24 hour "Help Desk" we have planned.  Although Jonathan
        will provide a demo version for us to use in the project, I
        encourage you to download the product from his web site and
        practice with it.  Revolutionary Software's web page is at:
        http://www.ixworld.com/ic/

        REQUIREMENTS - fortunately, InterCom's hardware/software
        requirements are in line with what we have specified for
        the project:

        *  OS/2 Warp running on 8MB or more RAM (12MB recommended)
        *  8 or 16-Bit sound card capable of PCM audio (16-bit recommended)
        *  MMPM/2
        *  TCP/IP Internet Access Kit
        *  14.4 modem or faster connection to the Internet (28.8 recommended)
        *  Standard microphone to plug into the sound card
        *  Connectix QuickCam (optional for video)

        I have attached a bitmap file (SNAPSHOT.BMP) showing a video
        image from InterCom using a black and white camera.  Jonathan
        assures me that his product can support color as well.

        By the way, after you register your copy, you can "Search" for me
        as either "Tim Bryce" or in the location of "Palm Harbor, FL".

    C.  3RD PARTY VENDORS

        As mentioned in prior updates, we have other 3rd party
        vendors with native OS/2 apps for inclusion in the demo.
        This includes:

        *  SPG's ColorWorks product (v2.0).

        *  Mount Baker Software's new Money Tree product; a financial 
           planning/management application (a la Quicken).

        *  PolyEx Software will provide new Edutainment software.

        *  Lotus Development Corp. has confirmed they will provide
           us with their latest OS/2 offerings, particularly the
           updated WordPro

    D.  A REMINDER ABOUT YOUR WEB PAGE

        Again, now is the time to clean up your web site and make
        it ready for visitors.

7.  AVAILABILITY OF MERL0724.ZIP

    In case you have trouble downloading the attached file
    (MERL0724.ZIP), you can download it from:

    MBA's BBS (the "PRIDE" Network) at:
    +01-813/786-4864

    The Hobbes FTP site:

    ftp://hobbes.nmsu.edu

    Look for it one of the following directories:
    /incoming  (temporary) 
    /os2/info

    NOTE:  CtWwM Update files are named 'MERLmmdd.ZIP' where
    "mm" represents the month and "dd" represents the day;
    for example, MERL0724.ZIP represents the July 24th update.

    For past updates, look for:
    MERL0708.ZIP

That's all for now.  I'll keep you abreast of developments
as they occur.  

Just remember - only 94 days until CtWwM!

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Stay tuned!

Regards,
Tim Bryce
Editor, OS/2 CONNECT
M. Bryce & Associates, Inc. (MBA)
777 Alderman Road
Palm Harbor, FL  34683
United States
Tel:  813/786-4567
Fax:  813/786-4765
BBS:  813/786-4864
E-Mail:  TimB1557@aol.com
CompuServe:  76235,2364
IBM Link:  MA00890
WWW:  http://warp.eecs.berkeley.edu/os2/connect/
Since 1971:  "Software for the finest computer - the Mind"
MBA:  Developers of the "PRIDE" Information Factory(R) and Batch Manager

IBM and OS/2 are the registered trademarks of the International
Business Machines Corporation.  All other trademarks both marked and unmarked 
belong to their respective companies.  

This document is not reviewed or approved by IBM and the contents
herein are solely the responsibility of the volunteers in the
"Connect the World with Merlin" project.

