CONNECT THE WORLD UPDATE #10
August 9, 1996

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


INTRODUCTION

"They're not going to catch us; we're on a mission from God."
                              - Elwood Blues
                                THE BLUES BROTHERS (1980)

As we get closer to the release of Merlin and the CtWwM event,
I have heard a lot of grousing about IBM in terms of:

1.  The need for a second Merlin beta test.
2.  Advertising efforts to launch Merlin.

First, in terms of the need for the second beta, let's begin
by asking what's the precedent here?  Microsoft?  My company has
been working with OS/2 since early 1990 (v1.2) and has witnessed
six major upgrades of the operating system (with the latest being 
OS/2 Warp Server and Merlin).  Not once during this time did IBM 
come out with a second full beta, yet delivered a sound product.  
So, they must know what they are doing.

Most of the commotion revolves around the installation program
and little else.  I am sure this did not fall on deaf ears at
IBM.  Yes, we all remember the snafu two years ago when Lee
Reiswig had problems installing an early copy of OS/2 Warp on
his home computer, thereby delaying the general release.  It
would seem to me that IBM would have learned from this type of
mistake.

Although I can't comment directly on delivery dates (I'm under
a non-disclosure due to CtWwM), I can say that the gamma version of 
Merlin is imminent and will be tested by several companies 
(including volunteers in the CtWwM project).  As in past releases, 
the gamma release will be the real acid test.  If this doesn't hack 
it, then I'll start to worry.

We all know IBM is not perfect, but let's not judge them by the
screw-ups Microsoft has had in delivering their products (e.g.
Win95 and "Cairo").  So far, IBM's record has been much better.  
Call me old-fashioned, but it's kind of refreshing to see a computer 
vendor deliver a quality product on time for a change.

Second, as to the marketing of Merlin:  I don't think it's a mystery 
to anyone that IBM has had trouble marketing OS/2; this is one of
the principal reasons why we undertook the CtWwM project.  Let us
not forget the mission of this project:

OUR MISSION

The purpose of this project is to assist IBM is the launch of
"Merlin," code-name for the next release of OS/2 Warp.  This will
be done by providing a unique demonstration of the product by 
customers (users) on a global basis, thereby providing a strong 
endorsement of the product.

It is the intention of the volunteers of this project to communicate
to the press, to potential purchasers, and to the vendor (IBM) that
we, as customers:

1.  Believe in OS/2 as a superior operating system.
2.  Are committed to the use of OS/2 at work and at home.
3.  Believe IBM is committed to the longevity of OS/2.

This project, therefore, is an expression of customer commitment
to the product.  To express this commitment, the volunteers will:

1.  Prove that it is a superior product through demonstration and
    presentation.
2.  Dispel erroneous beliefs regarding the product.
3.  Describe its practical application to business and home users.


Actually, I look at CtWwM as missionary work - to enlighten the 
uninformed.  Sure, IBM should be doing more to market OS/2, but
as a believer in the product and as a customer with a considerable 
investment in it, I also want to put in my two-cents!

PROJECT STATUS

1.  VOLUNTEERS

    The number of volunteers keeps growing.  As of this writing, we 
    are close to 650 volunteers from 42 countries (welcome Greece).

    Again, I am including the latest e-mail list (EMAIL.TXT) and
    telephone book (PHONES.TXT) in the attached zipped file
    (MERL0809.ZIP).  Please advise me accordingly of any changes or
    corrections.

2.  COUNTRY/REGIONAL COORDINATORS:

    First, we would like to welcome our latest coordinator from...

    DENMARK - Eric Johannesen in Hoeng (ericjohs@inet.zitech.dk)

    Our other Coordinators include:

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

    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)
    Reinout has asked me to look after the Dutch CtWwM coordination 
    while he is on vacation in Hungary.  Well, it seems things have 
    started to roll here.  We've contacted a computer shop in Amsterdam 
    and they were very enthusiastic!  There's a big chance their other 
    branch in Hilversum will join us as well.  We should have enough 
    volunteers for those locations but I'll have to contact them and 
    see who is willing to go to which location. - Jacco de Leeuw 
    (leeuw@fwi.uva.nl)

    SOUTH AFRICA - Francois van der Merwe - (za2mhnwg@ibmmail.com)

    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)
    - As you know already, Oliver McDonald has a page the has been set
    up for any news on the Merlin project:  http://web2.spydernet.com/merlin
    As well, we have two local stores that will host the Connect the World
    project here from Victoria.  This is added to the two local ISP's that 
    will help connect the world as well.  Things are progressing very well 
    from this end. - David Stevenson
 

    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,
    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

 >> ATTENTION UNITED KINGDOM VOLUNTEERS:
    John Payne of the United Kingdom has set up a special
    e-mail mailing list FOR VOLUNTEERS IN THE U.K.  Simply send
    a note to ctwwm-uk-request@raleigh.ibm.com with the word "subscribe"
    in the body of the note (without the quotes).

