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| Date: | Fri, 11 Sep 1998 16:13:59 EST |
| From: | SBT Information Systems <sbtaus@ibm.net > |
| Reply-To: | |
| To: | 32bits@sbt.net.au |
| Subject: | 3rd time lucky OS/2 News, Views and PRs 20-3-97 |
//sorry, we struck a glitch that cut off part of this transmission//
OS/2 News, Views and PRs 20-3-97
Tuesday's Microsoft Press Release, oops, sorry, SMH, has a lead scoop: an
exclusive look at next version of Win98, Memphis:
"...Memphis is W95 done right" they say.
If that doesn't interest you, you can always read the following article "Big
Bonuses" about advantages of "W95 release b" with FAT32: 'if enabled you
cannot dual boot to MSDOS or Win3.1'
Moving on to "On the move" article about 'stepping up to NT4': "you can even
install NT right over the top of Win3.11 without damaging it, but don't try
this with W95"
Empowered with all this knowledge, I resumed to read the front page story,
right underneath the "pointer" to the Memphis scoop, about the unrest in
PNG:
It seems the natives are going restless all over the place, and troubles are
getting closer to home all the time: Albania, PNG, and now even in Church
Point, NSW:
Phil Long runs a very busy air conditioning company, and even with the
thermostat turned right down, he's fuming: over to you, Phil:
Phil Long Air Conditioning
Specialised and Quality Air Conditioning Systems
A Division of PL Group Pty Limited. ACN:074 648 356
35 Bakers Rd, Church Point NSW 2105
Fax: 02 9512 2934
Email: pglong@ibm.net 19/3/97
RE: Proposed meeting with IBM regarding the following subjects:
1. OS/2 and it's current status
2. IBM future development plans
3. IBM Marketing of their operating system
Dear Sirs,
As an end user I can only speak of the frustration that most OS/2 end users
are currently experiencing in the order of the above subjects.
1. OS/2 has been a stable platform for many years. It provides a level of
integration that places it way in front of the competition. The user
interface is intelligent, easy to configure and has unlimited customizable
features. You can do just about anything to change it's appearance and the
way in which it interacts. It is wholly a true operating system ready and
available to the market place.
When asked, a developer at the PC show mentioned. "We would love to develop
OS/2 apps. However, we cannot make profitable sales. IBM has marketed their
product poorly. The only option we have is to follow Microsoft as they
market their products well. Their methods sell software". He did mention
that OS/2 is far above the competition in it's ability and strength.
2. We feel that the future may bring a further reduction in developing OEM
programs for the operating system. This is clearly evidenced by the drop off
of quality applications. One example is the Describe Word Processor. There
are many more since I started using OS/2.
Lotus, even though they are owned by IBM, are primarily developing NT/95 and
other Microsoft software. This is done prior to OS/2 versions being
released, if at all. How long do we have to wait for the promised native
Smartsuite. I know I have been waiting for years. It's as though IBM wish to
scuttle their own software.
Given the current attitude of most end users, I would imagine they will be
looking hard for alternatives to replace OS/2.
3. As an end user we feel that IBM has done little to market their product
in accordance with market requirements. The publicity for OS/2 Warp 3 was
esoteric indirect and unclear. Since that time there have been numerous
television based publicity campaigns. Who needs nuns walking down the hall.
IBM must surely understand that should they simply place a machine on TV.
They could display features such as Faxworks where object oriented drag and
drop features could be displayed. Such features beckon a response of "You
can do THAT!, WOW". People that have seen it's potential are left in a total
quandary, wondering if they should change. Or alternatively. The general
comment is "What is OS/2? I have never heard of it".
It would be excellent if IBM would listen to our views. I certainly hope
they will utilize the valuable information and comments that we will offer.
It may influence IBM to market their product a little better, ensuring a
rosy future for all those OS/2 power users around the globe. I am sure that
everyone agrees, we should not allow Microsoft to control the whole market
place as this will totally undermine the computer industry, diminishing the
prerequisite for quality, cost effective end user software.
Should you have any further comments or queries, please contact the
undersigned.
Regards,
Phil Long
//thanks, Phil. I'll be glad to attend the meeting//
============================================================================
=============================================================================
*they* said it -not me:
Hot Tips, advice for WinNT & Win95 users from "Publishing Essentials" March
97, they also publish "NT World" - so they obviously know the subject:
Hot Tips: #84, 91 & 98 NT scanner drivers take advantage of NT versatility.
NT4 h/w profile allows scanner driver enabled or disabled......
(re-booting)... be able to save that much RAM
32-bit or bust (make sure you have 32-bit scanner drivers)
Don't be fooled by the smooth performance of 32-bit scanner drivers in W95
and NT. It doesn't mean you can switch away during scan to do other things.
.. images may come out distorted and corrupted.
Is this for real ? Is this issue meant to be dated April 1, maybe ? Do
people still re-boot their PCs several times a day with different 'profiles'
? "corrupted" scans ? can't do other things during scans ?
=============================================================================
Hello Voytek,
Your e-mail newsletter certainly gets around!
Be encouraged. Be very encouraged...
Chris
Subject: OS/2 dead? Uh, no. read this.
Date: 12 Mar 1997 01:38:16 GMT
This was taken from millinium cafe
begin:
_
The following message was copied from CompuServe.
#: 594463 S22/WARPED 'Viewpoints'
02-Mar-97 21:56:54
Sb: OS/2 is Honking
Fm: Jim Beard 71675,566
To: All
All: Just thought I would share this. A few short excerpts from John
Soyring's talk at the Feb 17, 1997 OS/2 SIG meeting in Sydney, Australia:
//much snipped//
It was originally written by a journalist who was there, sent around by SBT
(an Australian OS/2 software house) and forwarded to me out of the Atlanta
OS/2 use rs' group. I summarized it.
