

The Warp Wire - Issue #5
  A Weekly Update On The World Of OS/2 and LAN Server

If you think the Warp Wire is a good idea, send cards and letters of support
to dstrong@vnet.ibm.com. This may become a mailing-list, so send in your request
to be on the list NOW!

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 1.    FORRESTER THINKS WIN95 MAY SHIP AS LATE AS NOVEMBER '95

 In a brief on computer strategies, Forrester brings up the definite
 possibility that Windows 95 may not ship until November, 1995. Some
 of the indicators from which Forrester drew this conclusion are:

  - ISVs don't expect it until November
  - MS is running into problems with backwards compatibility and adding
    new mail, Internet and MS Network features
  - MS indicated they will deliver a new Windows 3.1 version of its
    suite product.

 The slip to November means that Windows 95 will miss the '95
 Christmas season with preloads. Although Forrester asserted that
 OS/2 will only gain marginal sales volumes from the delay, PC
 makers will want to have an exploitive operating system for the
 Christmas season and it looks like OS/2 Warp will be the only game
 in town.

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 TO WARP OR NOT TO WARP
 John C. Dvorak, PC Magazine, 3-14-95

 Dvorak says Warp is not sexy, but it is reliable.

 HARD-CORE USERS OF OS/2 BYTE BACK AT COLUMNIST
 David Einstein, San Francisco Chronicle, 2-20-95

 Einstein received a great deal of negative response from OS/2
 users to his column "Advice for IBM -- Delete OS/2."  Einstein
 reversed his position to say that IBM's problem is not with the
 corporate world but with the mass-market where multitasking is
 not that important.

 BRIEFS:  BEATING WINDOWS 95 TO THE PUNCH
 Network World, 2-20-95

 The article reports that IBM could release OS/2 4.0, a version
 capable of running Windows 95 and Windows NT applications in
 August to steal attention from Microsoft's Windows 95 launch, but
 will more likely release a beta version in August.

 Similar coverage appears in the following articles:

 INSIDE LINES: AUGUST LAUNCH ANTICIPATED FOR OS/2 4.0
 Computerworld, 2-20-95

 BRIEFLY NOTED
 PC Week, 2-20-95

 IBM AIMS TO UPSTAGE WINDOWS 95 WITH OPENDOC INTEGRATION IN OS/2
 Ed Scannell, InfoWorld, 2-20-95

 Article speculates that IBM will release a version of OS/2 later
 this year that integrates object technologies from OpenDoc and
 CommonPoint frameworks from Taligent.

 IBM ROLLS OUT OS/2 WARP TO MASS MERCHANTS, CLUBS
 Rebecca M. Smith, Computer Retail Week, 2-13/20-95

 IBM latest effort with Warp includes strengthening existing
 channel relationships, building new ones and getting Warp on the
 shelves of discount stores, mass merchandisers and warehouse
 clubs.

 OS/2 TO GET PEER TO PEER SERVICE AT LAST
 Shawn Willett, Computer Reseller News, 2-20-95

 Despite disputes with Microsoft over an agreement regarding OS/2
 and LAN Manager, IBM's peer-to-peer capabilities will be
 integrated into LAN client.

 BETWEEN THE LINES
 Computer Reseller News, 2-20-95

 IBM will announce the availability of fullpack this week.

 OS/2 WARP:  A TRUE ALTERNATIVE
 Thomas Mace, PC Magazine, 3-14-95

 "Warp has smoothed many of the rough edges that might once have
 deterred you, and our tests show it to be a robust and
 sophisticated platform for running Windows applications."

 HOT HITS
 Computer Retail Week, 2-13/20-95

 OS/2 Warp was the eighth best selling software title for the
 month of December.

 WHY BLOCK MICROSOFT?
 Brad Johnson, Advertising Age, 2-20-95

 Gates will stumble on his own.  "Windows 95, due in August, will
 inevitably have flaws common in new operating systems that could
 send disappointed customers into the open arms of already proven
 rival, IBM Corp.'s OS/2."

 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR:  TOO MANY EGGS IN THE WIN 95 BASKET
 PC Week via First!, 2-22-95

 Reader doesn't feel sorry for developers who put all their eggs
 in Microsoft's basket instead of developing for Warp.

 INTERESTING TIMES TANTALIZE
 The Edmonton Journal via First!, 2-22-95

 With the operating system wars heating up, vendors are starting
 to realize that Windows isn't the only operating system out
 there, and are ensuring that their technical support staff are
 familiar with alternatives like OS/2.

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 3.                X.25 SUPPORT for LAN DISTANCE

 Eicon Technology's WAN Services for OS/2 V3R1 provides X.25 connectivity
 for IBM's LAN Distance. It is the ideal solution for mobile users and
 branch offices providing remote access to LAN-based applications and
 resources over switched and non-switched lines, and remote client
 communications across asynchronous and synchronous lines.   WAN Services
 for OS/2 is integrated with LAN Distance, providing administrators with a
 familiar interface.

 Developed for X.25 support, Eicon s WAN Services for OS/2 is installed on
 the LAN Distance Connection Server. When end-to-end X.25 connectivity is
 needed, Eicon s WAN Services for OS/2 can also be installed on the LAN
 Distance Remote for OS/2 client. This solution provides complete X.25
 connectivity between LAN servers, LAN attached workstations and remote
 OS/2 clients. Windows and OS/2 remote clients can also connect
 asynchronously to the LAN Distance server by dialing into the X.25 PAD.