3.  DEMO SITES

    Registered demonstration sites for the event now include:

    ARCTUR d.o.o. - Industrijska 5, Nova Gorica, Slovenia; 
    Tel:  386-65-29-070

    At Home Cyber Cafe - 3611-22 West Hillsborough Avenue, Tampa, FL, USA; 
    Tel:  813/354-9323

    BCD Computers - 1211 East Fowler Avenue, Tampa, FL, USA; 
    Tel:  813/631-0100

    Beitz Computers and Software - 103-370 City Centre, Kitimat, BC,
    Canada; Tel:  604/632-5663

    CompAct Line Ltd. - Mlynska 4, Rimavska Sobota, Slovakia; 
    Tel:  866-26305

    CompUSA - 3617 West Hillsborough Avenue, Tampa, FL, USA; 
    Tel:  813/877-4777

    Dialog Systems Ltd. - 47, Bilu Street, Tel-Aviv, Israel; 
    Tel:  3/685-7527

    John Rollins Books - 6414 South Westnage, Portage, MI, USA;
    Tel:  616/323-3800

    Radio Shack - 1500 11th Avenue, Capital Hills Mall, Helena, MT, USA; 
    Tel:  406/443-7940

    RAF Computers - Rijnstraat 139-141, 1079 HC Amsterdam, Netherlands;
    Tel:  20-5411300

    Rapport Servicos e Marketing - Av Agamenon Magalhaes, 1160, Recife,
    PE, Brazil; Tel:  81/216-5093

    University of J.E.Purkyne; Ceske Mladeze 8, Usti nad Labem,
    Czech Republic; Tel:  47/562-00-61


 >> 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).


    KNOCKING ON DOORS 

    I have received notes from various people saying they have been
    having trouble getting the attention of store manager's for the
    event; they are either not interested in OS/2 and/or are MS bigots.
    Keep in mind the mission of this project and persevere.

    Frankly, the way I sell the CtWwM event to managers is to set
    up an interview and focus on the manager's opportunity to host
    a "state-of-the-art" technology event that will improve traffic
    in his store (regardless if he sells OS/2 or not).  Obviously
    we are interested in attracting managers who are sympathetic
    to OS/2, but, for the others, we need to enlighten them as per
    our mission.  The message should be that this is a "win-win"
    situation for both their company and our project.

    The other item to concentrate on is that this is a "grassroots"
    project endorsed by IBM (but not sponsored by them).  The fact
    that OS/2 enthusiasts are willing to volunteer their time to
    help the store manager should be of interest to them.

    Although our IBM liaison is working to broadcast a top-down message
    of support to the stores, time is running out for us - we cannot
    wait for it.

    Bottom-line:  let us not forget that persistence and determination
    alone are omnipotent.

4.  ACTIVITIES

    A.  WELCOME DAVID BARNES

        Minutes after issuing the last project update, IBM formally
        announced that David Barnes of IBM will be the formal liaison
        for our project.  David is well known as an OS/2 advocate.
        He will be a boost to the project by offering his marketing 
        savvy.  Welcome David.

    B.  ZERO HOUR

        To confirm the start and stop times of the event (as mentioned
        in the last update):

        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 zone (ANYTIME ON SATURDAY 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 for the total event 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


    >>  Please keep in mind that the demonstration can be conducted
    >>  anytime on Saturday IN YOUR TIME ZONE!  The times listed above
    >>  are simply used to denote the duration of the total event.

        Many thanks to our New Zealand volunteers for confirming the
        start of Daylight Savings Time in their country (October 6th).

    C.  HELP DESK

        We have confirmed that 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 will be using a CyberCafe in Tampa as our
        "round-the-clock" headquarters.

        The InterCom Internet telephone seems to be working fine
        (although I won't have a chance to test the video portion
        until just prior to the event).

        If you have a question about OS/2 or just want to call and
        say hello, please call our help desk.

    D.  SCRIPT

        Script I is attached (again).  We are still working on
        the second part of the script containing the actual presentation.  
        Basically, we are trying to develop a single script that can
        be used for different types of situations (e.g., 10 minute
        presentations, 20 minutes, 30 minutes, 60 minutes, 90 minutes).
        The presenter then uses the parts of the recommended parts
        of the script they need (sort of an object-oriented script).

