Getting Talked At

Without the honor of meeting them face-to-face, I was recently talked at by a number of journalists and semi-pundits who relayed the same information over and over again. The most valuable advice they suggested I follow was to just give up and buy NT. Among these oracles was one from Canopus Research who had spoken with IBM executives, another who was also a consultant was convinced he'd, "wasted 4 years of his life." Both of them felt it absolutely necessary to make it as public as possible that Warp was a no-goer.

All this was to the massive disinterest of anyone but other journalists.

At the time I was playing with Merlin Beta and enjoying it enormously. I was also trying to download the Star Office beta from Hobbes which was, and continues to be, highly congested thanks to a huge number of OS/2 users trying to connect too. Object Desktop 1.5 had improved upon "wow" and was seriously challenging "holy cow!" And some insiders were suggesting, in hushed voices, that Netscape/2 might be more than a pipe dream after all.

While doing some research for my tips column I listened to Joel Krautheim at SPG gushing about all the new features he was packing into ColorWorks 3 and fishing for ideas on another upcoming project of his. The Indelible Blue catalog had come through the mail and I was seriously considering splurging for Avarice. I had a problem with this because then I wouldn't be able to afford Galactic Civilizations 2 for a while and I wanted that too.

I'd just downloaded a useful little script from Prominic a week earlier too and was wondering what I could do with it. BMT Micro was expanding fast enough that they needed a new web site and I found myself involved with that. Plus, much to my delight, the manager of a local computer store had agreed to let me hold a demonstration of Warp 4.0 as part of the Connect the World with Merlin project, which had tipped over 600 volunteers in more countries than I could count.

But every time I looked up from my monitor the media was still talking at me.

I'm being told that I am in denial.

I'm being told that nobody is developing for OS/2. (I think their definition of "nobody" is anyone who can't afford to build a booth at COMDEX larger than Microsoft's.)

I'm being told there are zero applications. (I think their definition of "zero" is any number less than 6 digits long.)

I'm being told nobody uses it. (I think their definition of "nobody" is any population less than China's.)

I'm being told IBM is backing away from OS/2. (I think their definition of "backing away" is any maneuver short of leaping over a cliff.)

I think I'm being told what my vision of the future should be by people who can't see beyond their own self importance.

So this is the point when I put down that magazine or close that window and get on with my work, which has been ten times more productive thanks to a few companies and individuals that didn't listen to the talk either.

Thanks, guys. You make the world a better place to live in.

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