OS/2 eZine

16 October 2000

Pete Grubbs is a self-described OS/2 wonk, a former doctoral candidate in English literature at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, a former part-time faculty member at Penn State and is still mucking about with a copy editing/creation service, The Document Doctor, which tailors documents for small businesses. He has also been a professional musician for 20 years and is working on his next album, scheduled for release in early 2001.

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Warpstock 2000: 20 Questions with Adrian Gschwend

One of the biggest surprises for me from last year's Warpstock was the number of IBMers who were not only in attendance, but were there representing IBM. This year, I was equally pleased and surprised to see a group of OS/2 users from Europe, particularly Germany and Switzerland. As I read their tags, I saw some very familiar names: Daniela Engert, Ulrich Moeller, Achim Hasenmuller and Adrian Gschwend, among others, were on hand to share their expertise and enthusiasm with their American compatriots. Gschwend, founder of OS/2 Netlabs, bounced through the halls between sessions with an energy that was an infectious as his smile. While some of the OS/2 faithful, myself included, have lately appeared to be a bit lethargic, a bit downtrodden, Adrian's demeanor radiated both optimisim and a 'can-do' attitude that I found quite refreshing. As long as our community has people like him in its ranks, we can overcome the problems which beset us.

OS/2 e-Zine!-- Who are you?

AG-- Adrian Gschwend

OS/2 e-Zine!-- Occupation?

AG-- Student

OS/2 e-Zine!-- Why did you come to Warpstock?

AG-- It's very important for me to get all the US people into NetLabs. We want to make sure that we can reach [all of the users in the US.]

OS/2 e-Zine!-- Is this your first year?

AG-- Yes.

OS/2 e-Zine!-- What are your impressions?

AG-- It's great because you can see all the faces behind the email and the names you know. It's very important to see people because it builds the motivation.

OS/2 e-Zine!-- Where is OS/2 heading? Is it going in a direction that you can follow?

AG-- I think the only way to really see a future for OS/2 is to do stuff for ourselves & not just apps, maybe a kernal. IBM will not do that game forever. The question is, can we get source code and what else can we do? With the community, we can do something about OS/2.

OS/2 e-Zine!-- Where do you want OS/2 to go? If you could realize your wildest fantasy (about OS/2), what would it be?

AG-- The best thing would be to get the source code for PMSHELL & WPS. If we would get that, we could fix all the stuff that IBM will never do. We could sell OS/2 like Linux. I don't think it would ever get like Windows, but I don't care about that. I don't want all the stupid Windows users using OS/2. I would like to see our community using a free OS/2 because that would get us into the future.

OS/2 e-Zine!-- If you could send one message to IBM, if you could send the people directly involved with continued OS/2 development one short e-mail and know that that message would get read, what would you say?

AG-- Don't lose this great piece of software. Give it to the place where it should belong. Make it open source. It's too good to lose it.

OS/2 e-Zine!-- What do you use your OS/2 machine for? What do want to do with OS/2 that you can't?

AG-- Everything. School work, Java programming, I write all the stuff for school, I surf the internet, I write email, I want to produce music.

OS/2 e-Zine!-- What does the OS/2 community mean to you?

AG-- It's a very great place to spend time. It's a great place to be, to communicate. It's just great because all of the people are very friendly, enthusiastic. I really like [it]. Netlabs exists because of this community.

OS/2 e-Zine!-- Are conventions like Warpstock, Warptech, etc., important to you? Why?

AG-- Yes. Because you really have a chance to meet the people. It's easier to communicate with them in real time instead of the Internet.

OS/2 e-Zine!-- What application(s) do you want to see in development for OS/2?

AG-- I would like to have a great midi that's pattern-oriented.

OS/2 e-Zine!-- Is there a killer app for OS/2? If so, what is it?

AG-- No. I don't buy into the killer app thing. The OS & all of the stuff around it is the killer app.

OS/2 e-Zine!-- How has IBM helped you?

AG-- Not at all. There are some very good guys at IBM [but] . . . it is and maybe will ever be a black hole. It sucks things from you and you never know what happens [to them]. I'm really surprised about the OS/2 people in IBM. I really appreciate what they do. I don't want to blame everyone in IBM because they have some very good people in there.

OS/2 e-Zine!-- How has Big Blue hindered you?

AG-- If you want to know something, it's always very, very difficult to speak to IBM. To be honest, IBM does not play a big role in the whole Netlabs thing.

OS/2 e-Zine!-- What is OS/2's relationship to the community? What is our community's relationship to OS/2?

AG-- I think that IBM invested a lot of time into the design of OS/2 but if you are a real OS/2 user, it's not just an OS; it's a friend because the computer really knows what you want to do. The OS is really important.

OS/2 e-Zine!-- What is your single biggest frustration as an OS/2 user?

AG-- To know that maybe there is no chance to get the code.

OS/2 e-Zine!-- Do you ever envy Windows users?

AG-- No. I just laugh at Windows. Every time I sit at a Windows machine it seems to be crashing.

OS/2 e-Zine!-- Any parting comments/thoughts?

AG-- The whole OS/2 community still listens too much to noise from IBM. The important thing about the OS/2 community is that we are the community, not IBM. We don't have to blame them; we have to do something better than they.

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