    E.  PUBLICITY

        I have been collecting the names and e-mail addresses of
        various media contacts to send press releases to.  I expect
        to send out our first press release via e-mail the first
        week of September (shortly after the August 30th Site 
        Registration deadline).  The press release will explain the
        project and provide the Internet address where the press
        can be briefed on the project (as well as access the
        master web page on the day of the event).

     >> 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.

        The OTTAWA OS/2 USERS GROUP had a good suggestion:
        Invite the local press to attend the dress rehearsal, thereby
        they could write their story early and, consequently, stir
        up more interest in the event on the day of the show.

        The Tampa Bay OS/2 Users' Group has allocated money from their
        budget for print advertising in Florida and to develop banners
        for placement in front of stores.

    F.  WEB SITE & WEB PAGE

        John Meroth of Mersoft in Tampa, Florida has graciously
        volunteered his web site for the demonstration and we have
        created our first general web page for the public (and the press):

     >> http://www.tbos2cla.com/ctwwm/demosite.html

        PLEASE NOTE:  THIS DOES NOT REPRESENT THE ADDRESS OF THE
        MAIN PAGE WE WILL USE DURING THE CTWWM EVENT.  The intent
        of this page is to advertise and promote the event (it will
        be included in the upcoming press release).

     >> Please do not hesitate to establish a link to the new page.
     >> Also, please mirror this site as desired.  (You may also
     >> want to add it to the QuickList of your WebExplorer -
     >> or Bookmark for other browsers).

        We will provide details about the main web page to be used
        during the event later on.

        ACCESSING THE SITE - David Barnes is working on getting us
        access to IBM's Global Network for the demonstration.  More 
        on this as it develops.
 
        And, yes, we are still working on the main home page.

    G.  A recent e-mail note from CtWwM volunteer Keith Goggin
        (kgoggin@midcoast.com.au) of Glenreagh, NSW, Australia
        reminded me of the need to obtain larger monitors for the
        presentation (e.g., 21").  A bank of monitors would be
        even better (CompUSA in Tampa has volunteered this for us).
        Another solution, as pointed out by Keith, may be to use a
        multimedia enabled lecture theatre.  Most universities have
        such facilities and many allow their local Computer User
        group to use it.

    H.  GOING TO COLORADOS/2?

        The ColoradOS/2 event (October 13-18) is scheduled just prior to
        our "dress rehearsal" scheduled for October 19th.  Because of
        this, David Barnes is looking into setting up a special separate
        session for CtWwM volunteers to rehearse the presentation.
        More on this when David confirms room and time availability.

    I.  ATTENTION BEST TEAM MEMBERS:
        Michael D. Lueck of Kalamazoo, Michigan has found a nice little
        perk for performing the CtWwM presentation.  He is planning on
        bringing an OS/2 Warp Server box with him to the demonstration.
        For doing so, he is signing up for a BESTeam program that pays him
        for doing the talk if he gets pilot leads from the show.  If you
        are a BESTeam member and would like to know more about the program,
        either read the BESTeam July mailer - it is on the "US Besteam
        Marketing Programs" sheet for July (called the "Incentive Software
        Seminar Series") - or contact Michael directly at:
        103050.301@compuserve.com

    J.  NEW LOGO
        Included with this release is CTWLOGO.BMP representing
        our new logo and, yes, you can distribute it as you
        desire.  You will also see it on our new web page.

        Thanks to volunteer Joel Krautheim of SPG, the vendor
        for ColorWorks, for his time (and patience) in putting
        the logo together.  It looks simply fabulous.

    K.  POSTER
        We are in the process of designing a poster for display
        in windows where the demonstrations will take place.
        We have tentatively planned to include four (4) posters
        in the "demonstration kit" (folded).  These posters will
        be produced by Al Stephan of the Tampa Bay OS/2 Users'
        Group using (what else?) native OS/2 software.  The
        poster we have developed will originally be in English
        but Al claims he may be able to develop posters for
        other languages if someone performs the translation and
        sends him the text.  Al can be reached at:  genman@ibm.net

        The following is the text for the poster (which will also
        use the new logo from Joel Krautheim).  

===========================================================

                          Ground Zero (+)

                              (LOGO)

       A WORLDWIDE DEMONSTRATION OF THE NEXT RELEASE OF IBM'S
            AWARD WINNING 32-BIT OPERATING SYSTEM

         OS/2 WARP - GETTING THE MOST OUT OF YOUR PC
 A stable, high-performance operating system for the Intel processor.