 Eicon's WAN Services for OS/2 takes full advantage of Eicon Technology's
 EiconCards, a family of intelligent communications coprocessor cards.
 Used worldwide and designed for speed, reliability and flexibility,
 Eicon's hardware/software combination provides fully integrated
 communications.

 Eicon's WAN Services for OS/2 is tested and approved for IBM LAN Systems.

 Contacts:
 For Europe
 Matt Darwood, Market Development Manager
 Tel: 44 181 967 8000 (London)
 Internet: matt@eicon.com

 For the Americas
 Blair Thomas, Market Development Manager
 Tel: 214-239-3270 (Dallas)
 Internet: blairt@eicon.com

 For  Asia Pacific (including Australia, New Zealand)
 Martin Wicks, Group Sales Director
 Tel: 61 2 959 1960 (Sydney)
 Internet: martinw@eicon.com

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 4.                   WARP LAUNCHING IN JAPAN

 International Business Machines Corp's Japan unit will begin shipments
 of its OS/2 Warp personal computer operating system in Japan in March,
 IBM Japan Ltd said.

 'With Warp, IBM will take leadership in the next-generation software
 both in the corporate and personal user markets,' IBM Japan president
 Kakutaro Kitashiro told a news conference.

 OS/2 Warp is the third generation of IBM's 32-bit operating system that
 competes directly with Microsoft Corp's Windows 95.  IBM Japan aims to
 sell at least 500,000 Warp systems in the initial year, he said.

 Kitashiro said OS/2 Warp is expected to come preloaded on computer
 systems from PC makers such as NEC Corp, Toshiba Corp and Hitachi Ltd.

 The English-language version Warp was introduced in the US in November,
 selling one million units within a month and a half.


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 8.              CLIENT/SERVER BOOK WINS JOLT AWARD

 The "Essential Client/Server Survival Guide" by Orfali, Harkey, and
 Edwards won the Jolt Award for best computer book of 1994.  This annual
 award is given by Miller Freeman editors and columnists to products
 that "jolt" the computer industry with their significance.  The award
 is cosponsored by Jolt Cola, a soft drink with high caffeine content
 known to speed up the productivity of programmers working long into
 the night.  Over 1500 people attended the award ceremony at the
 Software Development Conference in San Francisco Moscone center.

 The Jolt Cola award should help the "Survival Guide" climb another
 few notches on Ingram's short list of 20 bestselling computer
 books.  Here's ordering information on the book:

 * "Essential Client/Server Survival Guide" (VNR, 1994) by Bob Orfali,
    Dan Harkey, and Jeri Edwards. IBM # SR28-5572, ISBN 0-442-01941-6,
    495 pages, $25.  The book provides a gentle guide to client/server
    and distributed objects.

 *  An extended version of this book, for OS/2, is also
    available--it recently received OS/2 Magazine's award
    for best OS/2 book.  The name of the extended version is
    "Client/Server Survival Guide with OS/2,"  (VNR, May 1994)
    IBM # SR28-5494, ISBN 0-442-01798-7, 970 pages, $40.


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 Upcoming 1995 Shows with Planned PSP Participation (February - March)
             MAJOR, INTERNATIONAL AND VERTICAL SHOWS
 ----------------------------------------------------------------------
   GUIDE/SHARE Asia          02/26-03/01  Wellington
   SHARE                     02/26-03/03  Los Angeles
   Windows & LAN Expo        02/28-3/2    Taiwan
   Guide                     03/05-09     Reno
   ASG 32                    03/05-08     Canberra
   DB2 Tech Conf. - EMEA     03/06-08     La Hulpe
   PC 95  SYDNEY             03/07-10     Sydney
   COMDEX/ComExpo Mexico     03/07-10     Mexico City
   SW & C/S World            03/08-10     Toronto
   CEBIT Show                03/08-15     Hanover
   Share Guide               03/09        Philippines
   CIO Conference            03/12-15     California
   National Mfg Week         03/13-16     Chicago
   Uniforum                  03/14-16     Dallas
   New Media                 03/14-16     Los Angeles
   Database Expo             03/13-17     Philippines
   ComputerWorld Expo        03/15-18     Auckland
   Object World              03/20-23     Boston
   FOSE                      03/21-23     DC
   Networld+Interop          03/28-30     Las Vegas
   Boston Computer Fair      03/31-04/02  Boston
   Consumer Tech World       03/31-04/02  Boston
   Hong Kong S/G             03/95        Hong Kong
   Singapore S/G             03/95        Singapore
   Network Connectivity      04/95        Austin
   Lanworld                  04/95        Amsterdam
   Fin. Exec. Inst.          04/95        Phoenix
   Distrib. Comp. Expo       04/95        Washington
   COMDEX/Sucesu-RIO         04/04-07     Rio
   NAB                       04/10-13     Las Vegas
   Softex Taipei             04/10-15     Taiwan
   Client Server/LAN Solut   04/11-13     Japan
   Habitech                  04/12-16     Dallas
   CAMP                      04/18/95     Chicago
   OS/2 Tech. Update         04/19-21     Mexico City
   PC Show '95 & Software    04/20-23     Malaysia
   Game Developer Conf.      04/22-24     Santa Clara
   IBM Health Care           04/24-25     Palisades
   OS/2 Tech. Update         04/24-26     Sao Paulo
   ISA '95 Canada            04/25-27     Toronto
   Business Computing Jaka   04/26-29     Jakarta
   ITC Govt. Conf            04/26-30     Columbus

 PSP does not participate in all the international shows listed.
 Participation depends on the geography.

 