OS/2 e-Zine! - OS/2's Time Has Come

OS/2's Time Has Come

- by Bernard B. Yoo

In my last article, I wrote that OS/2 is not ready for the "average computer user" because of installation problems, inadequate hardware, lack of mainstream applications, and lack of publicity. Despite these major obstacles, OS/2 sales have been increasing steadily for the last few months and this trend will continue. Here's why. . .

Once you get past the installation and configuration and reach deep down into OS/2, you will find that it is a technically remarkable and highly capable operating system. Improving the installation routine is a trivial task compared to what the OS/2 programmers have already accomplished in writing the system code itself. IBM's recent release of "Just Add OS/2 Warp" is just a hint of the improvements that will come in the next full release of OS/2. Furthermore, OS/2 preloads are on the rise and soon many new computer buyers will not have to load OS/2 on their own.

Another major stumbling block for OS/2 has been that it is a very powerful operating system designed to take full advantage of very powerful hardware. It was ahead of its time. Now, the typical computer is so fast that any lesser operating system will leave the CPU idle most of the time. The standard amount of RAM installed on computer systems is rapidly approaching 16 megabytes, more than enough to take full-advantage of OS/2's multitasking.

Another weakness of OS/2, lack of mainstream applications, has actually become one of its strengths. Seeing this void, many innovative companies have started developing (or are continuing to develop) new software for OS/2. Stardock Systems developed Object Desktop, a user interface that has no equal anywhere. Athena Design produced Mesa, a spreadsheet with a level of object-orientedness that cannot be matched without the object technology inherent in OS/2. SPG produced ColorWorks, an image processing/editing and paint program that allows users to edit images while they are compressed, resize images as they are being processed, and apply new effects while others are still in the process of being applied--all made possible by OS/2's multithreading capability. With the advantages offered by OS/2's object technology and multithreading/multitasking capability, it won't be long before OS/2 applications become mainstream.

The lack of publicity for OS/2 is seen by many as a weakness in IBM's marketing strategy, but considering that OS/2 is becoming more popular in spite of this, with even a moderately aggressive marketing campaign OS/2 should become wildly popular. The question is, "Will IBM engage in even a modest marketing campaign?"

As I was walking toward my terminal in the airport on the way home for the holidays, I saw a picture on the wall of a nice little cafe with a single man sitting at one of the tables outside. Upon closer inspection, I found that in front of this man were a cup of coffee and a notebook computer. I then read the small writing at the bottom which said that this man was sending a fax, printing a report on the printer in his boss's office, surfing the Internet, and doing several other things, all at once. Then, right next to the IBM logo and the picture of an OS/2 Warp Connect box was the slogan, "Can your software do this?" I was overwhelmed at this rare sighting of an OS/2 Warp ad. Could this be true?

Once I recovered, I went over to the magazine stand and purchased a copy of Newsweek magazine. As I was looking through it, I noticed a page that talked about how reliable banks' computer systems are. Again, near the bottom right was the IBM logo and a picture of the OS/2 Warp Connect box. Two OS/2 Warp ads in a day. Was this coincidence?

By the time I got home, I had finished reading the Newsweek magazine and started reading U.S. News and World Report, and again, there was an OS/2 Warp Connect ad, this time mentioning how insurance companies depend on OS/2. This is no coincidence. IBM's OS/2 marketing campaign is going into high gear.

The presentation is excellent and the timing superb. The ads subtly but powerfully present OS/2 in all its glory: multitasking, networking, and reliability. Right now, no other major desktop operating system offers these qualities at a level that comes even close to what OS/2 Warp offers, while at the some time being compatible with thousands of commercial applications.

For those who don't have enough RAM to take full advantage of OS/2 Warp, RAM prices have come down to the lowest point in months, making a RAM upgrade an attractive option. One may criticize the ads for targeting businesses instead of the home user, but what home user wouldn't benefit from the same OS/2 features that benefit businesses? In any case, I fully expect that when a few ease-of-use issues are resolved in the next release of OS/2, IBM will target the home user more directly.

As it is now, there are many people who are switching from other operating systems to OS/2 while few people are dropping OS/2 in favor of another operating system. This trend, combined with the continued improvements in OS/2's installation, increases in the number of preloads, maturity of today's hardware, emergence of innovative software developers, increasing advertising by IBM, and the increasing number of computer users migrating to OS/2, prove that OS/2's time has come.

Bernard B. Yoo is a student of mechanical engineering and political science at Rice University. After using Windows 3.1 for four years he finally started using OS/2 in October '95.

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