      *  Speech Navigation & VoiceType Dictation
      *  Internet Access
      *  Native OS/2 programs for business and home
      *  Support for DOS and Windows programs
      *  Universal Client for Network Operating Systems
      *  Support for JAVA, OpenDoc, OpenGL, and TrueType fonts
      *  True multitasking, multithreading, crash protection,
         virtual memory, multimedia, and an object-oriented operating system
      
        VISIT THIS SITE ON SATURDAY, OCTOBER 26TH FOR A 
          DEMONSTRATION BY OS/2 CUSTOMERS AND USERS

             For details, visit our web page at:  
         http://www.tbos2cla.com/ctwwm/demosite.html

           "Are you talking to your computer yet?"


Logo designed by SPG ColorWorks (http://www.spg-net.com)

Poster produced by Graphic Services of Clearwater, Florida; Tel:  813/571-9996

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.

===========================================================

    J.  DEMONSTRATION KIT

        We are now in the process of formalizing the bill of
        materials in the "demonstration kit" to be shipped to
        registered demo sites.  As of now, we have tentatively planned
        to include:

        1 - Copy of Merlin (gamma or the final product depending
            on delivery date)
        1 - Andrea Electronics microphone for presentation
        X - copies of OS/2 Warp brochures and flyers 
        4 - CtWwM store posters (folded to 8 X 10)
        1 CD or diskette - Lotus "WordPro" (CD likely)
        1 CD or diskette - SPG "ColorWorks" (CD likely)
        1 CD or diskette - Mount Baker "Money Tree" (CD likely)
        1 CD or diskette - Revolutionary Software's "InterCom" (diskette likely)
        1 diskette - CtWwM script (in INF and HTML formats)
        X promotional flyers from 3rd party vendors

6.  MISCELLANEOUS

    A.  3RD PARTY VENDORS

        Unfortunately, due to other commitments, PolyEx Software
        has had to drop out of the project.  The good news is that
        IBM is planning on distributing a "Family Sampler CD-ROM"
        with Merlin which will include demo versions of a variety 
        of native OS/2 applications (tentatively planned are such
        apps as:  ColorWorks, Relish, Mesa2, DeScribe, Clear & Simple,
        Object Desktop, Unimaint - approximately 55 apps in all).
        In particular, CFS Poker from Dick Goran in Las Vegas will
        be included.  This will be a new version of Dick's popular
        product which simulates the video poker machines as used
        in Las Vegas.  Dick claims his new version is also voice
        enabled to accommodate Merlin.  This will make for an
        excellent demo.

        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).

           Joel Krautheim of SPG, Inc., developers of the ColorWorks 
           graphics package recently sent me an e-mail with an interesting 
           marketing idea.  SPG, who is also participating in the CtWwM 
           demo, basically would like to offer anyone participating in the 
           event the opportunity to order a personal copy of their products 
           at a very low price -- available for 72 hours after the event 
           only, and only through those resellers that they set up to 
           deliver the products under this specific special offer.  
           PLEASE NOTE:  THIS OFFER HASN'T BEEN CONFIRMED YET, BUT SPG IS 
           SERIOUSLY CONSIDERING IT.

           SPG is at:  http://www.spg-net.com/

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

           Mount Baker is at:  http://www.Mount-Baker.com

        *  Revolutionary Software's InterCom Internet Telephone -

           According to Jonathan Tew, the developer of InterCom, he is 
           working on version 3.16 which he recommends for use during 
           the demo.  If you haven't done so, you can download the
           InterCom product from:

           http://www.ixworld.com/ic/

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

           Lotus is at:  http://www.lotus.com

    B.  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 MERL0809.ZIP

    In case you have trouble downloading the attached file
    (MERL0809.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, MERL0809.ZIP represents the August 9th update.

    For past updates, look for:
    MERL0724.ZIP
    MERL0708.ZIP

    ALSO, WEB PAGES PERTAINING TO THIS PROJECT:

    http://www.tbos2cla.com/ctwwm/demosite.html
    (Main Page)

    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)

>>> NEW -
    http://www.caiw.nl/~rmschouw/ctwwm/
    Reinout van Schouwen of the Netherlands (R.M.van.Schouwen@caiw.nl)
    (NOTE:  page is in Dutch)

>>> NEW -
    http://cip.physik.uni-wuerzburg.de/~arwagner/merlind.html
    Alexander Wagner (arwagner@cip.physik.uni-wuerzburg.de)
    (NOTE:  page is in German)

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

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

JUST REMEMBER - only 78 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.