//snipped//
end:
//Are you a paid-up member of AJA, Rod ?//
=============================================================================
we hope to bring you soon a write up on the OS/2 developers' conference from
Phoenix, Arizona.
=============================================================================
If you downloaded the Bamba plug-ins, try the following:
http://www.nagano.olympic.org/welcome/welcome.html
There also may be some stuff off the NFL (www.nfl.com) pages.
Unfortunately, everything I've found is sports related.
-David
http://www.iwaynet.net/~dnedrow
=============================================================================
March 17, 1997 CSN announces price reductions and a new product:
WATCHIT assists the lan administrator to tune the IBM LAN SERVER. Statistics
are collected about resource and user activity. WATCHIT graphs mean
response, sessions, shares, bytes transferred, print jobs, big buffer and
request buffer allocations. Graphs direct you to the detail information
needed to improve performance and expand capacity.
WATCHIT PLUS provides IBM Lan Server management for complex configurations.
A single OS/2 platform can monitor all implementations of the IBM Lan
Server. WATCHIT PLUS collects statistics for the whole domain for resource
and user activity to be graphically analyzed to improve performance and
anticipate capacity problems. During the data collection continuously
updated graphs of Mean Response; Shares in use; Sessions; Traffic Received;
Traffic Sent and a display of Current Sessions and Current Shares in use.
WATCHIT PLUS analysis graphs 14 significant LAN Server characteristics.
Resource usage levels are compared to the operational IBMLAN.INI control
file. Each collected sample provides sixteen items of detail for the
collection period. WATCHIT PLUS is the equivalent to a site license for
WATCHIT.
MANAGE-IT provides administration of home directories. Administrators now
have a utility to access the content of users' home directories and inform
them of files that are inappropriate, illegal or vintage. Analysis provides
for selection by size, date or extension. Memos or networked messages with
the administrator's suggested list of inappropriate files can be generated
for each user requesting removal. Clean up confusion and enforce limits.
Take control of home directory expansion and abuse with MANAGE-IT and
guarantee "the space is out there".
CHKIT PLUS selectively monitors 1000+ IBM LAN servers in five domains.
Installation does not require any agents. Monitor by server type, your
defined list or any available. Continually updated graphics provide a visual
display of availability. Any server failure during the polling process will
provide a notification via a broadcast Lan Server Alert message and/or a
phone call to your pager. A simple click of a server ICON provides the
information obtained using the conventional Net statistics, share, session,
and view commands normally entered on the command line. The additional
information provided by a Net alias and user is also available.
CYBER-ALERT monitors Internet and Intranet servers from a single OS/2 system
and requires no other agents or remote installation. Mail, Web, FTP, News,
Gopher and custom sockets based servers are monitored for availability.
Continually updated graphics provide a visual display of availability.
Monitoring is not just a Ping but a connection is made to each server with a
request for service. The optional Log and analysis program provides for a
review of server operations by graphing performance for connection and data
transfer time. Detected failures will provide a notification via SMPT Mail
and/or make a phone call to your pager. User exits provide recovery for user
recovery opportunity.
Product US$
========
WATCHIT 260
WATCHIT PLUS 675
MANAGEIT 225
CHKIT PLUS 199
Cyber-Alert 249
Product support includes:
= Product demonstrations available on www.tiac.net/users/csn
= Product support forum on OS2BBS on IBMLINK or E-mail csn@tiac.net
= Unlimited Telephone or Fax assistance.
//these products are available locally from your OS/2 s/w supplier//
=============================================================================
updates for the Epson printer drivers are available thru Internet from the
WEB of Epson Germany
The Epson 400, 600 and 800 aren't supported at the
moment but should be by end of March/beginning of April.
=============================================================================
Post Road Mailer (Green) Release 2.1 and 2.5 Availability Notice
Dear InnoVal Customer:
InnoVal Systems Solutions is pleased to announce Release 2.5 of
the Post Road Mailer. Orders are being accepted on our secure and
non-secure order forms at http://www.innoval.com/business.htm.
Orders will be filled in the order received.
Customers who have previously purchased upgrade protection, and
customers who purchased the Post Road Mailer (Green) after June
1, 1996 will receive this upgrade free of charge. These customers
should have already received an email notice from us, explaining
the procedures for applying this upgrade. If you are entitled to
this upgrade, but have not received that email from us, please
provide us with the particulars by writing to innoval@ibm.net.
All Post Road Mailer (Green) users are entitled to Release 2.1 at
no charge. This release corrects most of the problems that have
been reported and has many, but not all, of the new features in
Release 2.5. The 2.1 upgrade can be downloaded by going to
http://www.innoval.com/update.htm and following the instructions
provided there.
Complete details covering both releases are available at
http://www.innoval.com. We strongly suggest you upgrade to either
Release 2.1 or 2.5. These releases are the result of the
dedication and hard work of the InnoVal team. If you are not
completely satisfied, please tell us. If you are satisfied,
please tell your friends and support us in the newsgroups.
Sincerely,
Dan Porter, Chuck Kowarz, Ken Taylor, Marianne Roderus, Kari Jackson
EVER ONWARD OS/2!
30 day demo can be downloaded from Innoval, full product is available for
purchase locally from any OS/2 software outlet, or from us directly.
==================================================================
Seagate (Arcada) backup for OS/2 will do Jazz and Zip drives, stock expected
soon, full details on www.seagate.com
Lotus Freelance-WordPro bundle expected tomorrow.
============================================================================
Voytek Eymont
SBT Information Systems Pty Ltd - Distributor of OS/2 software
fax 61-2 9310-1118 ph 61-2 9310-1214
http://www.ozemail.com.au/~sbt
sbtaus@ibm.net
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